Closing out 2023 and setting up 2024

 Holy shit it has been 5 years since I posted to this blog!  This is all changing as we close out 2023 and move into 2024.  So what does this mean for the blog?  Well I plan to cover as many concert events as I can this next year, attend the 2024 Gathering of the Juggalos, review as many albums as I can for Faygoluvers.net and most of all get back to the energy and love of the Juggalo community!  This post is short but I will be working hard the next week to get a review of some new music posted!  If you want me to review your album hit me up at juggalotus0069@gmail.com

Peace,

Juggalotus

Who are the Internet Psychos?

  I have seen a growing and stupiud trend in the underground, mostly Juggalo, fan base lately.  That is to post surveys like "If you were on a psycho killing spree what song would you be playing?" or "Do you prefer knife, hatchet, or gun?"  Here is my take on any and every single person who posts or answers these surveys, if confronted with the possibility of actually killing someone a vast majority (98+ %) would not have the guts to do it.  I am sick and tired of these people thinking you have to act or claim to be a psycho killer because you listen to our music!  If you listen to the music and dig it, that is great.  But if you honestly think any of the lyrics that ICP, Twiztid, etc have in a song is actually anything they have ever done you are a complete moron!  Their music is entertainment.  Nothing more and nothing less.

 For me the music is a way to release certain emotions that I have no other outlet for.  It helps me battle anger and depression.  It has helped me through so much and these kinds of displays do nothing but devalue the music and what it helps people through.  It also helps the outside world to say "See they are all degenerates."  That is why when we have shows and Gatherings the cops are always there and in some cases shut it down.  In life peoples first impression can make or break what they think of an entire group of people.  Why would we as a fringe group want to further push that negative image?

  ICP and Psychopathic have done a lot recently to help change that perception.  With toy drives and other charity events they are showing us what we need to do to help fix the FBI and gang label problem.  Why is it that they get mocked and made fun of for doing it?  People say they are getting soft or bitching out, I disagree.  They couldn't be any better an example for the fans to follow.  There is nothing wrong with being a socially responsible person in society.  People will never look at our fan base any differently unless we give them something different to look at. 

  Don't get me wrong there are a ton of groups in local communities that are doing good work and trying to make positive changes.  But if you go on Facebook and browse through Juggalo groups you will find a large population of these "Internet Psychos" and that is what some people see first.  I personally try very hard to change peoples ideas when I am in public.  I don't flip off cops and yell fuck the police.  I wear the hatchet proud while acting like a productive citizen.  You know how many times I have been harassed or arrested for wearing the clothes or chain?  Not once.  The cops have so many other things to be concerned with that what someone is wearing or listening to on their iPod makes no difference.  If you do the things I said then you more than likely will get hassled.  If you draw attention to yourself no matter what you have on you will be harassed, period.

  When it comes down to it the fact is we are the ones making us look bad.  We are the ones continuing to make people think negative of us.  We are the ones who can ultimately change these things.  As a united group we need to do the right things, act like productive citizens, and try our best to improve our communities.  Until we do those things all anyone will see is a bunch of "Internet Psychos."


MMFWFL,

Juggalotus

Juggalo Family?

So this is my first post of 2014.  The reason behind this is simple, I have been busy working music reviews over at Faygoluvers!  I have tried to post at least one per week and for the most part have done well with it.  Now lets get to the crux of this post and why now is the time for it to get posted, Juggalo family.

For those who don't know I was introduced to ICP back in 1997 shortly after Milenko was pulled from the shelves.  I knew from the first track I heard that I was a Juggalo.  It wasnt something I learned, became, took a test for, or any of that.  When I heard the songs I knew I had been a Juggalo all along.  I felt a sense of belonging.  I found a group of people just like me.  We don't fit in with other people.  We are outcasts.  We don't apologize for who we are.  When I would go to shows I would feel like I was home.  Everyone treated everyone else with respect.  Regardless of our social class or background, if you had any merch on, or anything.  We didn't need a list of rules.  We didn't call ourselves gang bangers.  We didn't cause havoc, tag shit, or destroy property.  We managed to go to shows and have a blast without cops harassing us.  We could hold a Gathering every year without worry of people dying, FBI showing up, or someone getting robbed.  Well things have changed greatly in the past 17 years.

I am a member of quite a few groups on Facebook that contain "old school" and "Kid" Juggalos.  More and more I am seeing a division in our group.  Things are popping up like the 13 Juggalo Commandments, Juggalo code, etc.  A lot of people think unless you know these by heart and follow them religiously you are not a Juggalo and thus not Family.  This is complete crap.  There is also a group of people that believe we are in a gang because of songs like Gang Related and groups like Psychopathic Rydas.  These people also miss the point.  The music we listen to is ENTERTAINMENT!  Nothing more, nothing less.  The Psychopathic Rydas are a group that rips off other rappers beats and puts their own lyrics on them.  Once again, entertainment. 

For the longest time I was not willing to call out these new school family.  I was hoping they would fade away when the novelty of being a "Juggalo" wore off.  Unfortunately that is not happening.  There are people out there that think old school los and lettes have a mandatory requirement to train the new school on how to be a Juggalo.  This also is crap.  No one ever told me how to be a Juggalo.  I never had to learn rules and follow trends.  When I heard the music I knew I had been a Juggalo all along.  For anyone who has called someone a Juggahoe for not knowing all the lyrics to every song, not wearing all the merch, or not paining up for the shows let me clarify something.  You are the one who is wrong.  Being a Juggalo isn't about all of that.  It is about knowing no matter where you go there will be people looking out for you.  When you go to a show you don't have to worry about being robbed, beaten, or killed.  We have a sense of right and wrong and we always look out for each other. 

Family is Family, period.  No matter how "down" someone is or isn't if they support the movement they are family in my book. 

We need to stop the in fighting.  The world hates us enough without us making it worse.  When we go to the Gathering we should not destroy everything we touch.  We should take care of the site, each other, and the towns that welcome us (Because they are getting fewer every year).  We saw this years Gathering have to be moved after it was announced because the community didn't want "Gang members" in their town.  The same town that welcomes Hells Angels every year didn't want Juggalos.  Let that sink in.  The Hells Angels.  A murderous biker gang.  Notorious for murder, rape, and many other things is more welcome than us.  Why is that?  Simple, they respect other people and try to make positive changes in communities that welcome them in.  Why can't we be the same way?  One reason, the new school has embraced the gang tag, cause problems, and make no effort to improve anything. 

