The Mighty Death Pop!

Last updated
The Mighty Death Pop!
Mighty Death Pop.png
Studio album by
Insane Clown Posse
ReleasedAugust 14, 2012 (2012-08-14)
Recorded2010–12
Genre
Length63:14
Label Psychopathic Records
Producer
Insane Clown Posse chronology
Bang! Pow! Boom!
(2009)		The Mighty Death Pop!
(2012)		 The Marvelous Missing Link: Lost
(2015)
Singles from The Mighty Death Pop!
  1. "Chris Benoit"
    Released: July 26, 2012
  2. "Night of the Chainsaw"
    Released: October 26, 2012
  3. "Hate Her to Death"
    Released: February 4, 2013
  4. "Where's God"
    Released: March 22, 2013
  5. "When I'm Clownin'"
    Released: July 23, 2013
  6. "The Mighty Death Pop"
    Released: August 30, 2013
  7. "Forever"
    Released: July 22, 2014

The Mighty Death Pop! is the twelfth studio album by Underground American hip hop group Insane Clown Posse, released on August 14, 2012. It is their second album to focus on the Dark Carnival since the conclusion of the group's original "Joker's Cards" series. The title character is the second in a set of six new Joker's Cards. It is the group's 29th overall release, and is the last album to date to feature long-time producer Mike E. Clark.

Contents

Background

At their 2010 Hallowicked concert, Insane Clown Posse revealed the first face of The Mighty Death Pop character, and stated that the album would be the second in a new deck of Joker's Cards. [3] The following March, they announced that the album would have two faces. The second face was revealed to have the likeness of an exploding clown skull, as a representation of the character after it "pops". [4]

Since the release of Bang! Pow! Boom, Joseph Bruce and Joseph Utsler have accumulated various song topics and beats and traveled to producer Mike E. Clark's studio in northern Michigan to record the new album. [5] Insane Clown Posse focused on recording. [5] Bruce has stated that he expected that the new album would take quite a bit of time to record, saying it's "just gonna take a lot of time. There's so much that needs to be recorded. It's definitely a job, a lot of work. But I'm excited, I'm not bitching." [5]

As opposed to Bang! Pow! Boom! , which did not contain any guest appearances, Insane Clown Posse wanted to feature guest appearances on The Mighty Death Pop!, as they had done with The Amazing Jeckel Brothers . [6] Among their first choices to appear were Tech N9ne and Hopsin. [6] [7] DJ Clay is also found in the outtakes section of The Mighty Death Pop! Following their collaboration with Jack White, ICP asked White to collaborate once again on The Mighty Death Pop!, but he declined their offer. [8] The 2012 Hallowicked song "Amber Alert" was originally meant to be a part of this album, but the subject matter conflicted with advertiser interests. [9]

Style and influences

Lyrics and concept

Joseph Bruce stated that the group would "take all the anger we feel and have saved up and stored inside from all the crazy dissing [of] ICP and the Juggalos [...] and we're gonna channel it all into the new album." [10] [11] In keeping with the themes of the other Joker's Cards, the new album will teach the listeners something about themselves. [5]

According to Bruce, The Mighty Death Pop! "teaches us to respect the life we’ve been given and do our best to avoid an early death." [6] The album cover's colors are white, purple and yellow in order to appear harmless, but according to Bruce, the character is actually the most dangerous Joker's Card to date. [6]

Music and performance

For the album's music, Mike E. Clark appropriated influences which range from the film scores of Danny Elfman [12] to disco, [1] rock [1] and horrorcore. [1]

Release

On April 20, 2012, Psychopathic Records released an infomercial for the album, announcing that it will be available in three separate editions, each with a variant color cover and pre-packaged with one of three bonus albums. [7] The first variant edition, dubbed the Red Pop edition, contains an album of cover songs titled Smothered, Covered & Chunked —designed and illustrated by Detroit artist/designer, Patrick Hatfield. [13] The second variant, the Black Pop edition, contains the album Freaky Tales , and the third variant, the White Pop edition, contains the remix album Mike E. Clark's Extra Pop Emporium . [7] [14] Preorders of the album also contain a Mighty Death Pop! keychain. [15] [16] [17]

