ROX-TV’s continuing coverage of the Gathering of the Juggalos 22 keeps rolling. Tonight we have HB The Grizzly in the house to talk about it. Check it out!
We have a special guest in the house tonight, ladies and gentlemen please welcome my homegirl HB The Grizzly! I’d like to thank you for stopping by the ROX-TV website to rock it up with the readers. There’s been some serious movement in your camp since the last time we talked, but we will get to that all shortly. First things first…I want to ask you about what’s on everyone’s mind lately. The Gathering of the Juggalos 22 is almost here and you landed a coveted spot on the lineup. Congratulations for that amazing accomplishment. If you could tell the readers what being on the amazing lineup means to you?
Honestly, I’m speechless that’s the first thing. It is the gathering of dreams especially for me. After winning the gong show I noticed a tremendous amount of more love coming my way. The thought of jumping on that stage it makes me nervous, a good kind of nervous.
I’ve worked so hard to get to this point and show the whole Juggalo community my worth and to share my message. I just think back about seven years ago I don’t even recognize who I used to be. I used to be very timid and intimidated, self-critical and didn’t believe in myself. One day I just woke up, I moved forward, and nothing can stop me. So when someone asked me “what does this mean to me?”, I respond with “this means everything.” I’ve worked so hard up to this point and it was worth it. All the sleepless nights making music in my car and being partially homeless for almost 2 years traveling and doing music, it wasn’t by any means easy. I could shed a tear at the thought I’ve worked so hard to get to this point…& if you take just one chance at something big, you never know what could happen for you.
For Underground Artists, I feel like the Gathering of the Juggalos is the premier event to perform at each year. The summer finds artists from around the country and world bringing their grade-A dope game in hopes of joining the greatest party on earth…an Insane Clown Posse family reunion for the Juggalos and Juggalettes. Can you tell the readers who might not know yet, what stage you will be performing at and what time?
Nightmare Stage, August 3rd at exactly midnight!!
Now for all the family that are in the Oddity campground and Ballas, they are going to be able to hear my voice resonate throughout the woods.
There’s a Grizzly roaming the grounds.
I remember first interviewing you at CRB radio, at the Cruisin The Barrio studio. If I remember correctly you talked about coming up as a young Juggalette and some of your memories about the culture. What is it like to have come up as fan, to arriving at a point where you are part of the show? It has to be surreal? Thoughts or feelings on your amazing journey?
I do call myself both a Juggalette and Juggalo. I’m very much an old schooler, I got my first cassette tape when I was 13 years old it was a birthday gift. My older sister taught me the ways of the underground before I even knew about the lifestyle.
I have a million emotions running through my head. The fact I’m going to perform the one festival that I go to every year as a reunion with like-minded people. This means more to me than just any performance I’ve ever done. I mean, I grew up as a dancer and I performed in front of thousands of people before but this by far is the most nerve-racking and the most important performance of my career.
I get flashbacks of who I was seven years ago, sitting at Maybury Park and making my first song. Finally building my brand and buying my first bit of merchandise. Down to dropping my first album and how proud I was…
If only I could’ve told the girl I was seven years ago, “this is only the beginning HB” everything is a learning experience, and you grow from it. It’s incredibly surreal from the person I used to be that gathered alone at her first gathering. Now here I am performing the gathering, all my hard work has paid off. My voice will be heard, finally. It’s hard to explain everything that’s running through my head, like I said it’s nerve-racking. The way I look at it though is, the day you stop getting nervous when you jump on a stage should be the day that you retire. If it doesn’t make you nervous, then why are you doing it? You should feel excited every time that you’re out there telling the world your message. Always elevate the bar and aim high. Never stop getting those butterflies.
What is the one thing that you are looking forward to this year at the GOTJ 22? The music, the fans, the atmosphere?
Seeing all the beautiful faces that I have missed is my favorite thing about the gathering. The music is what brings all of us together once a year. I have made some of the most solid friendships throughout the years. I have lost so many family members as well, which is another reason why reuniting at GOTJ helps keep their memory alive. When one of us is injured/alone/hurt we all come to help. I guess my favorite thing about the gathering is how the music has created such a beautiful connection with people from other walks of life. We all come together once a year to appreciate each other’s differences and embrace them.