Instead of us against the world and us against us we should embrace positivity.  Make positive changes.  Make an effort to change our community and help them understand we are just fans of a certain type of music.  Nothing more.  We need to stop destroying shit.  Stop saying Fuck the police every time you see a cop roll by.  Stop trying to make a statement.  Once we embrace the positive we will see positive in return.  In the most recent interview on Faygoluvers with ICP Joe Bruce said "When Twiztid left that was the end of the family era."  I couldn't agree more. 

I do expect a ton of hate for this post and I welcome any discussion you want to throw at me.  I love the Juggalo Family.  I want my kids and grand kids to bump the wicked shit if they choose.  I want to see Gatherings happening when I am an old man.  I do think without change we will become a dying breed.

MMFWFL,

Juggalotus

Random rant on society

So a few things in the world have gotten out of hand and to be honest I am sick of hearing about them.  So this post is really me venting and hopefully you guys can give me feedback not just criticism.

The past few weeks I have heard a lot about the government furlough and have personally seen how it is effecting military personnel and civilian government employees.  My issues with this topic are this:

Why should congress and the president continue to get paid?  Yes it is granted by the constitution that their pay will not stop.  But in this case I think they all should voluntarily donate their paychecks to pay the military, civilian, and veterans who still have to go to work without pay in most cases.  The furlough happened because the government failed to do their job!  The military and civilians didn't cause these problems.  The government and their petty arguments caused it all.  Facts are this, Obamacare sucks, neither party gives a crap about any of us until their job is up for reelection (Which I feel doesn't even matter because I feel most of our "free" elections are rigged and our choice doesn't matter) and then they tell us what we need to hear to vote them back in knowing once they secure the office they will not do a damn thing they promised, and both parties are striving for the same goal (Government take over and totalitarian rule).

So what can we as citizen do about it?  Nothing.  Absolutely nothing we do matters.  We have given the government so much power nothing we say matters.  We can rise up and fight the government and I think Americans should throw all of those people out of office and start over.  But once the citizens rise up against the governments we will just begin to get slaughtered.  I hate to say it but at this point we have given so much away we are beyond any repair.

 Another topic I keep hearing about is peoples sexuality.  I will be honest, NOBODY cares who you are doing or not doing.  Until you tell people your preference no one can tell.  But I will say once you tell the world that preference you need to be prepared for people that agree and don't agree with your choice.  We dont all have to agree or be o.k. with anyone else s lifestyle.  We all need to shut our mouths and keep our private business private.  Unlike racism or the civil rights movement until you stand up and yell from the mountain tops your sexual orientation nobody can tell.  The civil rights movement was about being repressed and persecuted because of the color of your skin.  That is 100% obvious the second you see someone.  Unfortunately racism will never cease to exist because people will keep being ignorant.  Your sexuality is private and not immediately obvious unless you make it that way.

 The next topic is abortion.  Let me clue you in on something, it was not the babies choice for you to get pregnant or get someone pregnant it was your choice.  Why would you punish a life that is 100% dependent on you for survival because you couldn't take precautions to prevent it?  With all of the options out there for birth control there is only 2 reasons pregnancy happens, you had unprotected sex to get pregnant or you took the risk even though you knew the consequences.  Either way the fetus had no choice in that.  You might be killing the next Einstein, Beethoven, or rocket scientist.

 Finally I am sick and tired of hearing how guns kill people.  I will let you in on a little secret, Guns do not work unless human hands pull the trigger.  Yes if it is dropped it can misfire but that is not what the argument is about.  People in the government, media, and communities claim that our constitutional right to bear arms should restrict what arms we can own.  Nowhere in the constitution does it clarify what I can or cannot own as a firearm.  But those supporters of gun control want you to believe that an AR-15 is more deadly than a knife.  This is true and untrue.  Yes it can shoot more rounds quicker.  But it only shoots one round per trigger pull.  No matter what guns are taken out of law abiding citizens hands criminals will still get weapons and commit crime.  Look at prohibition if you need an example of this.

 So there you have it.  My rant on all the crap is society pissing me off.  I will get back to my music posts and hope you all will stick with me and even have an intelligent debate about these topics.

MMFWFL,

Juggalotus

Peeling off the masks in the Underground

I don't think this blog will come as a surprise to most that frequent here. But in recent months, ever since Twiztid left Psychopathic Records, there have been numerous reports, interviews, emails, and lawsuits that are exposing a side of the label I think most of us didn't want to ever see. The side of the label that is focused on money, lust, and mob style tactics.

A report was released last week of a lawsuit from a former "in-house" legal Counsel/publicist claiming that many employees within Psychopathic Records engaged in prolonged sexual harassment, intimidation, and creating a hostile work environment. Having read the lawsuit here are the highlights:

1. She was consistently called a bitch by everyone around her including Billy.

2. She was consistently subject to unwanted sexual advances from Dirty Dan and others.

3. Sugar Slam created a hostile work environment due to her jealousy toward the woman suing them.

4. Dirty Dan gave a glass dildo upon finding out she had recently separated from her boyfriend.

5. She was asked to cover up wage issues being investigated by the US Labor board.

6. She was asked to act unethically in a legal capacity to cover up many things within the organization.

Now those are the major issues in the lawsuit. It is 17 pages long and filled with a ton of fluff such as "I was always being flirted with" type comments. But looking at those six issues I can say if they are true there is a serious issue within the label. Yet another sign things are sliding downhill quicker than anyone in Psychopathic wants to admit. Then a few days later it came out that many vendors from this year’s Gathering either hadn’t been paid or the checks they were given would not clear the bank. The total of those debts is around $300,000. Are we really seeing that Psychopathic is broke? Maybe or maybe not but either way it doesn't look good at this point.

