ROX-TV chops it up with Chapter 17’s HEXXX. The West Coast Wicked Shit Homie gives an Exclusive Interview! We break bread and rap about GOTJ22, the recent tour, and much more. The future is here…
Welcome back to the ROX-TV website. As always, we welcome back the loyal readers and thank you for your support. I enjoy reading your emails so keep them coming. Tonight, we have a top shelf treat for the Juggalos and Juggalettes and I’m really excited to be breaking off a chunk for you to consume. My homeboy from CALI gave the ROX-TV website an exclusive interview today and it has come on the eve of the greatest party on Earth…the one and only “Gathering of the Juggalos 2022“, going down in O-H-I-O. If you’re hip to the Juggalo Universe, then your calendar has been marked since last August and rightly so. There is nothing more sacred than a GOTJ to the faithful and the countdown begins the day after it wraps up each year. Perhaps you are just drifting in or getting turned onto the scene and that’s ok too. We have room for everyone on this bad ass trip and it’s a hallmark of the dopest sub-culture in America and beyond.
Since 1992, I’ve been down with the clown and thirty years later I’m happy to say that I have no regrets. The Juggalo Universe has seen me pass through many seasons of my life and has been steadfast throughout the decades. I couldn’t be prouder of this scene, which was born out of humble beginnings and eventually swelled to a worldwide movement. Over the years we have watched the doubters and hate machines slowly die off, while the Dark Carnival keeps on rolling. I’ve watched the industry, which included MTV, popular radio, and the written word run red in the face trying to keep the lid on the Insane Clown Posse and the world that they created. I can’t say I haven’t enjoyed watching as each of these “obstacles” slowly ran out of breath, ran red and puffy faced, attempting to stop the unstoppable, only to eventually die off.
The Juggalo Universe and the Wicked Clowns never faltered and kept the steady march going. Three decades later, the scene is as strong as ever and is a testament to remaining faithful to what makes you happy. Which brings us to today and an amazing conversation with the W.C.W.S. Legend HEXXX. Unless you’ve been away for a while, you would know that HEXXX sent shockwaves around the underground when he became the first signee of Psychopathic Records Sub Label…Chapter 17. I could sit here and claim I was shocked when this monumental signing happened but truth to be told, I knew that HEXXX was destined for greatness the first time I met and interviewed him back in February of 2021.
The first encounter: February 2021
He had just flown into Detroit with his manager for an appearance on the “Cruisin The Barrio” show. The Rude Boy and DJ Carlito had invited HEXXX to roll into the Murder Mitten and stop by the show. I remember like it was yesterday, although in real terms it might as well have been a lifetime ago. Time is weird like that I suppose. I’ve experienced days that lasted for what seemed like a week, and other times…whole years slip by in the night. I sometimes refer to it as the “time slip” and have experienced the slip my entire life. So anyway, coming back out of the woods…there I was sitting across from HEXXX for the first time. I had planned a very specific path for the interview I was about to conduct, but as I started to roll out the questions something happened.
I recognized immediately that this interview was going to be different. HEXXX had this very specific energy about him and in terms that I understand, I sensed a magic quality that seemed to be present in the room. He was going places and I knew it in that moment. If you’ve never felt or encountered this type of “magic” the whole description could seem rather fantastical. But for me, there was an instant “knowing” and followed my instincts. Within thirty-three seconds, I abandoned my carefully crafted questions and decided to let destiny take over. If you know me well enough, then you will understand why. I’ve always been blessed with a certain type of intuition, and I follow it whenever it shows up.
The interview quickly evolved into a situation where at times, I would guide the conversation when needed but for the most part, just sat back and enjoyed the ride. HEXXX started answering the questions, but instead of a standard Q and A, the answers he gave turned into these vivid stories of his past, glimpses of the future, and above all it felt special. I’ve been around in life, drifting for years, chasing adventures and glory. I know that “it” factor when I encounter it and HEXXX was radiating with “it”.
The night continued after the interview and HEXXX went on the air with Rude Boy, DJ Carlito, and the rest of the Cruisin The Barrio crew. The smoke and drink flowed freely, and the room was filled with energy. I knew then that HEXXX was destined for great things, and I would be proven right over time. As we parted ways that night, we exchanged numbers, and I knew this would not be the last time I seen HEXXX and his dope manager Macey. The stars were aligning, and one hell of a ride was coming for us all.
Present Day: July 30th, 2022
Seventeen Months had passed since that very first interview and the number is not lost on me today. 17…well, I guess I don’t need to say any more on the math. I believe in destiny and the signs are all around us if you choose to see them. There are people in this world that don’t understand or can’t go there for whatever reason, but I’m un-afraid to “see”. There are a lot of things going on all around us, all the time, but I don’t have the space to explain it here, at least not today (333, 89).
