ROX-TV welcomes MC SNAX onboard as our newest guest contributor. Tonight he offers up “Culture, Content, and Clown Love – Why It’s Good to Be a Juggalo Going Into 2022”
Whut up, y’all? MC Snax here. In case you’re wondering who I am and why my words are now being absorbed into your eyeballs, I’ll introduce myself! I’m a musician and long-time Juggalo. I also do a podcast called Hatchet Chat with the homie MC Lars (Lars started it solo in 2018 and invited me to join in 2020). Through Hatchet Chat I got to connect with the head writer of this dope site, Mike Shepard. We’ve had the honor of having him on two episodes so far, and he recently approached me to be a guest contributor to ROX-TV.
So you may see me around here from time to time. I can’t thank Mike enough for having me aboard! For my first article, I wanted to summarize some of the most recent happenings in the Juggalo world and put some of its freshness into focus. As I’ve mentioned, I’ve been down for a while. I discovered ICP in the summer of 2003. I have never considered myself an “old school Juggalo”. But I can say that in the past eighteen years, I have seen Psychopathic Records and the Juggalo community go through a lot. And honestly, I don’t know if I’ve ever been so glad to be down with the clown. I’d like to write about three major reasons why.First, let’s talk about culture! Man, Juggalos have gotten the bone over the years. If you’re a Juggalo reading this, you know that. If you’re not a Juggalo, chances are you’ve heard about the bones Juggalos have gotten. Now, compared to the oppression that minorities and many other marginalized communities have faced throughout history, the size and frequency of said bones could be looked at as small potatoes. But that doesn’t mean big bones aren’t being handed out. In some cases it’s losing-custody-of-kids-and-being-fired-from-jobs-sized bones. And when it comes to bones being handed out to a group of people just for liking a band, this is unheard of. But there’s good news. The culture has been changing. ICP’s music is still not everyone’s cup of Faygo.
That’s for sure. But a lot of people’s opinion of the band itself, as well as Juggalos, have changed. Take it from me. Becoming a Juggalo in middle school wasn’t easy. I got ragged on for my ICP hoodie all the time. Sure, it may have had something to do with the fact I wore it almost every day, regardless of weather. But it was the only piece of ICP merch I found sold in my hometown, give me a break! My point is, the animosity was there. For most of my life, people looked at me like I was part of some Barnum & Bailey’s-meets-Freemason cult. But the disdain seemed to slowly shift to curiosity. And then, of all things, solidarity. It seemed like everyone I knew heard about how ICP was taking on the FBI after Juggalos were included in their 2011 National Gang Threat Assessment. ICP was actually getting some media support as they fought back against this injustice.
And for most of my coworkers, family, and friends, I was the only Juggalo they knew. So naturally, they would talk to me about it. They’d say things like, “That FBI stuff is so messed up, man.” Or, “Can they really do that? To an entire fanbase?”. Sometimes I’d even hear, “You know, I’ve never actually listened to an ICP album before. Which one would you recommend?”. This support hit a fever pitch around the time of the Juggalo march on Washington in 2017. ICP called on the Juggalos to join them in protesting the FBI fiasco in a big way. The world took notice. And honestly, being a Juggalo hasn’t been the same since. Even though there are still negative effects from the FBI assessment, it seems like more people support and sympathize with Juggalos now more than ever. I may not have as many non-Juggalos asking me about ICP as they did around the time of the march, and that’s okay. I’m just grateful that a lot of people’s nervous aversion has changed to a nervous admiration. (Note: if you’d like to learn more about the FBI gang designation of Juggalos, check out the book “Juggalo” by author Steve Miller)
Okay, homies. Reason number two I’m happy to be a Juggalo right now – content. An incredibly high output rate is not a new thing for Psychopathic Records. But the way things are now, there really is always something to check out or look forward to. At the time of writing, ICP’s sixteenth studio album, “Yum Yum Bedlam”, has been out for less than a month and a half. I’ll keep my specific thoughts on the album minimal. There is a Hatchet Chat episode about it coming very soon! But I’ll say this; it’s awesome and I love it. And there’s more music on the way. Three EPs, in fact. Each being a Seed of Yum Yum. Now as many of you know, “Yum Yum Bedlam” is the fifth Joker’s Card of the second deck.I remember wondering what it was like being a Juggalo anticipating the finale of the Joker’s Card saga. With the second deck, I get to have that experience. And this time around, we get to have our cake and eat it too. We anticipate the finale, while knowing it’s not the end. We know there’s a third deck laying in wait. That deck is composed of five cards, to make a total of 17. Dang! The music is coming fast and strong. And that ain’t all, my friends. Not by a long shot. What else? Streaming, streaming, streaming! So much streaming! Shaggy and The Creep have been doing it for a while. They play a lot of games on Twitch, in addition to their regular vlogs and weekly podcasts. DJ Clay streams on Twitch as well! And to top it all off, ICP just dropped a huge announcement on the Juggalo world. ICP are going to be on what? That’s right, Twitch. Since October of 2020, Juggalos have gotten to experience a lot of flavor from the comfort of their own homes through ICP’s Patreon.