So I log in today and see yet another story about the business dealings in the label in the form of two anonymous emails sent to testdummy22 from someone he says is in the inner circle of the label and a very reliable source. Those 2 emails state:

ANONYMOUS MESSAGE SENT TO: TestDummy 22 from ?????, (A EMPLOYEE AT PSYCHOPATHIC RECORDS, AND A VERY RELIABLE SORCE) TESTDUMMY 22 *Some of this e-mail was cut out to protect the identity of sender* I gotta be honest man, I'm deeply disapp...ointed in this company. I had hooked up with Mike Clark down in Detroit at the fowling warehouse. We had a long conversation that night about Psychopathic and at one point Mike was almost in tears telling me about how he believed they were brothers (Him,Joe and Joey) and when it came down to it Joe tossed their friendship in the trash and chose to steal millions of dollars from him. The money he was referring to was from the first 5 cards and associated Eps that he was was tricked into signing away all his publishing on. Fucking devastating right? What if you made millions and someone stole it from you? How would you feel? I was fucking floored that they would do that to him but it doesn't surprise me because its the music business and he was naive to the workings of the music business. They fucked Mike HARD and it hurt him, he's still bitter today make no mistake. The only reason he does shit with them anymore is because he has to make money and he loves the juggalos. At the GOTJ last year and he was literally sobbing because the potential for what this movement could have been in the hands of people who cared could have been massive. Mikes just going through the motions now, his heart is not with ICP anymore. Mike isn't a problem, he's fine the way he is, its everyone else thats the problem. I mean, Joe doesn't exactly pick Mikes best stuff and at the end of the day EVERYTHING you hear out of Psychopathic is a product of Joe Bruce is some way shape or form. Mike still makes great shit, but Joe don't know how to pick it and in my opinion he actually picks some of the worst beats I have ever heard regardless of who the producer is.

And:

ANONYMOUS MESSAGE SENT TO: TestDummy 22 from ?????, (A EMPLOYEE AT PSYCHOPATHIC RECORDS, AND A VERY RELIABLE SORCE) TESTDUMMY 22 Here's the reality of Psychopathic. It's not a business, its a hustle. ... I noticed Kuma is not really talked about in the juggalo community, First of all Kuma is Joe's bitch, I don't know if you know that or not? Kuma wears all hats at psychopathic and basically fails at all of them. When I first met Kuma I thought he was a super cool genuine dude and he had me believing that for the majority of my time at psychopathic,but as time went on and I started to question his abilities is when I started seeing a drastic change in his attitude towards me. Kuma is the source of all things generic at Psychopathic. He's the reason everything comes out like watered down cheap rip offs, he's the reason the informercials suck, he's responsible for the worst videos in ICP history and thats why Joe is using outside directors and producers now, i'm not just being a dick i'm being honest, Kuma is the source of suck but they refuse to fire him because he's loyal and he rides that dick HARD. Ok, so, Eric Heiden is the only special effects guy at psychopathic and he calls Kuma out on not being able to his job in front of Billy and Rob. Billy and Rob decide instead of firing Kuma they will remove him from the video department, fire me and stick him in the lotus pod. I honestly feel deep sorrow for the fans at this point because the future of this label is pretty much completely abandoned. It obvious they don't give a fuck and honestly Big Hoodoo is just a way for Joe to make himself feel better about Twiztid leaving the label, thats all. I wouldn't be surprised if he only lasted one or two records tops. You said it yourself, when were juggalos most happy? That was when ICP, Twiztid,Lotus,Blaze were rocking out. That will never happen again bro, it's over.

Now with that out there let me just say if the first email is true, which wouldn't surprise me, I am truly disappointed they would do Mike Clark like that. I do feel that Mike Clark supports the fans and has nothing but love for the movement. I also think that we are seeing that Violent J and Billy have a firm grip on everything and everyone under Psychopathic, they have given into greed and arrogance, and they have become everything they claim to despise in the business.

I think things like this point to more and more reasons why Twiztid walked away.  Although they are unable to say anything about their release publically I would not be surprised if once the timeframe of that silence is over we see the final pieces fall from the masks J and Billy have worn for so long.

I have long said that Alex leaving changed the entire dynamic of the label. It went from a movement that meant something to a gross exploitation of a dedicated and rabid fan base. I am going to get hate mail for this post and I expect it. Don't misunderstand me, I support ICP and all other artists on the label but I do not support the business tactics that Billy and Joe have instituted to make millions. I respect what they built, what they have done independently, and the movement they started. But having done business with certain members within the label I can attest that the mob tactics are used to get things out of people. Threats are made to ensure they make money even if they do nothing to earn or deserve that money. They will threaten not only the person they have the dispute with but also their wives, husbands, and children to get paid. The reason the FBI began to investigate them was extortion, wage payment issues, and illegal activities similar to street gangs. As long as they and their fans continue to act like thugs we will never shake this stigma.

I am saddened by the state of the record label. I am even more saddened by the fact Joe has become everything he hated. I sincerely hope He and Billy realize this is the wrong path to be on and can save what all of us have come to love. If not I know Twiztid, Strange, Mad Insanity and Subnoize are poised to take over the underground and make us proud.

MMFWFL,

Juggalotus

2013 Gathering of the Juggalos thoughts

So the Gathering of the Juggalos went back “Underground” this year.  The event has been going on since Wed Aug 7 as people started lining up to get into the grounds.  Well on Monday Aug 5 there were several people who overdosed and had to be taken to the hospital; mind you this was before anyone was allowed to be there except the crew setting everything up!  Having gone to the event last year I saw more drugs available than anywhere else I have ever been.  This should have been a sign of things to come.  The apparent drug causing the problems is a designer drug called 25I.  The street name for the drug is N-Bomb, Smiles, and 25I.  It is similar to LSD in its effect on people. 

News breaks Friday that someone was found dead in their tent of apparent overdose.  The cause was initially reported as 25I but has also been reported as a Heroin overdose.  No matter what the cause this is absolutely horrible news.  Why you ask?  Well it is simple, the public at large is finding any way possible to label us delinquents and shut the Gathering down.  Drugs have expanded way out of control and last year I saw people who were obviously “professional” dealers who were only there to make money off dumb ass Juggalos who did not even remember their experience at the Gathering because they were wasted the entire time.  Drugs are out of control at this event.  Why is this important to me?  I GIVE A CRAP that’s why!  People need to go out there and enjoy themselves but this is getting ridiculous.  We have now lost Family because of this problem.  I suggest we as Family get this under control.  This is our Mecca (as Violent J said today). 

Now the other huge news everyone was waiting for was promised by Violent J to be “The biggest news we have ever released in our career!” and we were promised this life changing news at the seminar today.  Let’s briefly go over what they released at the seminar:

·         Juggalos at the Gathering are the most elite Juggalos on the planet!

