Juggalo
Encyclopedia
Juggalo or Juggalette (the latter being feminine) is a name given to fan
s of Insane Clown Posse
or any other Psychopathic Records
hip hop
group. Juggalos have developed their own idioms, slang, and characteristics.
. During the song "The Juggla", Joseph Bruce
addressed the audience as Juggalos, and the positive response resulted in Bruce and Joseph Utsler
using the word thereafter to refer to themselves and their friends, family, and fans, including other Psychopathic Records
artists. The fanbase boomed following the release of their third album, Riddle Box, in 1995, leading Insane Clown Posse to write the songs "What Is A Juggalo?" and "Down With The Clown" for their 1997 album The Great Milenko
.
, listening to horror-themed rap music
, and wearing face paint. Juggalos view the lyrics of Psychopathic Records artists, which are often violent in nature, as a catharsis for aggression.
Many characteristics of the Juggalo culture originated from in the 1980s, when Joseph Bruce and his family were living in poverty. He and his brother Robert
received all their clothes from rummage sales, and their food from canned food drives held at their own school. Due to their poverty, the Bruce Brothers were the brunt of many jokes in school. However, the brothers were not ashamed of their living standards, and instead embraced it. Joe even made a name for themselves, Floobs. According to Joe, a Floob was essentially a scrub, but not just an ordinary scrub. A Floob "wore the same old shoes and shitty clothes from rummage sales [...] but [...] didn't even have to be cool. [Floobs] turned [their] scrubbiness into something [they] could be proud of." Though Joe only specifically names himself and his brother as Floobs, he alludes to other Floobs whom he had not met or known of, but were living in the same conditions as he and his brother; the respect that Floobs had for each other and their family-like embrace of likewise people influenced the philosophy held among Juggalos.
; Arizona
; Monroe County, Pennsylvania
; and Modesto, California
. Because of this, some schools have prohibited students from wearing Insane Clown Posse related paraphernalia
.
Psychopathic Records and Insane Clown Posse have repeatedly denounced violence within the fandom. Alex Abbiss, former CEO of Psychopathic Records, has suggested that many of the incidents had been committed by crazy individuals that only claim to be Juggalos as an excuse for their actions.
In 2011, the FBI listed Juggalos in its National Gang Threat Assessment, stating that "many Juggalos subsets exhibit gang-like behavior and engage in criminal activity
and violence
".
. It was founded by Robert Bruce, Insane Clown Posse, and their label in 2000. The Gathering has featured bands of a variety of genres within hip hop and rock, though the majority of the acts perform horrorcore
and hardcore hip hop
, similar to that of Psychopathic Records artists.
Described by Joseph Bruce as a "Juggalo Woodstock", the Gathering of the Juggalos spans four days and includes concerts, wrestling, games, contests, autograph sessions, karaoke, and seminars with artists. Over its first eleven events, the festival has drawn an attendance of about 107,500 fans.
In 2009, Psychopathic Video filmed a documentary about Juggalos entitled A Family Underground
.
Mainstream media has also made references to the Juggalo subculture. In 2009, television
sketch comedy
Saturday Night Live
began a reoccurring series of sketches about the "Kickspit Underground Rock Festival" which parodies Juggalos and the Gathering of the Juggalos. The following year, the television show It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
parodied Juggalos on the episode "Dee Reynolds: Shaping America’s Youth". In 2011, the television show Workaholics aired an episode called "Straight Up Juggahos" that revolved around Juggalos and an Insane Clown Posse concert. Later that year, an independent documentary entitled American Juggalo was released.
Several well-known figures have identified themselves as Juggalos. These include actors Kane Hodder
and Charlie Sheen
, professional wrestlers Kazushige Nosawa
, Vampiro
, Colt Cabana, and Willie Mack
, and rappers Chuck D
, Coolio
, Kung Fu Vampire
, MURS, and Vanilla Ice
.