The first music video from the album, "Chris Benoit", was filmed in June 2012 in the abandoned McLouth Steel mill in Trenton, Michigan. [18] On October 26, the second music video from the album, "Night of the Chainsaw", was released. The video was directed by special effects artist Roy Knyrim, who had previously directed Insane Clown Posse in Death Racers and Chronicles of the Dark Carnival. Its storyline depicts the hallucinations of a drug addict (played by Mark Jury) who murders several people with a chainsaw because he perceives them as flesh-devouring zombies. [19] An additional music video for the song "Where's God?" was released on March 22, 2013. The music video was directed by Douglas Schulze in promotion of the film Mimesis: Night of the Living Dead , which features the song. [20] ICP have also indicated that a new music video directed by the Deka Brothers would be released in 2013. [21] In addition to a music video for "Where's God?", ICP is also planning to release music videos for "Ghetto Rainbows", "The Mighty Death Pop", "Bazooka Joey", and "Forever". [22] [23] There were also leaks of a music video for "Hate Her To Death" on the iTunes music store on February 3, 2013, which ended up being officially released a day later. On July 23, 2013, the music video for "When I'm Clownin'" was released with a cameo appearance from Boondox and a special verse by Danny Brown. [24] The music video was initially going to be the remix featured on Mike E. Clark's Extra Pop Emporium, but the plans were nixed due to Kreayshawn not returning Violent J's calls for appearing in their music video. [25]

The songs from The Mighty Death Pop! album debuted at the Gathering of the Juggalos. [6] Violent J has suggested that Psychopathic may release a box set containing The Mighty Death Pop!, the three bonus albums and a DVD featuring music videos and concert footage. [6] ICP have also stated that this may be the last album that they release in a physical format. [26] The seventh music video from the album is the song "Forever". It was released on July 22, 2014 on Psychopathic: The Videos Volume 2.

On October 11, Psychopathic released a DJ Tool Kit containing instrumentals, a cappellas and remixes from the album. [27] [28] [29] The Mighty Death Pop! was released on vinyl on November 22, 2013.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [12]
The Daily BlamStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [30]
Graveside Entertainmentpositive [31]
The Oakland Press Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [32]
Spin 7/10 [1]

Reviews of The Mighty Death Pop! were positive. The album debuted at number 4 on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 41,000 copies in its first week. [33] It is the third album from the group to debut in the top 5 and ties The Amazing Jeckel Brothers and Bang! Pow! Boom! as the highest peak in the group's history. [34] It has sold 99,000 copies in the US as of April 2015. [35]

The Mighty Death Pop! and Freaky Tales were named the 39th best hip hop album of 2012 by Spin . [36] The Daily Blam named The Mighty Death Pop! the second-best album of the year. [37]

The Mighty Death Pop! Tour

ICP promoted the tour before the album's release, but was unable to do so because Violent J needed surgery to repair his meniscus. In an interview in early 2013 they said that the tour would definitely happen. The tour for The Mighty Death Pop! kicked off on May 1, 2013 and concluded on June 2, 2013. The supporting acts for the tour were Moonshine Bandits, Kung Fu Vampire and Axe Murder Boyz. On Father's Day 2013 Violent J married his longtime girlfriend and mother of his two children, Michelle Rapp (Sugar Slam).

Track listing

All tracks are written by Insane Clown Posse, except where noted

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Intro" 2:27
2."The Mighty Death Pop" 2:48
3."Night of the Chainsaw" 3:12
4."Chris Benoit" 3:23
5."The Blasta" 4:07
6."Kickin' Kickin'" 3:38
7."Bazooka Joey" 3:20
8."Shooting Stars" 2:05
9."Juggalo Juice" 3:04
10."Hate Her to Death" 4:51
11."Skreeem!" (featuring Hopsin and Tech N9ne)
4:40
12."Ghetto Rainbows" 3:46
13."When I'm Clownin'" 2:24
14."Dog Catchers" 1:47
15."Daisies" 3:42
16."Where's GOD?" 3:41
17."Forever" 5:04
18.Untitled (outtakes; featuring DJ Clay) 5:15
Total length:63:14

Personnel

Chart positions

Chart (2012)Peak
position
US Billboard 200 [38] 4

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Juggalo</span> A fan of the group Insane Clown Posse or any other Psychopathic Records hip hop group

A juggalo is a fan of the hip hop group Insane Clown Posse or any other hip hop group signed to Psychopathic Records. Juggalos have developed their own idioms, slang, and characteristics. The Gathering of the Juggalos, alternatively known as just "The Gathering", is a notable annual festival held by juggalos and the artists that they support, which have included rap stars such as Busta Rhymes, Ice Cube, and MC Hammer; over its first eleven events (2000–2010), the festival drew a total attendance of about 107,500 fans, averaging nearly 9,800 per year, with a peak of 20,000 in 2010.