·         ICP considers the Gathering the mecca of Juggalo-ism

• He gives us the epitome of news in the Juggalo world
• Psychopathic is resuming the Mighty Death Pop tour right after J’s knee surgery
• Tour will include Denver, Salt Lake City, Albuquerque, Florida, Texas; Last show of the tour will be Hallowicked
• November dates for the tour in Australia
• ICP theater has 8 episodes (3 of which have aired so far).  If ratings are good, they will get 25 more episodes for season 2!
• They are starting the 3rd Joker’s card of the new deck after Hallowicked!
• Planning of the 3rd card will be more precise
• It will be available on CD!  The rumor that it would only be on digital is “straight bullshit”
• He said the difference between a physical copy of the album and a digital copy is like the difference between porn and a real neden!
• They are bringing back Psychopathic Radio after the Gathering!
• Shaggy is off probation (finally!) so they will be touring in Canada!
• On Juggalo day, they will be performing the Great Milenko in its entirety! It will be available on iPPV, and may not be in Detroit!  More Joker’s cards shows are in the works!
• Violent JJ made 3 beats (beatboxing) and they will release it on the Internet
• 6th Joker’s card box set is ready to go!
• Violent J confirmed that Blaze ya Dead Homie did officially leave
• Psychopathic isn’t trying to replace anyone who left, just trying to leave a legacy of great artists!
• They want to do more concept music like Wizard of the Hood or solo albums like Shaggy’s Fuck the Fuck Off
• They said that Twiztid told Psychopathic they were leaving via text message
• They then announced that Axe Murder Boyz and Boondox  are officially back on the label!
• Everyone was handed a ticket before the seminar started, without knowing what it was about.  They then started talking about the  Chronicles of the Dark Carnival series that was filmed for SyFy years ago.
• They said that the end product they got back had a “little twinge of suck”.  Jumpsteady said it was SO BAD that it came full circle and ended up being entertaining again!
• They said it would ONLY be available for Juggalos who were in attendance at this year’s Gathering!

Now with that in mind what could possibly have been the huge earth shattering news? 

ICP is touring Australia? 

AMB and Boondox have resigned with Psychopathic?

Blaze leaving the label?

Are any of those the Biggest news ever?   NO.  So I take this list of news as just that, news.  ICP once again pulled the wool over Juggalos eyes to sell tickets and get people in the door.  As I have discussed before ICP is all about the bottom line.  They don’t care about the Family any more.  They knew the lineup this year, while great underground acts were on the set list, was not enough to sell enough tickets.  So J tells us all they are going to drop devastating, huge, Juggalo world changing news.  And we get nothing.  Then we are told there is a mystery seminar after ICP that I think everyone including me thought would be Twiztid.  Nope Twiztid and Blaze bounced and the seminar became AMB and Boondox.  Don’t get me wrong Boondox dropping some good news that I am pumped about but really why not give Twiztid a seminar? 

How many times are we going to see the fan base abused by this label and do nothing about it.  When Twiztid left I didn’t want to “take sides” and I still support the music Psychopathic, Twiztid and Blaze put out there.  I think J and Shaggy need to seriously look at what has happened.  Alex left and it has been a steady decline into money and ego. 

People will read this and some will agree while others disagree.  I will take heat for saying these things but I know people out there who view it the same way (testdummy22 and I see eye to eye on a lot) and that is ok.  I have opinions and so does everyone else.  The one thing about me that never changes (whether it is CD reviews, Event reviews, my blog and opinions, or anything else I do) is that I am honest and will say what I believe to be the truth. 

I still rep the hatchet and will always support the underground movement.  This years Gathering has shown me that the Mecca for the Family is on life support.  Attendance was down, we had a death, and we saw a glimmer of hope that things were ok with the ending of the Lotus set (which quickly went away when J told the family Twiztid left via text. That was a low blow if you ask me), and the police getting a “financial” advance from the “organizers” (Psychopathic) which let them buy new equipment for the force.

I love my Family and hate to feel like this whole movement has been shifted in the wrong direction.  I hope things will change and we will see Juggalos return and rebuild what has been lost.  I hate to say I feel that movement is now with Twiztid but that is how I see it. 

Let’s hear your opinions people, I welcome everyone’s thoughts!

MMFWFL,

Juggalotus

The Movement

A ton has happened in the last week and I have learned a great deal.

First thing I wanted to formally address was the first show Wicked Butterfly Entertainment booked and promoted here in Tucson, the Snug Brim Arroggant Tour. After James Barone royally screwed that tour booking up Snug Brim trusted a long time friend to rebook the tour. For those who don't know James Barone was taking deposits from promoters and artists and not passing the cash onto Snug Brim. Anyway the tour got re-booked and I sent Snug Brim the first half of his appearance fee, $225.00. Not a lot but it was what had been negotiated. After he got that money I could not reach him for any kind of flight info, arrival times, or anything. Bottom line is Snug Brim no-showed the appearance and has yet to return any of that deposit money back to me. No I normally don't air dirty laundry on here but I think if a thief is discovered they should be called out! Despite that fact the show went awesome. I heard many comments that it was the best local show they have had here in Tucson in many years. As many of you know from previous blogs I promote so that the artists, venues, and myself all make money in the end. If you want to know how I do it go back and read my last few blogs. The night had a variety of local Tucson Hip Hop artists. They included first time performances by From Tha Ash and Chi!pz, Full Kontakt Entertainment, Tha Silent 1 & J Dawg, The Source and Cultivate Creative Sound(CCS) stepped up as the headliners. Top to bottom all of the acts performed very well. The crowd showed love consistently throughout the night for all of the acts. In the end we all had a kick ass time and I think we all are looking forward to the next show as I bring T.O.N.E-Z and Poe Whosaine to Tucson Aug 28th!

Now to the main theme for the post, The Movement. I have seen this past week a lot of love for my promotion method and how it benefits everyone at the show. I had several people come up to me at the show and after and state that they have never seen a crowd stay through every act in a show. Like I said all the acts and their fans stayed at the show and gave each and every act love. In the weeks leading up to the show all the artists were given a chance to make money bringing people to the show, and I hope most did in the end. So I am starting The Movement, the Promoters and Artists working together to make each and every show a success. Instead of each side trying to screw the other so they make more money, everyone works together and everyone makes money. Sure no one person or group is making thousands of dollars on the shows but in this economy every hundred bucks helps. There are too many times I have seen headliners do what Snug Brim did to me, get a deposit(make it non-refundable) and not show to perform. This hurts everyone and it needs to stop. Artists, if you are paid to show up and perform, do it! That is easy. The promoters are paying you, covering hotel costs, and in some cases travel cost and all you have to do is show up and do 45 min to an hour on stage, that is your JOB! Mars told me once he keeps a list of promoters and performers he has worked with. Each one has notes, if he trusts them and a label on if he will work with them in the future. I have started to keep a list as well. I hope as The Movement gets going we can build a network of trustworthy promoters and artists so we all can get ahead in the music business. That is what it is a BUSINESS! In my blog Business or Hobby  I make it clear where I stand.