Fan (person)
A Fan, sometimes also called aficionado or supporter, is a person with a liking and enthusiasm for something, such as a band or a sports team. Fans of a particular thing or person constitute its fanbase or fandom...
s of Insane Clown Posse
Insane Clown Posse
Insane Clown Posse is an American hip hop duo from Detroit, Michigan. The group is composed of Joseph Bruce and Joseph Utsler, who perform under the respective personas of the "wicked clowns" Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope. Insane Clown Posse performs a style of hardcore hip hop known as horrorcore...
or any other Psychopathic Records
Psychopathic Records
Psychopathic Records, also known as "The Hatchet", is an American independent record label based in Farmington Hills, Michigan that specializes in hip hop music. The label was founded in 1991 by Alex Abbiss and hip hop group Insane Clown Posse....
hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
group. Juggalos have developed their own idioms, slang, and characteristics.
History
The term originated during a 1994 live performance by Insane Clown PosseInsane Clown Posse
Insane Clown Posse is an American hip hop duo from Detroit, Michigan. The group is composed of Joseph Bruce and Joseph Utsler, who perform under the respective personas of the "wicked clowns" Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope. Insane Clown Posse performs a style of hardcore hip hop known as horrorcore...
. During the song "The Juggla", Joseph Bruce
Joseph Bruce
Joseph Frank "Joe" Bruce is an American rapper, record producer, professional wrestler and actor. Bruce is most commonly known as Violent J of the Insane Clown Posse . He is the co-founder of the record label Psychopathic Records, with fellow ICP rapper Joseph Utsler and their former manager,...
addressed the audience as Juggalos, and the positive response resulted in Bruce and Joseph Utsler
Joseph Utsler
Joseph William "Joey" Utsler is an American rapper, record producer, DJ, professional wrestler and actor. Utsler is known as Shaggy 2 Dope of the hip hop group Insane Clown Posse. He is the co-founder of the record label Psychopathic Records, with fellow Insane Clown Posse rapper Joseph Bruce and...
using the word thereafter to refer to themselves and their friends, family, and fans, including other Psychopathic Records
Psychopathic Records
Psychopathic Records, also known as "The Hatchet", is an American independent record label based in Farmington Hills, Michigan that specializes in hip hop music. The label was founded in 1991 by Alex Abbiss and hip hop group Insane Clown Posse....
artists. The fanbase boomed following the release of their third album, Riddle Box, in 1995, leading Insane Clown Posse to write the songs "What Is A Juggalo?" and "Down With The Clown" for their 1997 album The Great Milenko
The Great Milenko
The Great Milenko is the fourth studio album by American hip hop group Insane Clown Posse, released on June 25, 1997, by Hollywood Records, in association with Psychopathic Records...
.
Characteristics
According to Utsler, "[Juggalos come] from all walks of life – from poverty, from rich, from all religions, all colors. [...] It doesn't matter if you're born with a silver spoon in your mouth, or a crack rock in your mouth." Juggalos have compared themselves to a family. Common characteristics of the Juggalo subculture include drinking the inexpensive soft drink FaygoFaygo
Faygo or Faygo Pop is a soft drink brand headquartered in Detroit, Michigan. It is distributed in the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, and Central Southern regions of the United States...
, listening to horror-themed rap music
Horrorcore
Horrorcore is a subgenre of hip hop music based in horror-themed lyrical content and imagery. While the style is rarely popular, some performers have sold well in the mainstream scene.-Origins:...
, and wearing face paint. Juggalos view the lyrics of Psychopathic Records artists, which are often violent in nature, as a catharsis for aggression.
Many characteristics of the Juggalo culture originated from in the 1980s, when Joseph Bruce and his family were living in poverty. He and his brother Robert
Robert Bruce (rapper)
Robert Bruce is a former American rapper, Psychopathic Records don, and professional wrestler, and currently works as a paramedic in Detroit, Michigan.Bruce is most commonly known by his stage name Jumpsteady...
received all their clothes from rummage sales, and their food from canned food drives held at their own school. Due to their poverty, the Bruce Brothers were the brunt of many jokes in school. However, the brothers were not ashamed of their living standards, and instead embraced it. Joe even made a name for themselves, Floobs. According to Joe, a Floob was essentially a scrub, but not just an ordinary scrub. A Floob "wore the same old shoes and shitty clothes from rummage sales [...] but [...] didn't even have to be cool. [Floobs] turned [their] scrubbiness into something [they] could be proud of." Though Joe only specifically names himself and his brother as Floobs, he alludes to other Floobs whom he had not met or known of, but were living in the same conditions as he and his brother; the respect that Floobs had for each other and their family-like embrace of likewise people influenced the philosophy held among Juggalos.