<i>The Wraith: Shangri-La</i> 2002 studio album by Insane Clown Posse

The Wraith: Shangri-La is the eighth studio album by American hip hop group Insane Clown Posse, released on November 5, 2002, by Psychopathic Records. Recording sessions for the album took place in 2002 at multiple recording studios throughout the United States. The album is the first of two albums representing the sixth Joker's Card in the group's Dark Carnival mythology. The album's lyrics describe the titular Wraith's exhibition of heaven.

<i>Hells Pit</i>

Hell's Pit is the ninth studio album by American hip hop duo Insane Clown Posse. It was released on August 31, 2004 via Psychopathic Records as a follow-up to 2002 The Wraith: Shangri-La and second half of the sixth and final Joker Card in the first Deck of the Dark Carnival mythology. Recording sessions took place at the Lotus Pod in Detroit. Production was handled by ICP themselves.

Psychopathic Records is an American independent record label headquartered in Farmington Hills, Michigan. The label is most associated with the hip-hop music subgenres horrorcore and rap rock. The label was founded in 1991 by Alex Abbiss and hip hop group Insane Clown Posse. The iconography of a man with a meat cleaver has been used for years as a symbol of the group, its fanbase, and its associates.

<i>Bizzar</i> 2000 studio album by Insane Clown Posse

Bizzar is the seventh studio album by the American hip hop group Insane Clown Posse. Released on October 31, 2000, by Island Records, it is the second half of the Bizzar Bizaar double album, released the same day as its companion album, Bizaar. It is the group's 15th overall release.

Zug Izland is an American rock band from Detroit, Michigan, United States, currently signed to Psychopathic Records. The group sometimes refers to its fans as "zuggalos".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Juggalo Championship Wrestling</span> American independent professional wrestling promotion

Juggalo Championship Wrestling is an American independent professional wrestling promotion founded in 1999 by Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope, better known as the hip-hop duo Insane Clown Posse. JCW currently runs shows throughout the country. The video games Backyard Wrestling: Don't Try This at Home and Backyard Wrestling 2: There Goes the Neighborhood feature numerous independent wrestlers from the promotion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Violent J</span> American rapper

Joseph Frank Bruce, known by his stage name Violent J, is an American rapper, record producer, professional wrestler, and part of the hip hop duo Insane Clown Posse (ICP). He is a co-founder of the record label Psychopathic Records, with fellow ICP rapper Shaggy 2 Dope and their former manager, Alex Abbiss. Also along with Utsler, Bruce is the co-founder of the professional wrestling promotion Juggalo Championship Wrestling.

<i>The Tempest</i> (album) 2007 studio album by Insane Clown Posse

The Tempest is the tenth studio album by American hip hop duo Insane Clown Posse. Released in 2007, the album marks the return of producer Mike E. Clark, who had a falling-out with the duo in 2000. However, he did not collaborate directly with ICP, and would not do so until their 2009 album Bang! Pow! Boom!

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gathering of the Juggalos</span> Annual music festival in the US

The Gathering of the Juggalos is an annual music festival put on by Psychopathic Records, featuring performances by the entire label roster as well as numerous well-known musical groups and underground artists. It was founded by Jumpsteady, Insane Clown Posse, and their label in 2000. Described by Joseph Bruce as a "Juggalo Woodstock", the Gathering of the Juggalos spans five days and includes concerts, wrestling, games, contests, autograph sessions, karaoke, and seminars with artists. Over its first eleven events (2000–2010), the festival drew a total attendance upward of 100,000 fans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Homies (Insane Clown Posse song)</span> 2002 single by Insane Clown Posse featuring Twiztid

"Homies" is a song written by Insane Clown Posse, Mike Puwal and Twiztid for ICP's 2002 album The Wraith: Shangri-La. After the 1992 single "Psychopathic", "Homies" is the second single released by the group to not be produced by Mike E. Clark, who had stopped working with Psychopathic Records due to a disagreement with ICP's Joseph Bruce and Joseph Utsler. Clark later produced a remix of the song, which appeared on Forgotten Freshness Volume 4, after Clark reconciled with ICP.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Insane Clown Posse discography</span>

The discography of Insane Clown Posse, an American hip hop duo from Delray, Detroit, composed of Joseph Bruce and Joseph Utsler, who perform under the respective personas of the wicked clowns Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope, consists of sixteen studio albums, eighty-four singles, nineteen extended plays and nineteen compilations. Music videos and collaborations are also included, as are film and television appearances and home video releases.