The next show Wicked Butterfly Entertainment is hosting is DJ Clay's Scratch the Surface Tour with Mars in Albuquerque, NM on July 26th! 2 weeks away so get the word out!

I truly feel as though this movement is needed and wanted in the business. Leave me some comments and let me know where you stand!

MMFWFL,

Juggalotus

Brutal Honesty

For a while now I have written blogs about honesty in music.  This week I got a shock when a review I did on an rapper's CD led to his quitting.  Yes you read that right, I made him quit.  The CD was good as far as recording quality but it lacked substance, originality, and passion.  Since I started reviewing CD's for Faygoluvers.net I have prided myself on giving brutally honest reviews.  I have done a few negative reviews in the past and had artists take my criticism to heart and change the way they do things.  I have also had artists disregard my opinion totally.  But never have I had someone quit.  I have said in the past that any artist in any genre needs to surround themselves with people who will tell them the truth.  People who will tell them when what they are doing is not good or needs improvement.  So many rappers surround themselves with yes men.  People who refuse to tell them what they are doing might need work for fear of losing their friendship.  So it came as little suprise that this review was so hurtful the guy quit.  I hope he takes it in stride, modifies what he is doing, and comes back to prove me wrong.

I do not review albums this way to be cruel or force people to stop being creative.  I do it because without that brutal honesty the whole genre suffers and gets a bad name.  I am trying to make the overall acceptance of the music more common.  There are a ton of talented artists in Horror Core that are often overlooked or lumped in with the unimaginative and uncreative masses in the genre.  I have reviewed so many artists who deserve to "make it" but are not even given a glance because they are Horror Core.  I will never back down from the standards I have set for music.  I will always be as honest as I can in my opinions.  But at the same time they are just that, my opinions.  I do not expect everyone to agree with me, heck I expect at least 90% of people to have a different opinion.  I always welcome comment, opinions, and feedback.

Scottie D over at Faygoluvers appreciates my honesty as do many big name artists in the Underground.  That is why I will never comprimise that position.  If we as fans, reviewers, and artists set a higher standard for our craft we can make positive changes.  We can make our genre more accepted.  If no one speaks up nothing changes.  Sure 1 man can't changes the world but no man speaking up cannot change anything.

MMFWFL,

Juggalotus

Evolution

  So it became official today with Violent J's interview that Blaze is no longer with Psychopathic.  Honestly it came as no suprise.  I said in my blog about Twiztid leaving it was going to happen.  So I have spent much of the day today reading forum posts, watching videos, and just feeling out the Family and how things are currently.  Now I took a lot of hate and criticism because of my thoughts about Twiztid leaving.  So let me say as plain as I can, I am and always will be a Juggalo.  I will always support the music ICP makes, like it or not, I have nothing but respect for the Dons of Psychopathic.  I will always support Blaze and Twiztid no matter where they go and what they do.  Nothing can take any of my memories or feelings away that I have developed over the last 16 years.  I will always support music I like and speak out if I don't like something.  That is what makes the Family unique, our ability to be individuals while still being a Family. 

All that being said I wanted to share my feelings on the state of Twiztid, Blaze and Psychopathic.  Psychopathic will be fine and move on without Twiztid and Blaze.  As long as ICP is making music the label will continue.  My feelings on the current management of the label have been made clear throughout this blog.  For two years I have opened myself up and told you all exactly how I felt things were going.  I do not think the label will be as successful now that Twiztid is gone.  The talent just isnt there.  Twiztid will forge their own path and so will Blaze.  I see nothing but bright things in their futures.  One video I watched was a review of Abominationz.  In the video the guy speaks exactly how I have been feeling.  He says at one point he can't tell if Twiztid is speaking directly to ICP a majority of the time.  He also feels like the album is Twiztid's stance against the current movement of the label, and I agree.  It was Twiztid's renewal of their devotion to the Family and movement that ICP built.  I feel like they have not agreed with the current shift in policy and product.  That is why when I hear lines like:

"Your looking for acceptance in places your never gonna get it accept it
Our painted face is rejected
An abomination infected
With so much hatred collected
How can you say you didn't expected to go this way
Like bad directions
They're looking at me like a weapon
We got the world's attention
Were like this great invention
There all to afraid to mention
Shun me like bad intentions
But we'll see who really had agendas
A misconception I don't wanna be in your fucked up life or interventions"

I can't help but feel like they are speaking directly to ICP.  Like I have said I will support the music ICP, Twiztid and Blaze make for life.  on the business side of things I think things need to change.  I do not agree with business decisions being made.  Period.
We have been told recently that the Gathering this year will be a celebration of the Underground.  When I heard that my first thought was "Huh?" I like the idea of people like Kung Fu Vampire, Bukshot, Liquid Assassin, Mars, Molly Gruesome, and others getting a chance to hit the mainstage and bring the house down.  My biggest fear is this move is being made to save money because of the lost profit with Twiztid leaving.  Do I think Twiztid will be at the Gathering?, yes.  Do I think in 5 years they will be at the Gathering?, not sure.  No one can disagree it is much cheaper for the label to have these underground artists on the main stage for $500-800 per set than to bring guys like Ice Cube, Ice T, and others out for $10,000 or more for a set.  I am not sure at this point how I feel about the Gathering this year.  I am hoping to get a chance to go out there as press and do an actual honest review of the Gathering.  We shall see.

Now back to the point of the post, evolution.  As a long time Juggalo I have seen shifts in the movement.  I have seen band wagon fans come and go.  I have seen the music succeed (Melinko, AJB, Mostasteless, Abominationz) and I have seen it fail (The Calm, Tempest, Mutant) but the one thing that has remained constant is the fans.  We support the music more rabidly than any other fanbase out there.  We get hated on for it and it makes us ban together and put a middle finger in the air at the mainstream.  The video review of Abominationz the guy makes a great point and that is this "BPB and MDP were great albums but they do not deserve to be called Jokers Cards.  There is something missing that was in all six of the origional cards."  They are well done, great as far as production, and have many tracks I can relate to.  But the magic is missing.  The story is a faint reminder of what we have been told for decades. 

