Horror Rap and Religion?

Nearly a year ago, an interview was published in the Guardian in which Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope of the Insane Clown Posse were labeled as Christians. The notion that they both follow God was not really news; they officially announced this belief through “The Unveiling” when it was released, saying:

“Fuck it, we got to tell/ All secrets will now be told/ No more hidden messages/ …Truth is we follow GOD!!!/ We’ve always been behind him/ The carnival is GOD/ And may all Juggalos find him/ We’re not sorry if we tricked you.”

However, nowhere in that song nor in their interview with the Guardian was it said by Violent J or Shaggy 2 Dope that Insane Clown Posse is a Christian band. It has been the media and fans using songs like ICP’s “Miracles” as justification for their Insane Clown Posse Christian speculation. But if you read between the lines…

Much of the dark carnival mythology surrounding Insane Clown Posse’s “Christian” message lines up pretty well with Christian belief. Throughout the Dark Carnival and Joker’s Cards that it spawns, Christian elements of sin, judgment day, and the after life are all present.

Violent J has admitted that he doesn’t necessarily agree with all biblical ideas, but one would assume that means that he does follow the bible somewhat, making Violent J a Christian. But does that belief and a song like ICP’s “Miracles” necessarily mean Insane Clown Posse is a Christian band?

ICP’s “Miracles” 

Much if this Insane Clown Posse Christian speculation stemmed from the release of ICP’s “Miracles.” In it, both front men rap about the wonders of life, in awe of everything around them. ICP’s “Miracles” chooses to ignore scientific explanations and instead lets daily miracles like magnets and Giraffes remain mysterious.

Yet in ICP’s “Miracles” no mention of Christianity or of Insane Clown Posse being Christians is made. It really is just an ode to the creator’s creations.

As you can imagine, this disbelief in common things led to some pretty publicized parodies, most notably by late night comedy show Saturday Night Live where ICP impersonators rap questions asking how blankets and volcanoes work.

But the fact that these “miracles” ICP rhymes of can be explained, and have been explained for a long time isn’t the point. ICP’s “Miracles’” point is not to hate all things science either, but instead that all things are ultimately unknowable.

Insane Clown Posse is a Christian Band with Subtle Messages 

At the end of the day, you could probably listen to most of Insane Clown Posse’s “Christian” song catalogue and not know Insane Clown Posse was Christian. You could instead choose to pay attention to the crazy horror rap lyrics the band is most known for, which, on a surface level, have nothing to do with Insane Clown Posse as Christians. On the other side of that coin, looking deep into ICP’s “Miracles” and other songs’ meanings will reveal Christian (or at the very least, spiritual) sentiment, and if that helps you get by, then so be it.