When the month of July started off, I had planned on doing a month-long series on the Gathering of the Juggalos 2022 to celebrate the coming party. I ran a similar series last year and with just over a month away, decided to do it again. I reached out to the artists that I knew, who were performing at the GOTJ 22 and requested a series of interviews. The response was fantastic with artists and personalities like Roadside Ghost, Shaggytheairhead, HB The Grizzly, Devereaux, DJ Chunk, Rude Boy, and on and on. I was grateful for the responses I got back, and I know the readers have enjoyed the ride this month as well.
There was one interview in particular though that I was looking forward to and that was with Chapter 17‘s newest addition, my homeboy from CALI…the one they call HEXXX. In the 17 months since I first met HEXXX, so much had happened in the scene and beyond. My friend had risen like a NASA Rocket over the last year and a half, making all the right moves and rising to the challenges of the underground music scene. As a wise man once said, “It’s a long way to the top if you want to rock’n’roll” (thank you Bon Scott) and HEXXX had been travelling at breakneck speed.
Our paths had intertwined several times over the course of those 17 months. From Detroit to Legend Valley O-H-I-O, and back again to Southwest. Things were happening, goals and dreams were becoming realities. I dropped a pair of books along the way, the Los Drifters started crafting amazing things at ROX-TV, and HEXXX released “Demon Season”, shared the stage with Rap Legends, and above all got signed to Psychopathic Records Sub-Label Chapter 17. Time started doing some interesting things and it was not lost on me. There were moments where the path forward was hidden to the plain eye, but the “third eye” guided us all on our march to our places…fixed in time.
When life gets busy, it can be harder to get everything in that you think you need to. But I believe that things happen when they are supposed to. As a younger person, I didn’t understand this as much, but these days I take it easy and try not to worry about things that I don’t have control over. In my time on earth, things might not have always been clear to me at the time, but everything works out the way it was meant to be. I knew when things slowed down, at some point I would get to chop it up with my friend HEXXX again.
When I started the series this month for ROX-TV’s GOTJ coverage, I wanted to interview HEXXX and although time constraints, touring, and life would make it hard to find the right moment…I knew that it would happen and that patience would be the key. With HEXXX exploding onto the scene, dropping videos left and right, and doing what he needed to do…I had this understanding that I would catch him eventually. Slow and steady always wins the race.
We traded a few calls and texts earlier in the week, but one way or another, we both had lots of shit going on. That was until Saturday when our paths finally lined up again. We texted a few times and both found the “right” time to chop it up for old times’ sake.
Conversation: 1:01pm Eastern Time
Murder Mitten x LA
It was great to hear HEXXX on the other side of the line. We had a lot to catch up on and it was good to talk to my friend. I told him that I was proud of his moves and that his rise was no surprise to me. Since the first time I met him, I believed that HEXXX, just like Ouija Macc were the new flag bearers of the Juggalo World. The fresh blood that was going to continue to propel the Dark Carnival into the new era. As far as I’m concerned, they are riding on the tip of the spear. It’s the place where the sword meets the mark so to speak.
Wicked Warlords Tour
HEXXX talked to me about the recent and devastating “Wicked Warlords” Tour that had been scorching venues across the American Southwest and beyond. It was really dope to hear HEXXX describe this journey that he was on with Sin City’s Ouija Macc. “Ouija had hit these cities countless times, but for me it was crazy to see all that green you know…places like Washington (Seattle) that are rural”. I could only imagine what the trip must have been like. HEXXX is pure West Coast with that big city life in Los Angelos. Going from the concrete jungle to that wide open space, where trees replace streetlights, and the congested freeways of LA are replaced by the solitude of the open road. I could tell that HEXXX really enjoyed the tour and asked him about some of the places he and Ouija had played in.
We talked about shows in Reno, Salt Lake City, Seattle, Albuquerque, and more. He told me about some dope Luxury Hotels they crashed in, with Chapter 17 sparing no expense. HEXXX recounted sometimes when there was no time in a new town, except to pull up and do the sound check. Life on the road in every sense. It’s like a calling for some and can be a brutal ride for those not ready or accustomed to the grueling pace of touring. I didn’t worry about HEXXX though, he was built tough for this life…a place where the likes of he thrives.