Violence attributed to Juggalos
There have been several incidents of criminal activity attributed to self-identified Juggalos. Some media outlets have attributed the incidents to the music produced by Psychopathic Records. Although Juggalos have denied any connection to gang activity, authorities have classified them as a gang in UtahUtah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
; Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
; Monroe County, Pennsylvania
Monroe County, Pennsylvania
-National protected areas:* Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area * Middle Delaware National Scenic River -Demographics:As of the census of 2010, there are 176,567 people, 49,454 households, and 36,447 families residing in the county. The population density was 228 people per square mile...
; and Modesto, California
Modesto, California
Modesto is a city in, and is the county seat of, Stanislaus County, California. With a population of approximately 201,165 at the 2010 census, Modesto ranks as the 18th largest city in the state of California....
. Because of this, some schools have prohibited students from wearing Insane Clown Posse related paraphernalia
Paraphernalia
In modern usage, the word paraphernalia most commonly refers to apparatus, equipment, or furnishing used in or necessary for a particular activity as in, "Beth is such an avid sports fan that her walls are covered with baseball paraphernalia"....
.
Psychopathic Records and Insane Clown Posse have repeatedly denounced violence within the fandom. Alex Abbiss, former CEO of Psychopathic Records, has suggested that many of the incidents had been committed by crazy individuals that only claim to be Juggalos as an excuse for their actions.
In 2011, the FBI listed Juggalos in its National Gang Threat Assessment, stating that "many Juggalos subsets exhibit gang-like behavior and engage in criminal activity
Criminal Activity
Criminal Activity is the debut album by American rap supergroup Criminalz, which consisted of Spice 1, Celly Cel and Jayo Felony. It was released August 7, 2001 on Celly Cel's label, Realside Records. The album was produced by Doyle, G-Man Stan, Spice 1 and Stan Keith...
and violence
Violence
Violence is the use of physical force to apply a state to others contrary to their wishes. violence, while often a stand-alone issue, is often the culmination of other kinds of conflict, e.g...
".
Gathering of the Juggalos
The Gathering of the Juggalos (The Gathering or GOTJ) is an annual festival put on by Psychopathic Records, featuring performances by the entire label as well as numerous well-known musical groups and underground artistsUnderground music
Underground music comprises a range of different musical genres that operate outside of mainstream culture. Such music can typically share common values, such as the valuing of sincerity and intimacy; an emphasis on freedom of creative expression; an appreciation of artistic creativity...
. It was founded by Robert Bruce, Insane Clown Posse, and their label in 2000. The Gathering has featured bands of a variety of genres within hip hop and rock, though the majority of the acts perform horrorcore
Horrorcore
Horrorcore is a subgenre of hip hop music based in horror-themed lyrical content and imagery. While the style is rarely popular, some performers have sold well in the mainstream scene.-Origins:...
and hardcore hip hop
Hardcore hip hop
Hardcore hip hop, also referred to as hardcore rap, is a sub-genre of hip hop music that developed through the East Coast hip hop scene in the 1980s. Pioneered by such artists as Schoolly D, Spoonie Gee, Boogie Down Productions, and Kool G Rap, it is generally characterized by anger, aggression and...
, similar to that of Psychopathic Records artists.
Described by Joseph Bruce as a "Juggalo Woodstock", the Gathering of the Juggalos spans four days and includes concerts, wrestling, games, contests, autograph sessions, karaoke, and seminars with artists. Over its first eleven events, the festival has drawn an attendance of about 107,500 fans.
