April 23, 2016 / como / 0 Comments
All underground rappers who become successful enough to be household names eventually have to partner up with a large record label to continue their growth. For instance, once small time underground rapper Eminem went from being signed to Detroit based independent label Web Entertainment to being signed to Interscope Records as part of a multi-million dollar deal. If he hadnt, he wouldnt be the global superstar he is today. Who else is in that boat?
Flint, Michigan based rappers Dayton Family were just like Eminem was once upon a time: impoverished, unknown, and brilliant. In the mid 90s, Dayton Family (named after the street they lived on, Dayton St.) slowly started gaining notoriety in the clubs around their hometown. Before they could blink they had been signed to a label and created a record that was certified gold.
However as is the case with many such underground rap groups, fame turned out to be more than Dayton Family could handle. After a series of imprisonments and other legal trouble, the Dayton Family had no choice but to take a three year hiatus in the beginning of the 00s. But, as is also the case with many underground rap groups that have suffered the same fate, theres often a third party interested in reviving said underground rap groups faltering career.
In the case of the Dayton Family, those angels were none other than once prominent underground rappers Insane Clown Posse, who own Psychopathic Records. (Described as once prominent here because they are now mainstream, and the underground label isnt as applicable).
Insane Clown Posse started their own record label at the beginning of their own career and called it Psychopathic Records. Today, Psychopathic Records not only continues to be the one outlet for Insane Clown Posses horror rap music, but also the one outlet for an all star roster of other horror rap artsits that are a little more underground than ICP is right now.
Between those underground rap artists and ICP, Psychopathic Records is without question the authority on what is good in the world of the underground rap micro genre horror rap.
That said, Psychopathic Records is the precedent. If you get signed to Psychopathic, its safe to say youre on the brink of making it. Of course, not everyone can be signed to Psychopathic, otherwise the accomplishment of such would be worthless and the label wouldnt be a trusted source of new music. Thats why Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope created Psychopathic Records subsidiary Hatchet House to sniff out the next big thing.
And guess whos signed to Hatchet House now
Dayton Family has only been signed to Psychopathic Records subsidiary Hatchet House since 2010, but if they are at all able to pick up the momentum where it was in the late 90s, these guys will be boosted from the underground rap game back into the main stream. You dont sell 500,000 albums by accident. If that does turn out to be the case, Dayton Family will surely move up the ranks from Hatchet House to Psychopathic Records.
January 11, 2016 / como / 0 Comments
How many artists can boast that they have an entire musical festival to their name? Or a giant family of underground followers. Very few, but Insane Clown Posse can!
Gathering of the Juggalos is one of the largest music festivals in the country, and has been around for 12 years. Every year, tens of thousands of Juggalos (referred to as a family underground when spoken of collectively) flock to the Gathering of the Juggalos music festival, hosted somewhere in the Midwest.
And the family underground knows how to party. Dont believe it? Just watch the 2008 documentary A Family Underground.
Whoop whoops, oil wrestling, late night parties and more are all documented in A Family Underground. The film does a great job of providing insight into the legitimate family that horror rap duo Insane Clown Posse has created. The Family Underground label isnt just because its a large group of fans in the same place at the same time; theres more to it than Insane Clown Posse appreciation.
The Gathering of the Juggalos Family Reunion
As Juggalos explain in A Family Underground, the family terminology is used because theres a sense of unity amongst Juggalos. They all feel misunderstood, and have had to face enough BS in life that coming together with like-minded people creates a wonderful sense of belonging. One festival attendee in the documentary says theres incredible openness between Juggalos too; people talk about their problems like they were having heart to heart conversations with life-long friends.
It doesnt hurt that the Juggalos who make up the Family Underground have a lot in common with each other either. Theyre fans of Insane Clown Posses music, horror rap in general, wrestling, Faygo soda, face paint, and causing mayhem. Put these people in the same enclosed area for four days in August and it will be unforgettable.
Thats not to say they come from many different walks of life. The video loosely follows a British couple in their early 30s around who took time off from work to come to the Gathering of the Juggalos. When Shaggy 2 Dope drives by in a golf cart, both of the Brits say they can go home happy now, and are visibly in awe for a considerable amount of time after. If that wasnt good enough, the couple is unofficially married by Insane Clown Posse member Violent J at the end of the video.
In fact, wrestling has been so ingrained in the Gathering of the Juggalos music festival and Insane Clown Posse culture that theres a wrestling league within it all. Juggalo Championship Wrestling (originally Juggalo Championshit Wrestling) plays host to epic rematches and world famous WWF wrestlers at every Gathering of the Juggalos festival. Blood and guts galore are displayed to much delight.
Juggalo Empire is Only Growing
Insane Clown Posse members Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope deserve a lot of credit for doing what theyve done. Not many artists can say theyve yet or ever will build a cult-like following consisting of fans as devoted as the Family Underground. With the 12th Insane Clown Posse album releasing in 2012, theres no end to the Family Undergrounds expansion in sight.