username wrote:

apparently, he stole a lot of black music too

You could say the same thing for Led Zeppelin. Anyway, the bulk of rock and roll comes from Southern Scots-Irish folk music, not Black rhythm and blues(though that did play a role.)

Anyway, rap can be art, even sometimes from the most unlikeliest of places:



ICP. This song is fucking BEAUTIFUL. And I hate juggalos.

A couple of years ago, on a whim I downloaded a PDF of Violent J's autobiography, Behind The Paint. It's like 500 pages. I dunno why I did, I hated ICP, but I'll be damned if I didn't read that entire book over the next couple days. After reading it, I gained a lot of respect for ICP and what they were trying to do. I still hate juggalos, though.

The whole point of ICP was to use violent, wicked rap music that appeals to ghetto kids in order to enlighten them to the fact(in ICP's opinion) that they're going to die someday, and if they keep on being pieces of shit, they are going to burn in hell. They're trying to tell their listeners that at some point, they have to give up wickedness and embrace innocence, goodness and purity in order to make it to a better place in the afterlife.

Either Violent J is one of the most brilliant artists alive, or he's correct when he claims that all of his music is divinely inspired and he's basically just channeling it. The whole theory behind their works is quite amazing, and their discography is like the biggest, most complex concept album ever created.

Even I find it odd that I'm saying this about a group like ICP, but it is what it is.

Blackout wrote:

I am aware of all of that, but I've also seen footage of him cajoling "all juggalettes, show your tits", which was weird cause their were obviously some underagers present, also there's this whole dealio right here. So I'm not sure if he's practicing what he preaches, but then again who am I to judge right?

Agreed, it's odd. Perhaps that lends credence to the divine inspiration theory. Songs like "Nothing's Left" and "Thy Unveiling" are the channeled inspired stuff, and shit like "Cherry Pie" is what they come up with if left to their own devices.

They certainly are products of their environment. I come from a similar background, so I can sort of understand why they are the way they are. I would like to at least think that I am capable of discussing things intelligently and can put together a decent sentence, but I'm also capable of getting straight hood on a motherfucker. I ran with woods, and I'm not that much different now that I'm older. I'm just one of the few that are intelligent enough to be able to see the bigger picture. Maybe Violent J is the same way, and wants to create something special, but can't break out of his mindset(or thinks that his fans are incapable of getting anything more advanced.)

Quote:

Me personally, I think it's just brilliant marketing aimed at a large demographic of stupid stoner loser kids, hey are you lonely and weird and do people pick on you? You're not alone, you're a muthafuckin Juggalo! buy our cd! For the record though, I like me some old ICP stuff, I just don't buy in to the hype, most Juggalos I know are borderline drug addicts who think it's cool and underground to fucking be fucking stoned out of their gourd all day and never hold a down a job of any real note, and think the man is oppressing them when their kids get taken away by the state. Fucking idiots.

Also agreed. Like I said, I hate juggalos, for the same reasons you stated. But how to explain the whole Shangri-La thing? The whole grand plot? It didn't make them a lot of money, if anything it alienated a large portion of their fanbase.