Search - Icp :: Carnival of Carnage

I.C.P. - "Carnival Of Carnage"

Justin Linker (Ninja In Action) | Midland, NC USA | 06/17/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is not only the first release with Violent J, 2 Dope and John Kichass rapping as "Insane Clown Posse", but this is the first ever release from arguably the most successful Horrorcore Rap label to date, Psychopathic Records.



This, along with their previous "Inner City Posse" albums was without a doubt an experimental album, they had no clue what they wanted their style to be. In this album, they took on gangsta rap (Wizard Of The Hood), Horrorcore Rap (Guts On The Ceiling), Storytelling Rap (First Day Out) and even Political Rap (Taste). They attempted and succeeded very well amongst all styles. However, although this is an experimental album, they ended up to this date with a completely different style, so in each I.C.P. album, do not expect another like this one. This one is unique in that way.



Aside from the lyricism, the production also stands out, courtesy of former Detroit producer Chuck Miller, the legendary Esham and Mike Clark. Even I.C.P. themselves are noted as producers. The track that stands out the most here productionwise is without doubt "First Day Out", mainly because of its originality and how well the flow from the rhymes fits it.



Amazon has recently limited the maximum characters to 4000 words (I believe). So, I can't really give a track-by-track breakdown and tell you my thoughts behind each individual track. I can, however, throw out the tracklisting and my personal A to F rating.



01. "Intro" N/A

02. "Carnival Of Carnage" (A)

03. "The Juggla" (A)

04. "First Day Out" (A+) (my favorite)

05. "Red Neck Hoe" (C-) (least favorite)

06. "Wizard Of The Hood" (A+)

07. "Guts On The Ceiling" (A)

08. "Is That You? (ft. Kid Rock)" (B+)

09. "Night Of The Axe" (A)

10. "Psychopathic" (A+)

11. "Blackin' Your Eyes" (B-)

12. "Never Had It Made" (A+)

13. "Your Rebel Flag" (B+)

14. "Ghetto Freak Show" (C+)

15. "Taste (ft. Jump Steady, Capitol E., Nate The Mack & Esham)" (A)



All in all, I recommend this to all fans of old skool hip-hop. Don't fall into the whole "I.C.P. is the worst group ever" logic. Granted, I was skeptical upon purchasing this, but after popping this into the CD player, I instantly wanted more. Get this.



Peace.



~Raw Hide"

The first and most underrated Joker's Card

Ahmed R. Braimah | 06/27/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"First of all, mcl to all the juggalos and juggalettes out there. As a juggalo and avid old school rap fan, I already had high hopes for this album when i bought it as a teenager several years ago. As a Juggalo who was introduced to ICP via The Amazing Jeckel Brothers back in 99, I was really surprised when i heard this cd as Violent J [there's VERY little Shaggy and John Kickjazz on this cd] sounds almost like a straight up gangsta mc on here! Although the beats, production, and flows sound outdated by today's standards, This is actually one of ICP's greatest accomplishments! This album has sounds similar to that of N.W.A. or Above The Law [Which ICP later covered]. For an album that only sold 17 copies on its initial release date, This is actually a classic and i would love it if ICP ever decided to return to making this type of stuff. For all you newer Juggalos out there who probably haven't heard much of ICP's stuff before Riddle Box, This is essential as it is the first ICP release as Insane Clown Posse [Originally Inner City Posse]. The dark carnival begins here and if you're a Juggalo or Juggalette you'd only be doing the right thing by having this album in your collection. However, Don't make the same mistake i did and buy the island records re-issue that's being sold everywhere. It turns out that the original self-released Carnival Of Carnage had 2 songs on it that are nowhere to be found on this re-release and they are Night of the axe and Blacken your eyes [1 of my all-time favorite ICP tracks]. Luckily for all of us, The original Carnival Of Carnage is sold on hatchetgear. So, Order it from there instead!



Track By Track Rating:



THIS IS THE REVIEW FOR THE 1998 ISLAND RECORDS RE-RELEASE



2. Carnival Of Carnage-Has a very dope beat that could've easily been on an N.W.A. release. Shockingly, There's no rhymes to be heard on this one. Oh well, still a nice banging track. A-



3. The Juggla-JUGGALO CLASSIC-This right here is Violent J at some of his finest moments as a rapper. A must-hear for any Juggalos or ICP fans. A+



4. First Day Out-A funny song about an inmate experiencing his first day of freedom from prison. Has some pretty funny lyrics from J and has a hillarious part from Shaggy near the end. B



5. Red Neck H**-This was an ok song. I wasn't feeling the beat too much at all but they did the best they could with this track. C



6. Wizard Of The Hood-JUGGALO CLASSIC-Another stroke of genius from Violent J this real dope track is a ghetto take on The Wizard Of Oz. Another must-hear for any Juggalos or ICP fans. A+



7. Is That You? [F/ Kid Rock]-JUGGALO CLASSIC-Due to the animosity ICP had toward Kid Rock at one point, It's shocking to see that they actually worked together a long time ago on this very dope song. A very young Kid Rock stole the show on this song but J did well too. This song was hard as hell and it proves that ICP are actually talented rappers. A+



8. Psychopathic-JUGGALO CLASSIC-Man, 3 classic tracks in a row! ICP was at the top of their game on this album. Again, J drops some mad fresh flows over a very nice beat and this is why i'm not ashamed to say i'm a Juggalo. I dare an ICP hater that likes old school rap to say they hate this song or this album for that matter. They're LYING! THIS SONG KICKS MAJOR A$$! WOOP WOOP! A+



9. Guts On The Ceiling-This was a pretty good song, one of the darker ones on this mostly old school gangsta-type album. Gives a hint of what was to come on later Joker's cards. B-



10. Never Had It Made-JUGGALO CLASSIC-Violent J just dropped some straight up hot flows on this song. Really dope track! A+



11. Your Rebel Flag-A cool anti-bigot song. The beat could've been a little better but it's a pretty cool song for what it is. Finally get to hear Kickjazz and Shaggy rap! B-



12. Ghetto Freak Show-This song was alright. Again, The beat could've been a little better but this is a listenable track. C+



13. Taste [F/ Esham, Nate The Mack, Capitol E, And Jumpsteady]-JUGGALO CLASSIC-This song is a real treat right here. This song which is about giving the suburbs a taste of what goes on in the ghetto, Unites several different rappers together for this classic posse track. The beat changes up for each verse and although the beat isn't really any good for Esham's part, Esham flows so well over top of it that you almost overlook that fact! Plus, Even Jumpsteady [My least favorite artist to ever be on Psychopathic] did a good job on this track!! This may very well be the best song on this album. A+



And there you have it, The first Joker's card. This is the most different Joker's card [aside from Shangri-La] in that it has little of the wicked s*** contained in it. Instead, This is more of an old school gangsta rap album. If you're a non-Juggalo yet you're into straight up rap music and you're looking to get into ICP, Get this one first. If you're a newer Juggalo, Then get one of the newer albums first but work your way back to this Joker's card. You may discover an ICP you never thought would've existed. MCL



"