In popular media
Psychopathic Records launched the professional wrestling company Juggalo Championship Wrestling in 1999.In 2009, Psychopathic Video filmed a documentary about Juggalos entitled A Family Underground
A Family Underground
A Family Underground is an American documentary film written and directed by Paul Andresen. Filmed at the 2008 Gathering of the Juggalos, the film focus on the event and the Juggalo fan base. Gathering of the Juggalos is a music festival hosted by Psychopathic Records every summer...
.
Mainstream media has also made references to the Juggalo subculture. In 2009, television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
sketch comedy
Sketch comedy
A sketch comedy consists of a series of short comedy scenes or vignettes, called "sketches," commonly between one and ten minutes long. Such sketches are performed by a group of comic actors or comedians, either on stage or through an audio and/or visual medium such as broadcasting...
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
began a reoccurring series of sketches about the "Kickspit Underground Rock Festival" which parodies Juggalos and the Gathering of the Juggalos. The following year, the television show It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is an American television sitcom that premiered on FX on August 4, 2005. New episodes continue to air on FX, with reruns playing on Comedy Central, general broadcast syndication, and WGN America—the first-ever cable-to-cable syndication deal for a sitcom...
parodied Juggalos on the episode "Dee Reynolds: Shaping America’s Youth". In 2011, the television show Workaholics aired an episode called "Straight Up Juggahos" that revolved around Juggalos and an Insane Clown Posse concert. Later that year, an independent documentary entitled American Juggalo was released.
Several well-known figures have identified themselves as Juggalos. These include actors Kane Hodder
Kane Hodder
Kane Warren Hodder is an American actor and stuntman. Standing , he is best known for his portrayal of Jason Voorhees in four films from the Friday the 13th film series . He is also known for his role as Victor Crowley in Hatchet. -Career:Hodder is the only actor to portray Jason Voorhees more...
and Charlie Sheen
Charlie Sheen
Carlos Irwin Estevez , better known by his stage name Charlie Sheen, is an American film and television actor. He is the youngest son of actor Martin Sheen....
, professional wrestlers Kazushige Nosawa
Kazushige Nosawa
, better known by his ring names NOSAWA and NOSAWA Rongai, is a Japanese freelance professional wrestler, best known for his appearances in All Japan Pro Wrestling and various independent promotions.-Career:...
, Vampiro
Vampiro
Ian Richard Hodgkinson , better known by his ring name Vampiro, is a Canadian professional wrestler currently working as a wrestler and a consultant for Juggalo Championship Wrestling. Hodgkinson is semi-retired and is a member of the citizen crime patrol organization Guardian Angels, acting as...
, Colt Cabana, and Willie Mack
Willie Mack (wrestler)
Willie Mack is an American professional wrestler. Willie is best known for his work with National Wrestling Alliance and their Southern California associates Alternative Wrestling Show and Mach One Wrestling...
, and rappers Chuck D
Chuck D
Carlton Douglas Ridenhour , better known by his stage name, Chuck D, is an American rapper, author, and producer. He helped create politically and socially conscious rap music in the mid-1980s as the leader of the rap group Public Enemy.- Early life :Ridenhour was born in Queens, New York...
, Coolio
Coolio
Artis Leon Ivey Jr. , better known by the stage name Coolio, is an American musician, rapper, actor and record producer.-Late 80s:He recorded two singles in the late 80s, titled "Watcha Gonna Do" and "You're Gonna Miss Me"...
, Kung Fu Vampire
Kung Fu Vampire
Kung Fu Vampire is an American rapper from San Jose, California and the vocalist of the musical group of the same name. He has opened for Twiztid, 2 Live Crew, Tha Alkaholiks, Digital Underground, Kool Keith, KRS-One, Papa Roach and The Pharcyde, in addition to collaborating with musicians such as...
, MURS, and Vanilla Ice
Vanilla Ice
Robert Matthew Van Winkle , best known by his stage name Vanilla Ice, is an American rapper, extreme athlete and home improvement television personality...
.