The Dark Carnival is a series of concept albums described by hip hop duo Insane Clown Posse in much of their discography. The concept, similar to the "heaven and hell" language of monotheistic religions, is the primary source of inspiration for Insane Clown Posse's two series of albums called Joker's Cards, each containing six albums.

<i>Bang! Pow! Boom!</i> 2009 studio album by Insane Clown Posse

Bang! Pow! Boom! is the eleventh studio album by American hip hop group Insane Clown Posse. Released on September 1, 2009 by Psychopathic Records, it was the group's second album with producer Mike E. Clark since his return to Psychopathic Records, and the first album to focus on the Dark Carnival since the conclusion of the group's original "Joker's Cards" series. The character is the first of a set of six new Joker's Cards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Insane Clown Posse</span> American hip hop duo from Michigan

Insane Clown Posse, often abbreviated as ICP, is an American hip hop duo. Formed in Detroit in 1989, ICP's best-known lineup consists of rappers Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope. Insane Clown Posse performs a style of hardcore hip hop known as horrorcore and is known for its elaborate live performances. The duo has earned two platinum and five gold albums. According to Nielsen SoundScan, the entire catalog of the group had sold 6.5 million units in the United States and Canada as of April 2007. The group has established a dedicated following called Juggalos numbering in the "tens of thousands".

Robert Bruce is an American retired rapper and professional wrestler who would go on to become a Don for Psychopathic Records.

<i>Smothered, Covered & Chunked</i> 2012 studio album by Insane Clown Posse

Smothered, Covered, and Chunked! is a cover album by American hip hop group Insane Clown Posse. Released August 14, 2012, it was released alongside The Mighty Death Pop! and was never sold separately. It was prepackaged with the Red Pop variant edition of The Mighty Death Pop!, and is the group's fourth album with producer Mike E. Clark since his return to Psychopathic Records.

Nene Encarnacion, also known as Myzery, is a Puerto Rican rapper based out of the Bronx in New York City. He was the first solo act signed with Psychopathic Records, and released his debut EP titled Para La Isla on the label in 1998. Following his departure from Psychopathic Records, Myzery continued to release albums independently. He later returned to Psychopathic Records to release 2018's The Demon Angel.

"Chris Benoit" is a song written by Insane Clown Posse and Mike E. Clark for the duo's 2012 album The Mighty Death Pop! A music video was filmed in June 2012, directed by the Deka Brothers. The album's concept "teaches us to respect the life we’ve been given and do our best to avoid an early death." The song was named after the professional wrestler, who died in a murder-suicide after killing his wife and son. A remix of the song appeared on the remix album Mike E. Clark's Extra Pop Emporium, and featured rappers Ice Cube and Scarface. This song was released 5 years after his death.

