Carnival of Carnage

Background Joseph Bruce and Joseph Utsler formed a hip hop group in 1990. Under the stage names Violent J, 2 Dope, and John Kickjazz, the group began performing at local night clubs under the name of their gang, Inner City Posse. Bruce suggested the band instead adapt a style similar to the hallucinatory, surrealistic "acid rap" of fellow Detroit rapper Esham, in a bid to have Detroit represent acid rap, much as Los Angeles represented gangsta rap. The group agreed, but not to copying the style of Esham closely. Instead, they suggested using horror-themed lyrics as an emotional outlet for all their negative life experiences. They were also unanimous in deciding not to rap openly about Satan, which Esham often did. Seeing that they were being overcharged, Alex Abbiss made his first major managerial move by finding another producer, Mike E. Clark. "Carnival of Carnage" was originally recorded by Esham at Hells Doors Studio, but he pronounced "carnage" as "carnicks" and refused to redo it. The Dark Carnival is a concept of the afterlife in which souls are sent to a form of limbo while waiting to be sent to heaven or hell based on their individual actions. These concepts are related by Insane Clown Posse in a series of albums called the six Joker's Cards. Each of the six Joker's Cards relate to a specific character — an entity of the Dark Carnival — that tries to "save the human soul" by showing the wicked inside of one's self. This Joker's Card is a representation of the ghettos and the violence that occurs within them. It takes the form of a traveling carnival which releases the same brutality on those who have ignored the inner cities' cries for help. • "The Juggla" samples "Kiss" by Prince and the Revolution and "The Show Must Go On" by Three Dog Night • "Red Neck Hoe" samples "City, Country, City" by War • "Is That You?" samples "Back from the Dead" and "Yo-da-lin in the Valley" by Kid Rock • "Psychopathic" samples "Halloween Theme - Main Title" by John Carpenter, "The Murder" by Bernard Herrmann, and "More Bounce to the Ounce" by Zapp • "Blackin' Your Eyes" samples "I Wanna Sex You Up" by Color Me Badd and "Funky President (People It's Bad)" by James Brown • "Never Had it Made" samples "The Wizard" by Black Sabbath and "Pass the Mic" by Beastie Boys • "Ghetto Freak Show" samples "I'd Rather be Dead" by Esham • "Taste" samples "Brother Green (the Disco King)" by Roy Ayers Ubiquity, "Word After Word" by Esham, "The Crunge" by Led Zeppelin, "Melting Pot" by Booker T. & the M.G.'s and "I Believe in Miracles" by the Jackson Sisters Lyricism Joseph Bruce uses elements of political hip hop throughout the album. Many of his lyrics were derived from his experiences of growing up in a poor family that was neglected by the government. He and his brother Robert used to escape from their impoverished reality by gathering themselves in a forest called "Picker Forest". Joe cites "Picker Forest" as a strong influence on the Dark Carnival mythology which began with this album. The themes of the Dark Carnival also derived from a dream Bruce had shortly after the group adopted its new name, in which spirits in a traveling carnival appeared to him. As a teenager, he had briefly lived in Bonnie Doone, North Carolina, a trailer park town just outside Fort Bragg, where his brother Robert had been staying with the U.S. Army. There, Joseph witnessed open racism directed toward African American citizens, as well as the minorities serving in the Army, and became disgusted and infuriated with the actions that took place. The first recorded version of the song appeared on the Intelligence and Violence EP under the name "Wizard of Delray." The Carnival of Carnage version is derived from a 1991 recording which appeared on the EP Dog Beats. ==Release==

Just weeks prior to the release of their album, John left the group because he felt that it was "taking up too much of [his] life." The number would become a reoccurring theme in Insane Clown Posse's work throughout much of the following decade. A condensed extended play featuring eight selected tracks from Carnival of Carnage was pressed on vinyl in hopes that DJs would play the songs in Detroit-area nightclubs. ==Reception==

Although Carnival of Carnage was not reviewed at the time of its release, later reviews of the album have been unfavorable. AllMusic reviewer Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave the album three out of five stars, comparing the group's performance on the album to "a third-rate Beastie Boys supported by a cut-rate Faith No More, all tempered with the sensibility that made Gwar cult heroes—only with [...] more sexism and jokes that are supposed to be street, but wind up sounding racist", but stating that the album would appeal to fans of the group. In The Great Rock Discography, Martin Charles Strong gave the album four out of ten stars. The album received one star out of five in The New Rolling Stone Album Guide, in which Ben Sisario panned it (along with the rest of the group's discography before The Great Milenko) as "gangsta-inspired wigga posturing". ==Legacy==

In 1997, Twiztid released a cover of the song "First Day Out" on the duo's debut album, Mostasteless. In 1998, the album was reissued by Island Records without the tracks "Blackin' Your Eyes" and "Night of the Axe." The original version continues to be sold by Psychopathic Records. By 2010, the album had sold well enough to become eligible for gold certification by the RIAA. In the Aqua Teen Hunger Force episode "Juggalo", Bruce and Utsler appear as themselves during a trial after Master Shake commits suicide. George Lowe asks "Mr. 2 Dope" to read lyrics from "Blackin' Your Eyes". ==25th anniversary==

In 2017, it was announced that Insane Clown Posse was going to perform the album in its entirety at the "El Club" (which holds 600 people), located in southwest Detroit directly across the street from Clark Park right in the heart of ICP's stomping ground when they were younger. It was also announced that the performance would only be a one-time event, and tickets would be $250, with all proceeds going directly to the people making the documentary about John Kickjazz titled The Third Clown. It was also said that John and Shaggy 2 Dope's little brother Tre Pound of Chop Shop would fill in for John. Later on it was announced that for the first time in 25 years Inner City Posse would be performing, and they would wear no makeup. Also a 25th anniversary vinyl version will be available. On August 25, 2017, the lineup for the show was announced, including Rude Boys son DJ Carlito performing (playing music) in between sets, as well as an after party at "''MJ's''": ==Track listing==

• Joseph "Violent J" Bruce – vocals, production (tracks: 2–7, 9–15) • Joseph "2 Dope" Utsler – vocals, scratching • John Utsler "Kickjazz" – vocals (tracks: 5, 13, 15) • Mike E. Clark – production (tracks: 3–4, 7–8, 12, 15) • Chuck Miller – production (tracks: 5–6, 9–10, 13) • Esham A. Smith – feature (track: 15), production (tracks: 1, 11–12, 14) • Robert "Kid Rock" Ritchie – feature (track: 8), scratching (track: 8) • Robert "Jumpsteady" Bruce – feature (track: 15) • Erik "Capitol E" Perry – feature (track: 15) • Nate "The Mack" Williams – feature (track: 15) • John "Kid Villain" Rode – feature (track: 6) ==References==