“The Juggalo response on the Wicked Warlords Tour was dope. The Juggalos would be lined up at some of these venues just waiting for us to arrive. Sometimes when we hit a spot, we had to get right in because otherwise we would be mobbed up by fans. It was dope. I wanted to stop and talk to every Juggalo and Juggalette, signing autographs and taking pictures” and that’s exactly what happened.
HEXXX told me about meeting fans and how exciting it was…sometimes un-expected moments where fans would tell him what his music meant to them. “It was a trip, to hear how the music had affected people, and what was on their minds” he told me. In the Southwest, HEXXX talked about the response from Native American and Mexican American fans in particular.
“They expressed how dope it was to have someone that looked like them, who understood their culture…out front and center making music they were enjoying”. I thought about that for a while and was happy to hear that. The Native American fans brought them all kinds of handmade beaded jewelry and to hear about it sent a round of electricity through my blood. HEXXX was connecting with portions of the population in America who are sometimes underrepresented or looked over. The power of seeing someone rocking the stage that they could identify with was a very special thing and I understood immediately what he was explaining.
“Albuquerque was a dope stop, seeing my Indigenous Family dripped out in HEXXX gear…Juggalettes overcome with emotion during the meet and greets…one fan even presented me with a hand drawn picture”. I could tell that HEXXX really respected the people turning up at the shows and I could almost hear the roar of the crowds during his descriptions.
A video drop?
But there was more of course. I talked to HEXXX about any special drops or plans in the near future. HEXXX told me that there was a fire premier coming for the Juggalo Nation called “You’re Dead” by Ouija Macc. Although he couldn’t spoil the surprise, he did say that the video was a real burner. It drops tommorrow on YouTube and I’m encouraging all the readers at ROX-TV to check it out. I have it on good authority that the song will crush your brain and the video will hit like a nuclear shockwave. As of this very moment, the video drops in 23 hours, so don’t be a bitch and wonk out. Dust off the VHS and hit record (throwback sentiment, probably not applicable but the feelings are still relevant). The video was shot and edited by King Zabb from that crazy Scythe Gang 666 kliq. (Author’s note: if you haven’t been paying attention, Zabb is absolutely slaying MFERS with his camera work and movie magic, don’t sleep on the skills, act like you know).
Gathering News?
We reminisced about the Gathering of the Juggalos 2021 and how dope the event had been. We caught the Insane Clown Posse’s set and set up shop in the rear of the crowd. You know the place, where all the cool kids can be found. When I was in rehab they used to call the place in the back “relapse row” but what did those people know anyway? I never found much use in rehab, other than getting my head together.
Nevertheless, if you ever want to find me, you can do so by searching the edges of the scene or the room. One way or another, I will be posted up in the shadows…taking it all in for all time. At the GOTJ21, I was kicking it with Project Born, HEXXX, Macey, and my homie Gary. It was a great memory and while I talked to HEXXX about current events, my mind drifted back to that night at Legend Valley. Some nights are perfect, and you never want them to end…that was one of those nights.
I asked him if he had any surprises for the Juggalos at the GOTJ22 and HEXXX kicked down a little insight. “Me and DJ Chunk are working on something special for the Juggalos this year”. HEXXX talked about how important the Gathering of the Juggalos event is to the culture of the Dark Carnival and although it was going to be tough to pull off, I told him that I would be there if everything on my end worked out. I recently started working for a Cannabis Company in Metro-Detroit, which has been limiting my time for the written word and live events, but brings me joy and a few bones. I work in processing/production and it’s been a great experience. But that is a story for another time.
“I’m going to be performing some fan favorites this year at the GOTJ” HEXXX told me, and he said the set would probably run for forty-five minutes or so. I told him that I was excited for the performance and that I’m sure the Juggalos would be blown away.
Final Thoughts
As the interview wrapped up and time ran out on the clock, we said our goodbyes. It had been good talking to HEXXX about Chapter 17, the Gathering, and just life in general. I told him I would see him in O-H-I-O and if he had time, perhaps do an on-site interview at the GOTJ22. I told him that I would be watching the video drop for “You’re Dead” and that I would catch him on the flipside.
Year One is upon us and I can’t wait to see where the life takes us all. Music is pure magic and it can change your life, this much I know to be true.
If you haven’t made your plans to get to the Valley of Legends, what the hell are you waiting for. Words are great, but actions are what truly get me excited. Actions make things happen and it’s all out there for you, all you have to do is a buy a ticket and take the ride. Until next time my friends…
Signing Off,
Mike Shepard
ROX-TV Head Writer
shepard2909@hotmail.com
Links for the rest of this year’s Gathering of the Juggalos 2022 coverage! Enjoy my friends…
And one for the Eire’ Boys
Tiocfaidh ár lá