The one thing nobody can avoid is evolution.  I will never be 100% behind every project that Psychopathic, Twiztid, or Blaze puts out but I can tell you I will give each and every release it's fair shake.  I will listen to what is being put out and support the ones I enjoy while allowing the others to collect dust in my collection.  I have nothing but love for each and every Juggalo and Juggalette in the world.  The real los and lettes not the band wagoners that we seem to be gathering recently.  Being a Juggalo isn't about a set of rules, a pledge, if you do drugs or not, or even the music.  Being a Juggalo is a state of being.  When you find the Family you know you belong no matter where you come from, how much money you have, or what your recreational activities are. Being a Juggalo is about being an individual.  Liking what you like and standing firm on your beliefs.  We are a Family.  Evolution doesn't change that.  J said it best in the interview posted today "But if one day you get to college and start hangin’ with a new group of friends and you start to like other kinds of music, just don’t be one of those bitches that’s like, “Can you believe I used to be a Juggalette? I was so young and stupid, I guess.” Never talk that shit about us. Never sell us out because the you at 14 is just as important to your legacy as the you at 34. Yes, it’s OK to be a 14 year old Juggalette. It’s even OK if you grow out of being a Juggalette one day, but do us a favor. Never sell us out. Always remember the good times you had as a Juggalette and cherish them. Don’t look back on them with regret, look back on these days as great days. Never bad mouth the family. Better yet, stay down with the family forever!"  Thats it right there.  Evolution is going to happen.  People will outgrow the need for the music and the Family and that is ok.  And if you leave the music behind for a while and find in the future you need that connection again, we will be here.

MMFWFL,

Juggalotus

Can't believe it's been 2 years!

In looking at my blog stats I was very happy to see it finally passed 9300 page views!  I never thought it would get that many.  Then I was looking back at all my posts and realized an even bigger achievement, this blog has been going strong for 2 years yesterday!

The evolution of the blog is funny to look at because it started as a way for me to show support to Juggalos/Juggalettes and help promote the Family in a positive light.  Since that time things in my life have changed and evolved.  I now manage Black Project in their music, write reviews of CD's for Faygoluvers.net, am doing freelance reporting for American Media Distribution (Hopefully they will send me to the Gathering to write a positive story and get rid of more stigma associated with us), have booked and promoted a concert, and have worked with a lot of Underground artists and gotten to know them which I never expected.  It is so funny to me that my life went for 31 years and then the last 2 have gone by so fast it makes my head spin.

The current theme in my blog is giving advice to artists, promoters, bookers, and managers.  I am no expert but I do business honestly.  I truely think we need more honesty in this business.  Now I have had my share of haters and that is ok with me.  I respect everyone's opinion and welcome any comments all the time on this blog.  I take an active role to respond to everyone in some way and show my appreciation for the time they give to read my ramblings.  I have started a new non-rap blog this year which has yet to get it's legs but hopefully soon. 

I am very intersted to see where we go from here.  If you are a regular reader know that I appreciate you taking the time to read this.  If you are new welcome!  Feel free to comment or hit me up on email.  I am looking forward to more years to come!

MMFWFL,

Juggalotus

Business or Hobby

  So since my last post I have had several discussions with some rappers that feel my views might not be right in the context of the business today.  They have told me I am out of touch.  I disagree completely.  I also have been told that too many rappers today look at music as more of a hobby than a business, thus why this blog post is being written.

What are some things that make music a business vs a hobby?

1. Quality of recordings.  Rappers today do not feel the need to pay money for an actual sound engineer to mix and master their music.  They feel that their $300 mic and closet setup are good enough to sell records.  There was a thread on the Faygoluvers forums about Fruity Loops which touched on this.  It was the view of one of the participants that in his studio he could get a recording 96% perfect so why should he pay money to get it to be 99% perfect.  My answer is simple, his mixing and mastering is no where near 96%, at best he puts out 60% as for the quality of the recording.  Not because he doesn't have the skills but because he doesn't have the compressors and other equipment needed to even out and fine tune the tracks properly.  95% of rappers today do not know how to properly level the music and vocals so they are even and sound the best they can.  A trained and educated engineer can do that and more.  I have had a few people I work with that thought their recording, mixing, and mastering were on point.  Then I take their track into the studio with a pro engineer and when I am done they have realized the difference immediately.  If you are not willing to pay for quality you think of Rap as a hobby.

2.  Fan base.  If you are the hottest rapper in whatever city you are in that is good on you.  If no one except people from your city know you, you are doing it wrong.  To move from this being a hobby to a business you need to expand your fan base, do shows in as many cities and states as possible, and put in the work to get your name known by more people.  The fans worldwide should eventually know you and what you do, if that isn't happening, you think of Rap as a hobby.

3.  Performance.  Most new rappers need as many performances as they can in the beginning to shake the nerves, get used to the stage, and learn how to play the crowd.  The problem is rappers who don't learn anything while doing these performances.  If you do a show once a week and never change what you are doing, you are wrong.  You should grow with each and every performance.  You should have people around you willing to tell you what worked and what didn't work in the show.  Accept criticism.  No matter how long you have been doing this business there is always room for improvement.  There is always a young guy or gal on your heels that will some day pass you up.  The time most rappers spend at the top is relatively small in comparison to how long they worked to get there.  If you are happy doing a show once a week, never making things better, and surrounding yourself with yes men, you think of Rap as a hobby.

4. Money.  The number one thing that shows you consider Rap a business and not a hobby is money.  If you are not spending money to improve your product with confidence that it will be returned you are destine to fail.  We all can say all the time "I could get paid nothing and I wouldn't care.  I do it for the love of the music"  That's great, does love of the music pay the bills?  No it doesn't.  In any business if you forget that making money is your number one priority you will not be in business long.  I do believe you should make the music because you love it.  You shouldn't be afraid to make money or make music that will make you money.  If all you care about is the "Love" of the music, you think of Rap as a hobby.

I have encountered quite a few underground rappers who, for lack of a better way to say it, suck.  The quality they put out is sub par, their performance on stage is horrible, and their ego is way to large for where they are in their hobbies.  That is the point of this blog really.  Stop making music if it is a hobby.  If you cannot commit time, energy, and money into making a product that makes you money, then don't.  The underground is so flooded with egotistical half talented hacks and it is making us all look horrible.  There are some shining stars and even they get hated on for the money they are making.

