The Art of Generating a Cult Following in Music

A cult is defined by dictionary.com as “an instance of great veneration of a person, ideal, or thing, especially as manifested by a body of admirers.“ As you can imagine, achieving cult status in the arts world is pretty much the Holy Grail. It means that fans will adore you almost regardless of what you put out, and that your days of being a starving artist are probably gone forever. Of course, very few bands are ever worthy cult status.

Being given the golden label is the result of more than just music – it has to do with band personality, creativity, and above all else, originality. One band that is off the charts in all three of those categories is Detroit’s own Insane Clown Posse. 

It’s not often that a band dreams up (literally) a mythology revolving around a carnival of carnage to weave into all of their albums. It’s even more rare for a horror rap duo like Insane Clown Posse to make such a move, and beyond that, even more uncommon for each individual musical release to contain one moral concept. Yet that’s exactly what Insane Clown Posse has done with their carnival of carnage (the physical extension of Dark Carnival) and Joker’s Cards, and to say it’s worked out well for them would be a vast understatement.

Insane Clown Posse’s Carnival of carnage 

Way back in the early 90s when Insane Clown Posse were just starting to gain momentum on a regional scale, Insane Clown Posse founding member Violent J had a dream in which he saw the spirits of departed traveling carnival workers. It would soon become known as the carnival of carnage.

It was later decided that these spirits in the carnival of carnage would visit a grey area between life and the afterlife after they passed away, during which it would be determined if they were traveling to heaven or hell. These spirits are revealed in Joker’s Cards, each of which carries a moral story or message related to the carnival of carnage.

Every time ICP releases an album, fans everywhere not only get the chance to sink their teeth into new music, but also the next Joker’s Card and chapter in the carnival of carnage. The more your fans have to be excited about, the more deeply committed they’ll become. 

Joker’s Cards

For the time being there are two decks of Joker’s Cards, one for every album released. Insane Clown Posse’s first deck has six cards and deck #2 has one Joker’s Card (to date). Every one of these cards provides its own example of how ICP has used creativity and their moral stance to deepen the connection they have with fans.  Some of the more notable entries in the deck have been listed below.

 Carnival of Carnage

Carnival of Carnage, is the first Insane Clown Posse Joker’s Card, and represents the violence of inner city ghettos. The clear message in this Joker’s Card warns the upper class and government about their negligence towards society’s lower classes.

The Great Milenko

This Insane Clown Posse Joker’s Card takes the form of a necromancer, and attempts to trick individuals into sinful acts, ultimately issuing a warning against committing such acts.

The Amazing Jeckel Brothers

This Insane Clown Posse Joker’s Card focuses on 19 circles of hell, in which a man’s morality is tested. Meanwhile the Jeckel Brothers, Jack and Jake, juggle balls that represent mortality of the deceased. If the balls are dropped, they are damned to hell.

Bang! Boom! Pow!

These onomatopoeia sounds represent the tool used to clear the carnival of carnage grounds when they become too crowded with evil souls.

The next Joker’s Card, titled Mighty Death Pop, will be released some time in early 2012.