Insane Clown Posse, "The Tempest"
ICP are definitely an acquired taste, but you know what? I've acquired it. But, hey, remember that I own Killer Klowns from Outer Space on VHS, DVD, and LaserDisk and I revel in juvenile humor. In that light, some of their stuff is absolutely brilliant--if and only if it doesn't take itself too seriously! ICP are at their best when they're dropping rhymes about zombie parties, peripatetic corpse-collectors, possessed car audio systems, and, of course, the Dark Carnival. Their carnival-music-meets-hip-hop tracks are almost insanely catchy, oftimes funny as hell, and 100% individualistic. There simply ain't no one out there quite like them.
Of course, I maintain that ICP just isn't ICP without music by legendary Detroit producer Mike E. Clark. The albums that wicked clowns put out without Mike E. Clark just aren't very interesting...because the music just doesn't quite fit: they started turning into a rap-metal outfit for a while and...man, that shit just ain't right. Where're the carousel jams mixed with rolling beats and utterly insane lyrics? Where's the silly ten-year-old humour?! The awesome, childish glee of songs like "Dead Body Man" and "3 Rings"? Man, ICP without Mike E. Clark is like Harold Melvin without the Blue Notes--they'll never go Platinum! (Yeah, I just ripped off Snoop Dog there. What you gone do about that?! HUH?!)
Fortunately, Mike E. Clark returned to produce their last full-length album, 2007's The Tempest, and I swear that CD lived in my car stereo for six months. Why? Because it's nothing but straight-up Dark Carnival tracks that call to mind images of county fairs being invaded by the walking dead, serial killers lying in wait around the next corner in the House of Mirrors, sideshow freaks going on a bloodthirsty--but hysterical--rampage. And the album's first proper track (after the obligatory album intro), "Ride the Tempest"--which is simply about riding a gigantic, murderous rollercoaster--is so full of wicked carny craziness that it makes me paint my face and go running down the street wearing nothing but clown paint and a little red foam-rubber nose. I'll leave it to your imagination where I'm wearing the nose.
For a hip-hop song, it's surprisingly uptempo and full of verbal gymnastics: Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope fling lines back and forth like maniacal mental patients playing catch in the hospital gymnasium. The beat is superb and the organ leads give the song a proper carny sound, but what really make the song are the hilarious pitch-bent shouts of "Rickety-tickety-tippity-top!" and stuff like that which gives the jam a rabid ringmaster sound to it. It's just a fun song, and you can tell that J and Shaggs are just having a blast on that track!
This is what you should expect from a pair of guys whose schtick is dressing up like murderous clowns and rapping about a Dark Carnival...not some kind of lame-ass Christian allegory or pointless rap-metal. Keep it carny, guys, and you're golden. Of course, The Tempest features songs that aim to make a point, such as "What About Now" and "News at 6 O'Clock," but Mike Clark's genius production makes even those tracks sound fun and electrifying. Still, The Tempest is definitely the clowns' best album since 1997's side-splittingly funny The Great Milenko.