There have been several month-long events that include multiple streams a week. Anything from podcasts to game shows, to ICP and Jumpsteady trying their hand in the science lab – dangerous chemicals and all. But the thing is, Patreon is a paid membership service. And on the first episode of this month’s event is where ICP first announced the move to Twitch. They plan to kick their flavor over there from now on. That means it’ll be free, y’all. Now I can finally afford that second ICP hoodie! Earlier, I talked about some of my interactions with the non-Juggalos in my life during the FBI staleness. Well, these days the thing I hear most is, “Woah, I kinda wish my favorite artists put that much stuff out.”The third reason I’m happy to be a Juggalo? Two words, y’all. Clown love. For any non-Juggalos who aren’t too sure what clown love is, you can probably piece it together. It’s the love that Juggalos have for one another. Now, clown love ain’t new. Clown love has been around since Juggalo day one. But I tell you, it’s been coming in handy even more than usual in these crazy times. Let’s be real. The Dark Carnival tends to attract misfits and outcasts. There’s no doubt about it. Not every Juggalo feels like an outsider in life, but I’d say a majority do in one way or another. Either way, in the company of fellow Juggalos, you’re with family. And I can’t think of another time in my life I’ve appreciated having this family more. Don’t forget, the Insane Clown Posse are in fact clowns. Granted, they’re not always funny clowns. But they are clowns.
They point out the absurdity of our existence. And I think that plays a big part in the Juggalo outlook. Juggalos have an ability to shrug off and laugh at the nonsense this planet has to offer. And that’s one of my favorite things about kickin’ it with Juggalo friends. In a world of conflict and confusion, Juggalo-style chaos is a breath of fresh air. There really is something special about being a part of this world. Some may chalk the phenomenon up to plain old comradery. I know there are other communities that get a similar feeling. But I’m into plenty of other things besides Psychopathic Records, and I’ve never felt a sense of connection based on shared interest like I have with my Juggalo homies. And the clown love bond only grows stronger. Think about it. Some have been down since the beginning. That’s THIRTY YEARRRS. And we’re not talking about thirty years of liking a band that took two five year hiatuses, or that aren’t heard from in between albums and tours.
We’re talking about thirty years of consistent releases, concerts, wrestling events, and more. Think about how close a friendship can grow over time, and now apply that to the countless relationships formed within this subculture. A lot of Juggalos have grown up together. Some Juggalos have gotten to know one another just from seeing each other at shows over and over. There’s Juggalos who have gotten into ICP because of their Juggalo parents. What I’m trying to say is this; I believe the reason why clown love is so powerful on a macro-level, is because it works so well on a micro-level. Clown love doesn’t only bring people together. It keeps them together. “HOMIES, HOMIES! We throwin’ up clown love signs…”
There you have it, y’all. Three reasons I’m happy to be a Juggalo in 2021. If you’re also a Juggalo, I hope this served as a reminder of how special our world really is. If you’re not a Juggalo, I hope it gave you some insight into what it’s like on this side of the Faygo pond. At the very least, I hope I used the word Juggalo so much that it gave you that feeling of when a word starts to look strange. Like, “There’s no way that’s how it’s spelled, right? That looks wrong to me. I’m Googling it.” I just hope you got something out of it, homies. I know I had fun writing it. Psychopathic has been such a big part of my life for such a long time. ICP is the reason I make music. I’ve met countless friends through this world. I owe a lot to being a Juggalo and it felt good to organize my thoughts on why I’m happy to be one. That’s it from me for now, y’all! Peace!
– Snax
