A Closer Look At Icp Song And Album Content

Much has been made of innovation heard on Insane Clown Posse albums and in ICP songs. From the ICP songs filled with horror imagery to the larger Insane Clown Posse albums that are comprised of much of this content, Insane Clown Posse has been both a hated and loved member of the underground hip hop community.

Why all the fuss?

For anyone unfamiliar, underground hip hop is a very broad term but also a very tight knit community. Because the adjective underground really only means that the hip hop won’t be heard on the radio or seen on the billboard charts, underground hip hop itself does not have one defining sound.

That said, fans of one style of underground hip hop are likely to be close with fans of another type of underground hip hop. It’s about the community, and a love for things yet undiscovered by the mainstream (that would ostensibly make them much less cool).

So where do the Insane Clown Posse albums and ICP songs fit in?

To start, they belong in a niche underground hip hop genre called horror rap. This genre of music is just what is sounds like, with the majority of content being dark, violent, deliberately vile, and, well, often times straight up horrifying. Hence why the Insane Clown Posse albums and ICP songs feel right at home in this genre.

The first Insane Clown Posse album, Carnival of Carnage, boldly announced the horror rap brand of underground hip hop that all of Insane Clown Posse’s albums would exhibit from that point forward.

ICP songs with titles like “Guts on the Ceiling” and “Night of the Axe” launched the group’s genre into underground hip hop’s micro-genre of horror rap without hesitation.

However, there are some ICP songs on this first Insane Clown Posse album that are politically and socially aware, one trait not very common in the realm of horror rap. ICP songs on Carnival of Carnage often dealt with themes of anti-bigotry, resentment aimed towards the government, and teenage refuge.

The recent ICP songs that some argue are tinted with spiritual messages did not appear on this Insane Clown Posse album, and would not appear for many more Insane Clown Posse albums.

Notably, Carnival of Carnage was more than just the first Insane Clown Posse album, it was also the first Joker’s card in what has become the groups complex mythology. It’s not common for underground hip hop artists or any artists for that matter to design their own mythology replete with moral lessons that renews with each and every album, but that’s exactly what ICP started.

More specifically, this joker’s card is a representation of the ghettos and the violence that occurs within them. Taking the form of a traveling carnival that exists to issue brutality on the ruling class, the Joker’s card for this Insane Clown Posse album teaches retribution, and raises awareness for the neglect showed towards those living in ghettos.

By: Jack Burden

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One of underground hip hop’s lesser known genres, horror rap, is populated by Insane Clown Posse albums and the subsequent ICP songs from each. To learn more about Insane Clown Posse albums, please visit insaneclownposse.com”>insaneclownposse.com.