Carnival of Carnage

Infobox Album
Name = Carnival of Carnage
Type = studio
Artist = Insane Clown Posse


Released = October 18, 1992
Recorded = 1991 – 1992
Genre = Horrorcore, Midwest hip hop
Length = 66:00
Label = Psychopathic Records
Producer = Insane Clown Posse
Mike Clark
Esham
Chuck Miller
Reviews = *Allmusic Rating|3|5 [http://wc03.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:jvfqxquhldfe~T1 link]
*Rolling Stone Rating|1|5 [cite book |title=The New Rolling Stone Album Guide |editor=Brackett, Nathan |first= |authorlink= |coauthors= |year=2004 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |location= |isbn=0743201698 |pages=405–6 ]
*Yahoo! Music (mixed) [http://music.yahoo.com/read/review/12031193 link]
Last album = "Dog Beats"
(1991)
This album = "Carnival of Carnage"
(1992)
Next album = "Beverly Kills 50187"
(1993)Extra chronology 2
Artist = Joker's Cards
Type = Album
Last album =
This album = "Carnival of Carnage"
(1992)
Next album = "Ringmaster"
(1994)

"Carnival of Carnage" is the debut studio album by American hip hop group Insane Clown Posse, released on October 18, 1992 by Psychopathic Records.

"Carnival of Carnage" sold 17 copies on its release date.

Album information

It is the first Joker's Card entry in the group's Dark Carnival saga. The album is meant as a rage against the rich and the government who do not care about the "poor" neighborhoods of society; "carnival of carnage" is also a term used to describe the ghetto.

The album contains 14 studio tracks and an intro. One of the studio tracks (Wizard of The Hood) from the album was previously released on the "Intelligence and Violence" and "Dog Beats" demos (the title on the former release being "Wizard of Delray"). Featured guests on the album include Kid Rock, Capitol E, Jumpsteady and Esham.

The album was remastered and re-released in 1998 by Island Records, but due to uncleared samples in select tracks, "Blackin' Your Eyes" and "Night of the Axe" were absent from the reissue. The outro to the latter is also moved to the beginning of "Psychopathic". It was once more released afterwards by Hatchet Gear with the original album's track listing, including the two previously removed tracks.

"Carnival of Carnage" Spawned one single, "Psychopathic", which was also produced with a radio edit that was ultimately never released, but has leaked onto the internet in lossy MP3 format.

This cover, like the rest of the Joker's Cards, was drawn by Shaggy 2 Dope.cite book |last=Bruce |first=Joseph |authorlink= |coauthors=Hobey Echlin |editor=Nathan Fostey |title=ICP: Behind the Paint |origdate= |origyear=2003 |origmonth=August |edition=2nd Edition |publisher=Psychopathic Records |location=Royal Oak, Michigan |isbn=09741846083 |pages=page 542 |chapter=Complete Discography ]

Production

Original Insane Clown Posse member and brother of Shaggy 2 Dope, John Kickjazz, appeared on "Your Rebel Flag", "Psychopathic", ""Blacken' Your Eyes", "Wizard of the Hood", "Red Neck Hoe", and "Taste".cite book |last=Bruce |first=Joseph |authorlink=Joseph Bruce |coauthors=Hobey Echlin |editor=Nathan Fostey |title=ICP: Behind the Paint |origdate= |origyear=2003 |origmonth=August |edition=2nd Edition |publisher=Psychopathic Records |location=Royal Oak, Michigan |isbn=09741846083 |pages=pages 189—197 |chapter=The Broken Path of a Dream ] "Carnival of Carnage" was originally recorded by Esham but he pronounced "carnage" as "carnicks" and refused to redo it, prompting Violent J to do it himself. The final version of "Carnival of Carnage" was recorded over a reversed recording of the original, thus if played backwards, Eshams original recording can be heard.

Awesome Dre was originally going to do a verse on "Taste," but while waiting in the studio for him to arrive, Insane Clown Posse saw Esham. Esham suggested he appear on the track instead, for the same amount of money as Awesome Dre, and Insane Clown Posse allowed him on. Esham was paid $500 for his appearance. Kid Rock demanded a hundred more than Esham, and was thus paid $600 to appear on "Is That You?" Kid Rock showed up to record "Is That You?" intoxicated, but re-recorded his vocals and record scratching the following day.

Track listing

Message

Welcome to the show, the traveling ghetto. No longer will the ghetto just be that slum that you keep your kids away from, that slum that you drive through pointing and gawking at. No longer will the ghetto just be a slum that you hear about on the news. If someone from this hell hole wanders into your neighborhood he is quickly noticed and harassed and shunned back into the home you've given him. As you watch the kids play in the park on your street you never even think about the kids in the ghetto. If you don't care, who does?

Years of breathing the souls of rotted minds has created a bad case of 'Ghetto Insanity'. You walk their streets and are stared at as a freak show, less than human, an ogre walking the streets paved with gold. If those of the ghetto are nothing more than carnival exhibits to the upper class, then let's give them the show they deserve to see. No more hearing of this show because you can witness it in your own front yard! A traveling mass of carnage, the same carnage witnessed daily in the ghetto, can be yours to witness, feel and suffer. No longer killing one another, but killing the ones who have ignored our cries for help. Like a hurricane leaving a trail of destruction, the Carnival of Carnage!

Personnel

* Violent J – vocals
* Shaggy 2 Dope – vocals, turntables
* John Kickjazz – vocals
* Kid Rock – guest vocals
* Capitol E – guest vocals
* Jumpsteady – guest vocals
* Esham – guest vocals, production
* Mike E. Clark – turntables, production
* Chuck Miller - production

Extended play

A condensed extended play featuring tracks from "Carnival of Carnage" was pressed on vinyl in hopes that DJs would play the songs in Detroit-area nightclubs.

ide one

# "Carnival of Carnage" – 2:32
# "Never Had it Made" – 5:45
# "Guts on the Ceiling" - 4:24
# "Taste" - 5:10

ide two

# "Psychopathic" - 4:43
# "Ghetto Freak Show" - 4:14
# "Wizard of the Hood" - 5:24
# "Is That You?" - 4:34

References