Why I have you here, I wanted to ask you about some other cool news coming from your corner of the ring. You just dropped a brand-new video! For the readers out there…. what’s the song about and where can people find it to consume?
My new official video “That Bitch” stems off of my song “Venomous.” I unleashed a darker side of me in my last album explaining that I’ve been a woman scorned, cheated and lied to. This is for everyone out there that has experienced those emotions and felt so little after someone’s done them wrong. I bring out a powerful side, showing that I’ve had enough. You just can’t keep pushing people past their breaking point and expect to get away with doing dirty things to those that have done nothing wrong to you.
I was incredibly mistreated years ago and I felt so little, I hated myself I was made out to be the bad guy and honestly it pushed me to a point where I wanted to end it all. Instead, I just rose up started doing music and put all the energy that I used on hating myself and put it into music where other people will understand and recognize those feelings. It’s not a typical heartbreak song this is veering more on the other side of the outlook where revenge is beautiful. For all those that have ever done me wrong and cheated me out of my joy and happiness to a point where I didn’t even know who was looking at me in the mirror, this song is for them.
You can’t break people down and just get away with it, “that bitch” does not put up with that kind of behavior. I made a stance on the other side of the spectrum. If people really thought I was a bitch, they haven’t seen anything yet. That’s why “That Bitch” hits home with me because it’s about my personal experiences of being considered the bad guy when I was done wrong. This is definitely a song that a lot of people could relate with.
Time flies as they say…it seems like yesterday I was running into you out at the ROXY Theatre in the Five Points (Denver). I close my eyes and a year has blown by like a passing train. Can you define (in a few words) what the last year or so of your life has been like? What are your goals for the near future?
Chaotic needless to say. I think everyone could agree. I was pretty much homeless during Covid because before the pandemic I was paying rent at my folk’s house and my stepfather was going through chemotherapy. When I was performing on stage and going to venues I wasn’t allowed to go back home because of my elderly parents. It was a hard decision to make, I had to choose between being around my family and staying stagnant or doing my music and living out of my car to continue my music career.
So, I chose to live out of my car and travel and do music for two years during coronavirus. It was a means to an income, and I’m not going to stay stagnant just because the rest of the world chose to. It was a hard decision to make I worried about my parents every single day, because family is everything to me. It hurt them to see me living the way I had to, but they were also very proud of everything I was doing!
A lot of people didn’t know that during Denver last year I was hopping from couch to couch and sleeping in my car while still traveling and doing music. Thats what it takes sometimes to get yourself out there.
I had a solid career in the aesthetics industry but when coronavirus hit, I was out of work, and I needed to pay my bills. My music has supported me throughout all of the dark times we’ve experienced recently. Even though I had to sleep in my car, my music paid my way.
It’s been a journey and I don’t say that lightly.
It’s been a roller coaster, nights where I’ve stayed up in my car and tell myself “I’m going to make it.”
Now that all the craziness has settled down a bit, I got back to my aesthetics career while juggling my music career. I work nonstop. I now just recently just got a beautiful home that I can gladly say I’ve worked hard for as well.
I also finished building my third album, and this next project has a lot more edge. Of course, I had to sprinkle a little bit of sweetness in there because I honey dripp, that’s what I do.
This year has put me on different avenues, a step up. Everything is a learning experience though. Whether you may think you’re at the top, keep working for aiming higher and that’s my goal to constantly aim high and make a statement.
I know you are travelling fast and making moves in the scene. I enjoy seeing and hearing about all the things you get up to. Before I let you go, is there anything you’d like to say to the Juggalo Universe or the readers at ROX-TV?
Dreams do come true. They may not happen like in the movies. Dreams come true when you work with diligence and a humbled heart.
Just pave your way and the days that you feel like giving up are the days that you need to work harder. Take all that access energy and build something beautiful, something that the world can relate to. You are worth it, I promise.
I can’t wait to see everybody at GOTJ 2022!
HB The Grizzly, my homie…thank you for coming on with us tonight. The countdown has begun for yet another amazing chapter of the GOTJ saga! I hope to catch you at the event and wish you the best of luck during your performance. Keep doing your thing girl, I can’t wait to see what you do next. Until next time….333×89
Signing Off,
Mike Shepard
ROX-TV Head Writer
shepard2909@hotmail.com