<i>The Marvelous Missing Link: Found</i> 2015 studio album by Insane Clown Posse

The Marvelous Missing Link: Found is the fourteenth studio album and the second part of the 3rd Joker Card in the second Deck of the Dark Carnival Saga by Insane Clown Posse. It was released on July 31, 2015 on Psychopathic Records, three months after its companion album Lost. It is the group's 35th release overall.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Soderberg, Brandon (August 15, 2012). "Insane Clown Posse, 'The Mighty Death Pop!'". Spin. Retrieved August 15, 2012.
  2. 1 2 MacMurdo, Walker (October 29, 2015). "All 13 Insane Clown Posse albums ranked". Willamette Week. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
  3. ↑ Graham, Adam (Nov 1, 2010). "ICP reveals next album title at Fillmore concert". The Detroit News . Retrieved Nov 1, 2010.
  4. ↑ Turner, Gustavo (2011-03-17). "Insane Clown Posse: Exclusive Interview". LA Weekly. Los Angeles. Retrieved 2011-03-17.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Insane Clown Posse Prepping 'Devastating' New Album". Billboard.com. 2010-10-27. Retrieved 2010-11-01.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Hatchet Herald". Psychopathicrecords.com. 2012-05-04. Archived from the original on 2012-11-08. Retrieved 2012-08-20.
  7. 1 2 3 "Insane Clown Posse - The Mighty Death Pop - Infomercial". YouTube. Retrieved 2012-08-20.
  8. ↑ "Fuse". Fuse (TV channel) .
  9. ↑ "New Hallowicked single: "Amber Alert"!". Faygoluvers.net.
  10. ↑ Bruce, Joseph (2010-10-20). "Violent J's Twitter feed" . Retrieved 2010-11-02.
  11. ↑ Bruce, Joseph (2010-10-20). "Violent J's Twitter feed" . Retrieved 2010-11-02.
  12. 1 2 Jeffries, David (August 15, 2012). "The Mighty Death Pop - Insane Clown Posse Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved August 15, 2012.
  13. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-01-11. Retrieved 2013-02-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  14. ↑ [ dead link ]
  15. ↑ "CD - ICP - The Mighty Death Pop! (White Pop!)". Hatchetgear.com. 2012-08-14. Archived from the original on 2012-06-05. Retrieved 2012-08-20.
  16. ↑ "CD - ICP - The Mighty Death Pop! (Red Pop!)". Hatchetgear.com. 2012-08-14. Archived from the original on 2012-06-10. Retrieved 2012-08-20.
  17. ↑ "CD - ICP - The Mighty Death Pop! (Black Pop!)". Hatchetgear.com. 2012-08-14. Archived from the original on 2012-06-05. Retrieved 2012-08-20.
  18. ↑ "Insane Clown Posse film music video, ready new track, album". Web.archi9ve.org. Archived from the original on 29 June 2012. Retrieved 2022-03-29.
  19. ↑ Video on YouTube
  20. ↑ "Facebook". Facebook.com. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  21. ↑ "Hatchet Herald". Psychopathicrecords.com. Archived from the original on 2013-01-05.
  22. ↑ "ICP working on "Forever" music video!". Faygoluvers.net.
  23. ↑ "Hatchet Herald". Psychopathicrecords.com. Archived from the original on 2013-03-19.
  24. ↑ "Fuse". Fuse (TV channel) .
  25. ↑ Dodero, Camille. "The New Insane Clown Posse Video Co-Stars Danny Brown". Gawker.com. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  26. ↑ "Insane Clown Posse's 'Mighty Death Pop' May Be Its Last Physical Album". Billboard.com. 2009-09-14. Retrieved 2012-08-20.
  27. ↑ "TJF » True Juggalo Family » ICP's Mighty Death Pop DJ Tool Kit Available NOW on Hatchetgear.com!". Archived from the original on 2013-07-08. Retrieved 2012-10-22.
  28. ↑ "CD - ICP - the Mighty Death Pop! DJ Tool Kit - Freshness". Archived from the original on 2012-10-11. Retrieved 2012-10-22.
  29. ↑ "USB Drive - ICP - the Mighty Death Pop! DJ Tool Kit". Archived from the original on 2013-04-07. Retrieved 2012-10-22.
  30. ↑ Skinner, Kevin (August 16, 2012). "Music Review: INSANE CLOWN POSSE – The Mighty Death Pop!". The Daily Blam. Archived from the original on October 23, 2012. Retrieved August 16, 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  31. ↑ "Insane Clown Posse The Mighty Death Pop Album Review". Graveside Entertainment. August 15, 2012. Retrieved August 15, 2012.
  32. ↑ Graff, Gary (August 13, 2012). "LISTENING ROOM: ICP takes a serious look at mortality in "Mighty Death Pop!"". The Oakland Press. Retrieved August 15, 2012.
  33. ↑ Jacobs, Allen (22 August 2012). "Hip Hop Album Sales: The Week Ending 8/19/2012". Cheri Media Group. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
  34. ↑ "2 Chainz Debuts At No. 1 On Billboard 200". Billboard. August 22, 2012. Retrieved August 22, 2012.
  35. ↑ "Upcoming Releases". Hits Daily Double. HITS Digital Ventures. Archived from the original on April 25, 2015.
  36. ↑ "Insane Clown Posse - The Mighty Death Pop!: Black Pop Edition (Psychopathic) - Icp - 3 | SPIN". Archived from the original on 2015-06-10.
  37. ↑ Skinner, Kevin (December 23, 2012). "Year End Wrap Up: The Best & Worst Music Albums of 2012". The Daily Blam. Archived from the original on December 27, 2012. Retrieved April 13, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  38. ↑ Caulfield, Keith (22 August 2012). "2 Chainz Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200". billboard.com. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.