All businesses start out as hobbies we enjoy.  The time hobbies become businesses is when you focus your efforts on making money.

MMFWFL,

Juggalotus

Friends are friends and Business is business

  Over the past few days I have had a few conversations that bring this point to light.  The first was with one of my friends.  We had a disagreement about how some business should be handled.  While discussing business we both got annoyed and aggrivated with the other person.  This led to us not discussing the problem but getting into stuff that had little to do with the actual issues.  After some time I made the point that he is my homie but business is business.  That made something click in my head.

  Then a day or so later another friend of mine was discussing some concerns he had about a member of their group.  The basics are this, his life is falling apart.  His girl left him, he lost his job, etc.  The problem is that this group has a lot of offers on the table which do not include this member.  My friend was having a hard time cutting him out and I completely understand this.  He didn't want to make the guys life worse but if he didn't let him out of the group the whole group would suffer.  My advice was simple, friends are friends and business is business, you have to do whats best for the group and have concern for your friend outside of that.

So why am I dedicating an enitre blog to such a simple concept?  Well most people have a very difficult time making that distinction and it leads to a lot of hate, animosity, and ill feelings.  I also got an awesome shout out on twitter for this blog and feel like maybe some people in the business are listening to me and agreeing with some of what I am putting out there.  That being said I have experiences I am trying to share to make the underground movement better and want to reach as many people as I can.

With my military background we were trained to make the seperation of work and personal.  In this business that distinction is not always so clear.  Most rappers grew up with the guys they work with.  Most know all of the dirty laundry of the other and vice versa.  Most cannot seperate their personal crap from the business.  And that is what this is a business.  Not a hobby.  Not something to do in your spare time.  Not something you can commit to half heartedly.  This is a business and is here to make money.  Once you let personal feelings get involved in business you fail.  Because at that point you spend more time and energy spreading crap online, in venues, to other people than you do on your product.  A lot of guys find themselves getting arrested and put in jail cause they cannot stop the hate toward the other person, even if it means they lose money and freedom to do it.  BUt in the end their point may be proven but their talents go to waste.

Most of us know what happened to Wicked Wayz.  That is a prime example of what I am talking about.  The personal feelings caused us to lose a talented rapper to gun violence and another to prison.  Not the way any of them wanted it to turn out.

So I will end this post by saying quite simply Friends are Friends and business is business.  If you cannot make that seperation you might want to look at working with other people and leaving your homies out of the business.  Please take time to show love to your friends and respect to the business.  It will benefit us all in the end.

MMFWFL,

Juggalotus

Hottest rapper in the city of.......

  The underground rap world is flooded with different cliques, different cities, and different views of "how" this game is played.  This has become an epidemic that is eventually going to kill our movement.  As a group we all should understand that we should be united against those trying to shut down what we are doing.  The "Mainstream" is never going to understand what we are doing.  Should that make us hate them?  Should that make us take focus off of what we are doing to "make a statement?"  If you answered no, congratulations you got the right answer.  If you did answer no then why should what anyone else is doing in the underground affect what we do as musicians, producers, and promoters?  You might be asking why I am dedicating an entire blog to something that should be common sense.  Well the answer is simple, I see a problem and if someone doesn't speak up then we all will fail.

Here is the problem:  We are so busy fighting amongst ourselves and fighting against the mainstream we are failing to protect ourselves from being taken advantage of.  By this I mean in most cities you have two groups, the underground rappers and the mainstream rappers.  Both of these groups proclaim to be the greatest thing in the game in their perspective city.  Both claim the other side is horrible.  Both claim to be "Making it" yet neither is.  Both sides are so focused on the next diss track, the next thing to point their finger at and say look how horrible they are, and the next way to prove how great they are.

My solution is simple, stop focusing on everyone else and focus on what is important, the music!  Sound easy enough?  Then why is it not happening?  Well I am going to break down each part of our industry Rappers, Managers, Promoters, and Producers.

Rappers:  If you fall into this category you should be focused on making the best music you possibly can, period.  From writing to recording, to performing you are the face of your brand.  If your focus is on managing, merch, setting up shows, etc. you are going to fail.  No one can do all of that and still make great music.  You should hire a manager you trust.  Someone who can take those responsibilities and make decisions that are best for you as a solo or group act.  By "hiring" the right person you can focus entirely on making your music better.  Yes it will cost you between 8-12% in most cases (if they take more than that you are getting ripped off)  But hiring the right person will make you more money in the long run because the more money you make the more money they make.  The next thing you need to focus on is recording.  There is no shame in going to a professional studio to record or mix and master your music.  The money you put into your product will directly reflect the benefits you get back.  If you invest nothing and record in your basement your product is not good enough to make people want to buy your product.  Believe me when I say I have worked with many people who found this out because I required them to go to a pro studio.  Yes I found a place where cost vs quality was a great deal, thats what a good manager does.

Managers:  Your focus should be on making deals that benefit your acts, not yourself.  If you focus entirely on you then your acts suffer.  You should be dedicating your time to finding better costs for recording, finding more shows to showcase their talent outside of your city, sending out demos to labels and businesses for promotion and/or contracts and reaching out to other artists for collabs.  All of these things will expose your act to a broader audience and gain them noteriety in a much larger base.  Once the deals come in you will start making money.  The one thing you shouldn't do is rape your artists finances.  Yes they are responsible to pay the costs for recording, travel and merch at first, but working this right can allow them to get paid in time and have those costs covered by other companies who sponsor your groups.  The last two things any great manager should have is integrity and honesty.  These two things will make you a valuable asset to any rapper.

Promoters:  If you follow my blog you will know that this section of the business pisses me off more than any other.  This is due to my experience with these people.  The main problem I see in this field is charging artists for timeslots on shows.  I see no problem with requiring an artist to say purchase a certain number of tickets from you directly and then in turn when they sell them they get their money back.  Doing this it does not hurt you in any way.  You are still getting money for the tickets and the responsibility to get them sold falls onto the artist.  You should not be charging $250-400 to someone who is strapped for cash to lock in a 12-15 min slot on your show.  This has been a huge epidemic in our industry.  Artists think that they have to pay these fees to play, this is WRONG.  I do understand you have to make money and have people at your shows.  By giving the artist a cut of the ticket sales they become motivated to sell more tickets.  If they can just pay $200 for a slot what is their motivation to get people in the door?  This now becomes your problem.  They don't care if people are there or not.  By making them invest in the show they will fell more responsible if no one shows up.  They will lose money that they could have made.  This is huge motivation that will improve the attendance in your show.

