ROX-TV presents it’s opening day of “Gathering of the Juggalos 21” coverage. Ride with us as we discuss the performers, music, and Juggalo culture over the next few weeks.
Welcome back to ROX-TV for the opening day of “Gathering of the Juggalos 21” coverage. Over the coming days and weeks, we will be looking at the performers slotted to play the historic festival, some of the music that goes along with the artists and their performances, and so much more. As Psychopathic Records continues to roll out specifics for the magical moment, which is racing towards us like a bullet train, I plan to highlight these updates and also interject my own thoughts whenever it seems appropriate or interesting. Sometimes I might even drift into the weeds for that matter, but my intentions are pure and my only aim is to celebrate Juggalo culture, which I proudly relate to and identify with.
My own history with the Dark Carnival can be traced back to the “Maxi Single” that helped launched it all. The ground breaking Juggalo holy grail “Dog Beats” by the Inner City Posse. Why is it consider the holy grail in my eyes? Well there are obvious reasons for that which I will explore in the coming body of this article, but let us not forget the subtle magic of this release as well. Sometimes in life, there is no way to measure or quantify the importance of a particular “act” or “thing” until many years have passed. Sure there is the immediate ripple effect of course, but I’m talking about lasting significance.
“Dog Beats” in my eyes has matured over time like a fine wine, which simotaneaulsy captured the look and feel of rap in America during those early years of the nineties, and launched an underground movement that would turn into an unstoppable force in the coming decades. Sometimes, the smallest events in everyday life can be devastatingly powerful when the full impact of the decision has time to grow and evolve. I believe that to be true with the “Dog Beats” recording.
The Butterfly Effect: The sensitive dependence on initial conditions, in which a small change in one state of a deterministic non-linear system can result in large differences in a later state. I know what your thinking, “what the fuck is this”, but just hear me out. The effect can be summed up in a pretty basic nutshell, but what does that mean and why is it important?
Well, the example often cited in relation to “The Butterfly Effect” is that of the Butterfly. (Interestingly enough, the Butterfly also plays a gigantic role in the myth and lore of the Insane Clown Posse aka Inner City Posse throughout the years). It is said that the flapping of a Butterfly’s wings, half way around the world could give birth to a tornado weeks later. The term is closely linked to the mathematician Edward Norton Lorenz, who is best known as the founder of the “modern chaos theory” (a branch of mathematics that focuses on the behavior of dynamical systems that are extremely sensitive to initial conditions).
In the topic discussion of “Dog Beats” I believe that this is exactly what happened with the infamous 1991 release by Inner City Posse. Just like the Butterfly’s flapping, which could cause a tornado several weeks later, the Maxi-Single could be described in an eerily similar fashion. At the time of the release, there would have been no way to know that it would launch a niche society and way of life for self described “Juggalos and Juggalettes” some thirty years later. It was merely a fraction of time, captured within the boundaries of four songs on a unique looking and local cassette tape.
I don’t believe that the Juggalo lifestyle, culture, and experience could have been possible without the release of “Dog Beats” or at least not in the current state that we find it today. If “Dog Beats” hadn’t been made when it was, the story might have been extremely different going forward, with lasting implications through the present day. Luckily for us though, the music was made at the perfect time. I’m sure even without the cassette, Violent J and 2Dope would have made a lasting impact one way or another on the music industry. People with creative minds and drive will always find a way to make the boat float. Luckily for us though, we can trace ICP’s big bang to a specific time and location, so speculation can be tossed out the window. Facts are facts, and when you have them, victory can be found. If you want to argue unprovable theories not based in reality, I won’t waste my time debating with you. Who the fuck argues with a crazy person? Not me. Well, I guess this is a good enough place as any to dive in, so here we go. Ladies and Gentlemen…please give a warm round of applause for the “Dog Beats”.
Dog Beats “Maxi Single” by Inner City Posse
This amazing recording only contains four tracks and clocks in at 19 minutes and 51 seconds. Let that sink in for just a minute. The entire modern day Juggalo experience was launched on the back of a sliver of time. Imagine being able to change the world around you and the face of rap music (at least in part) with the same amount of time it takes to get ready in the morning. In the span of a few minutes, the members of the Inner City Posse altered the landscape of society and created an alternative lifestyle that hundreds of thousands of people (maybe millions by the time it’s all said and done with) could relate to and call their own.
It really makes you stop and think about how much time is wasted each and everyday, by myself and others around me. Taking time for granted is easy to do, but when you learn that nineteen minutes is enough time to start a sub-culture, generating countless forms influence all around the world…it can shake a person to his/her core. Imagine if people started looking at the “long view” before they said something or acted on impulse. I feel that society would be better off, but that is just an opinion. (Author’s Note: In America, we are free to have our own opinions, even if they are unpopular, the minute that freedom is removed, we are no longer free. The very definition of Fascism includes “forcible suppression of opposition” among other things, which the ICP has fought against since the beginning)
So there we are, working with 19:51 on a clock, which I might add is extremely close to Edward Norton Lorenz’s birthday. He was born on May 23rd, 1917 and if you add up the numbers 5,23, and 1917…you get within six seconds of the total length of “Dog Beats”. I think that is somewhat ironic, coupled with the fact that Edward Norton Lorenz was awarded the “Kyoto Prize” (Japan’s highest lifetime achievement award for arts and science) in 1991, the year that “Dog Beats” was officially released. Very interesting indeed.
Each side of the tape holds two songs respectively. The first side features Ghetto Zone and Wizard of the Hood, while the second side features Life at Risk and Dog Beats. The cover features a striking image of a clown hanging upside down, a graphic of a Jester using his “marionette” skills to control the letters I, C, and P. (Marionette: a puppet worked from above, controlled by strings attached to it’s limbs). History tells us that the marionette was drawn by Joseph Utsler (Shaggy 2Dope), who has created some amazing and iconic imagery over the years with his artistic ability, which includes one of my favorite designs from the cover of Project Born’s Born Dead E.P. (released in 1995 on Psychopathic Records).
