Juggalo Documentary A Family Underground
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.