ICP's disturbing doomsday visions, extravagant theories, and sociopathic clown personas give them more points in common with Wes Craven, Edgar Allen Poe, and the Steven King character Pennywise than with any modern street rappers. Regardless, the driving force behind ICP has made their message explode with 300,000 copies of their self-released records having already been sold to new converts of the Dark Carnival.

Previous to their transformation, ICP stood for Inner City Posse and was an extension of a gang which VIOLENT J and SHAGGY 2 DOPE started in Southwest Detroit. Back then, the group had about twenty people and did straight gangster rap as heard on their '89 debut DOG BEATS. However, when the album started selling well in the Detroit area, their gang's rep skyrocketed and caused a serious backlash from the other local gangs. ICP became victims of serious gang violence and vandalism, forcing numerous members to leave town. Then came the first epiphany of the Dark Carnival. Alone and scared, VIOLENT J and SHAGGY 2 DOPE were visited by the Carnival Spirt and told of greater judgement racing towards earth to punish evil-doers. With little time left, the Carnival Spirit ordained VIOLENT J and SHAGGY 2 DOPE to be ministers of the street through six revelations, referred to as Joker Cards, which would be manifested in the form of ICP records. "Six will visit, " said the Carnival Spirt, "followed by the crumbling of time itself...a dark carnival sweeping across the land as a shadow, plagued with destruction." The other members of ICP were not privy to the same oracle and thus rejected VIOLENT J and SHAGGY 2 DOPE's newfound Carnivology. Once most of these unbelievers left, the power of the Dark Carnival descended upon its remaining devotees as subtle as a calm mist yet as glorious as a fiery comet. Made over with make-up and red rubber noses, ICP became the INSANE CLOWN POSSE and exploded with frightening regional success.

ICP's Island Records debut, THE GREAT MILENKO, is the fourth Joker Card, preceded by the self-released CARNIVAL OF CARNAGE, THE RINGMASTER, and THE RIDDLE BOX. The previous releases warned of entities like the Ringmaster, who will represent the sum judgment for evil-doing which a man must face in his grave, the Riddle Box, whose crank a man must turn to have his eternal destiny pop up before him. The Dark Carnival's newest Joker Card warns of the Great Milenko, an evil illusionist from the nethervoid of the shadow walker. VIOLENT J explains, "The Great Milenko tempts people with illusions of better lifestyles built upon wrongdoing. The fourth Joker Card is a warning that man must look past these illusions and see the evil judgement that the Great Milenko is really offering." As the Carnival Spirit revealed in "Halls of Illusions", "Your death comes wicked, painful, and slow at the hands of Milenko!" ICP continue to rail against the richies, rednecks, and racists on THE GREAT MILENKO, with tales of death and destruction (or worse) for the evil doers.

While driven forward by the coming judgement, ICP still retains a synergy with the streets of Detroit through Faygo soda, known as the poor man's pop because it costs a mere $.60 a 2- liter. VIOLENT J and SHAGGY 2 DOPE were raised on Faygo in their poverty-stricken youth, so the Dark Carnival inspired them to use Faygo as a symbolic reminder. At every show, ICP showers the crowd with about six hundred liters of Faygo, which is only about a sixth of what the crowd brings with them. VIOLENT J remarks, "We like to shake up the bottles, poke holes in them, and throw them into the audience. We even have huge guns that shoot Faygo over fifty feet so it's impossible not to get soaked."

Yet Faygo fights are only one small part of ICP's unparalleled live shows, which are more appropriately known as "thematic riots." With every tour, the Dark Carnival reveals a different theme to ICP that makes their shows more like "The Amityville Horror" & "The Funhouse" than Popmart or the Clash of the Titans tours. With each having its own enormous, elaborate set, past tour themes include The Prom Night Massacre, The Omen, The Funeral, The Resurrection, The Joker's Gallery, and the very messy Pie-in- your- fucking-Face tour. These sets include insane asylums, haunted houses, people popping out of coffins, dunk tanks on stage, fire coming up from the floor, blood on the walls, axes, knives, chains, and whatever else fits the theme, as well as numerous extra characters on stage like zombies, freaks, and the infamous ape boy. The Dark Carnival's spirit is so powerful at these shows that kids will line up hours before the doors open wearing clown make-up and dressing according to the night's theme.

In support of ICP's vision, a host of renowned guests appear on THE GREAT MILENKO, like Alice Cooper (doing a spoken word intro), Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols (playing guitar on "Piggy Pie"), and Slash of Guns 'n' Roses (playing guitar on "Halls of Illusions").

Each of these artists were touched by the very same Carnival Spirit that has made ICP such remarkable prophets of the coming age. Nothing has stopped ICP yet, even the live show mayham that has cost its members numerous black eyes, cracked fingers, a broken collar bone, dreadlocks pulled right out of their heads, and in 2 DOPE's case, being hung from a high barricade by over-zealous fans. "It doesn't matter because we're doing the work of the Dark Carnival," says VIOLENT J. "Yeah, we go through some crazy shit, and it's getting worse, but you just gotta love it!"

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