The inside jacket is pretty basic upon initial viewing, but there are some interesting pieces of information worth noting. Perhaps a more striking fact for younger Juggalo’s and Juggalette’s is that the I.C.P Members list includes four names: Violent J, Ghetto Style, 2 Dope, The Jester. Also listed in the “guts” of the narrative on the jacket is “The I.C.P. (on the streets) which lists Jump Steady, Lay Low, Rude Boy, Violent J, S.T. One, The Jester, Paul Daily, Dr. Redd, Aracloso, 2 B Rich, Smitty Roe, R.J.S., Awesome Alex, Lorenzo, Nate the Mack, Ghetto Style, Tall Jess, Mack 2 Nite, Fat Ron, 2 Dope, and Sir Charles.
There are two fascinating quotes listed as well. The first quote is from Eldridge Cleaver, who was born Leroy Eldridge Cleaver on August 31st, 1935. The quote in the jacket of “Dog Beats” says “If you are not part of the solution, then your part of the problem”. Eldridge Cleaver, who wrote “Soul on Ice” in Folsom Prison in 1965, which was published in 1968 also said “If a man like Malcolm X could change and repudiate racism, if I myself and other former Muslims can change, if young whites can change, then there is hope for America” (page 106, Soul on Ice, Cleaver). History is full of exciting and interesting view points and perspectives, often times forgotten or distorted over time, to be used for agenda building and propaganda. Know your history and you won’t be tricked or misled by people who really only want to hurt you or confuse you. When we all come together, nothing can stop us. Real change can be realized, but only if we stop opposing one another and address the real problem on this planet and the people that “control” us with divisive bullshit. We are all in this world together. We need to evolve and embrace each other, not live the past. Until we have our eyes “up” and are intentions are pure, I’m afraid we have more trouble coming. (I encourage people to read Malcom X’s autobiography which was written by Alex Haley for some more interesting information).
The second quote in the cassette jacket is from Violent J. It says: “I saw on tv that they could totally fix up Detroit for a few million dollars. All of the stingy, rich people in the suburbs don’t give a fuck about the ghetto zone anyway. So I guess it’s an eye for an eye and a throat for a throat. You let us rot in the ghetto and we will just keep fucking your daughters and robbin your houses”. I understand what Violent J was saying back in 1991 and that he was frustrated with the way the world was operating. He wasn’t wrong when he said that for a few million dollars, things could have been greatly improved for the impoverished citizens who called Detroit home. It’s not like the money wasn’t around. I’m sure that GM could have coughed up a few million dollars for the cause, considering the pollution they were adding to the environment. Hell, they should be billed ten times that amount today, for abandoning Michigan and leaving behind a trail of waste and empty factories, but that is for another time. When people are faced with no hope and poverty, crime is certainly a path forward to attain things out of reach. The message was dead on and would prove correct time and time again, over the coming decades.
I think that it is astonishing that the Inner City Posse had these quotes in the jacket of “Dog Beats” and it speaks to a higher level of awareness, that a lot of younger people at the time, didn’t have the capacity for. The music on the tape also speaks to admirable ideals, that ICP would be celebrated for in the coming decades, as more and more people started to really get into the music.
The Dog Beats legacy and the GOTJ 21
For me, “Dog Beats” will forever be remembered as a pivotal point in my life. Although I’ve told the story many times, I was first introduced to the cassette tape by my cousins and it proved to be a game changer as far as my musical tastes developed in the early 1990’s in Michigan. The tape left a lasting impression on me, which carried me to the Dark Carnival and never let go. So, when I heard the news that the “Dog Beats” would come to life once again, I knew the topic would have to be explored here on ROX-TV. Here is the direct quote from the Gathering of the Juggalos website:
Posse up! Oh shit! Get ready for the old school freshness quick to leave your wig split and flipped 180 degrees and back again as we take you way back to the origins, the original, the old school freshness of… The Dog Beats! Join Violent J, Shaggy 2 Dope, and Tre Lb as they present a very special performance of the old-school flavor and freshness that started it all, with a performance of the Dog Beats in its entirety! Hailing from Southwest Detroit, where the street gangs are strong and the hard knocks are slapped upside your face in every song! This performance is dedicated in loving memory of the third clown, John Kickjazz, as his brothers hold it down in his memory and drop the street thug shit as only the Inner City Posse knows how. Let’s take it back to where it all started! Psychopathic Records is 30 years strong and the Inner City Posse still got the Dog Beats–ICP! We got the Dog Beats! Woof!
To say that I’m over the moon about it would be an understatement of the highest order. This is not a show, its a fucking CALL TO ARMS for all Juggalos and Juggalettes. Literally, to come and see what set the whole machine off is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Can I say that if you miss the Gathering, there will be other opportunities down the road to experience this mythical performance? No I can’t. Time is an impossible beast to claim and nothing is guaranteed in life with respects to time. Miss this chance to witness ICP and Psychopathic Legends to perform the “holy grail” Dog Beats set, and I can promise you one thing. You will regret it for the rest of your lives. Know your history Juggalos and Juggalettes. Embrace your culture, this thing of ours, or lose it for all time. It might not be today or a year from now, but if you don’t know where this shit came from, you won’t know where it’s going, ever.
Well, that’s about all the time I have for this piece. I hope you enjoyed opening day of the Gathering of the Juggalos 21 continuing coverage on ROX-TV. Please tune in again for more articles on the event, the artists, and the culture of the Juggalo universe. Until next time.
Signing Off,
Mike Shepard
ROX-TV Head Writer
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