Producers:  It is ok to charge rappers to record and mix and master.  The problem is if your equipment is low end your end product is low end.  Invest in quality mics and software so the product coming out of your studio will be better received and make people want to buy it.  The more quality recordings you send out the more people are going to come to you and spend money.  Much like the rappers I feel like the money you invest in your studio directly impacts the money you get back in profit.

If you have read through all of this please understand I love this business.  That is exactly what this is, a business.  If you don't look at it as a business you will fail. Leave the street tactics out of the business.  If your focus is not entirely on these things you will be spinning your wheels and getting nowhere.  Rappers need to stop worrying about everyone else.  Managers need to be concerned with making their acts money.  Promoters need to stop making all their money back off the opening acts and learn how to properly and honestly make the money.  Producers need to be reasonable in the amount they charge.  If we all focus on these things we will be successful.  And success is the best revenge to those haters we all have.  If you have haters you are doing something right, don't let their crap stop you.

I have nothing but love for the underground and the movement we are a part of.  I am not an expert by any means but all of these things I speak on are from experience.

MMFWFL,

Juggalotus

14th Annual Gathering of the Juggalos

So the 14th Annual Gathering of the Juggalos tickets went on sale today.  In looking at the costs several things came to mind.  Holy crap that is expensive and what is going to draw the Family this years.  So let's take my reaction to each individually.  I will give my experience from last years gathering in my analysis.

Here is the info directly from the most recent Hatchet Herald:

Running from February 1st until March 1st, when you purchase your Ticket from juggalogathering.com for $175 you will receive a free exclusive Gathering of the Juggalos t-shirt! That freshness can actually be seen in the picture above. This t-shirt combo will only run in the first month for the early bird ticket buyers. If you wait until after March 1st to get your ticket it will still be $175 but no t-shirt freshness. A ticket to The Gathering of the Juggalos will get you free parking in the parking lot outside of the grounds and access into The Hatchet Landings. This includes all the shows, all the concerts, all the madness, and free camping!

This was my personal experience last year with this package.  We got into the parking lot fairly quickly.  Then we realized we had to pack all our gear into Hatchet Landings, with out a cart of some kind this took us about 9 trips and a ton of lifting and hauling.  Had we known this we might have put out the $$ for a car pass.

Next is the car pass option.  Here is what it includes besides the ticket and entry:
Car Passes are available for $100. While there is free parking for everyone at The Gathering of the Juggalos outside of the grounds, if you would like to bring your vehicle into The Hatchet Landings then you will need to purchase a Car Pass.
      As a side note, once your vehicle is parked at your campsite that is where it has to stay. For the safety of your fellow ‘Los and ‘Lettes you CAN’T drive around the grounds of The Juggalo Gathering unless it is an emergency situation. This is simply so you can have the convenience of having your car at your campsite and camp out in it if you want.

So with this option and an extra $100 you get the pleasure of not hauling your gear by foot and having more security for you things (a few people got caught stealing last year).  I think $100 is excessive though.

Then we get to those who want to bring in RV's:

If you’re looking to bring in something bigger than a vehicle, an RV or a trailer, then the RV Pass for $150 is for you. It gives you the same sort of access as a Car Pass, but for a larger class vehicle. Same as before, when you park your RV or trailer at your campsite, that’s where it has to stay until you’re ready to pack up and leave The Gathering.

So $50 more on top of the car pass for a larger space.  I saw a lot of RV's getting tagged and damaged.  Nothing extra with it.

Finally they offer Big Ballas campsites:

Finally, for everyone who wants the top dog experience at The Gathering of the Juggalos we suggest the Big Ballas Campsites. The Big Ballas Campsites are a designated area for you to camp that will include an electrical outlet and a water source for your convenience. A Big Ballas Campsite will run you $400. These spaces are limited and there hasn’t been a year of the Gathering when they haven’t sold out quick as shit. So, we suggest if you’re even remotely interested with goin’ in on this site with your homies that you pool your cheddar and get to gettin’ before they’re gone.

This is the most expensive and really only adds water and electric to your rv spot.  So for $400 you get an RV slot with utilities.  Thats it.  Last year many of the Ballas sites had a ton of issues with the utilities and I would say this option is not worth the money for that reason alone.  All of the last three options do not include your ticket so that makes the total cost this:

Camping no car: $175 and a lot of footwork
Car Camping: $275
RV Camping: $325
Big Ballas: $575

Now keep in mind that none of these include the gas and food money.  You are welcome to cook at your campsite but last year if you sold food to fam at a discount so they would'nt have to pay the $7-9 for a plate you were told to stop or be kicked out of the Gathering.  The vendors at the Gathering know this and charge way to much for food, ie a slice of pizza $5.  Then we get to the merch tent.  The first day the lines are insane but the deals are pretty good.  Then after that it is back to the same as buying on Hatchetgear minus shipping.  So at least they didn't raise prices there.

Now on to my second reaction, what is going to draw the Family to the event.  All the years we have had seminars from ICP, Twiztid, Blaze, ABK, etc.  This year will Twiztid be allowed that courtesy?  Perfromances have always had Twiztid headline a night.  Will they get that this year?  Will they even be at the Gathering?  I would say yes to being there but I don't know to anything else.  I guess as the lineup is announced we will see what Psychopathic will pull out of their hat. 

Please don't misunderstand, I went last year and had an absolutely kick ass time.  It was an experience I will never forget.  But that being said, Psychopathic has gotten greedy and forgotten what brought them to the dance, The Family.  In the beginning the Gathering was our yearly release and while it cost a little bit it didn't put us in debt.  I can't tell you how many Los and Lettes I saw on the way out last year with signs asking for rides to all over the US because they had spent their last dollar just to get there.  More and more people snuck in last year than ever before.  Why?  Simple most of us do not have $600-1000 to blow on the Gathering.  I hate that Psychopathic has become this way.  I love the music and principals we stand for but hate seeing the exploitation of the fans.  Twiztid left and has since stood up and reclaimed the Family.  All of their shows still have the magic.  They preach the principals I stand for.

Anyway that is my take on the big announcement today.

MMFWFL,

Juggalotus