"Homies" is a song written by

Insane Clown Posse Insane Clown Posse, often abbreviated as ICP, is an American hip hop duo. Formed in Detroit in 1989 as a gangsta rap group, ICP's best known lineup consists of rappers Violent J (Joseph Bruce) and Shaggy 2 Dope (originally 2 Dope; Joseph Utsler ...

, Mike Puwal and

Twiztid Twiztid is an American hip hop duo from Detroit, Michigan, known for both their horror-themed lyrics and rock influenced sound. Formed in 1997, Twiztid is composed of rappers Jamie "Madrox" Spaniolo and Paul "Monoxide" Methric. Spaniolo and ...

for ICP's 2002 album '' The Wraith: Shangri-La''. After the 1992 single "Psychopathic", "Homies" is the second single released by the group to not be produced by

Mike E. Clark Michael Earl Clark (born December 25, 1962) is an American record producer and DJ from Michigan, best known for working with Kid Rock, Insane Clown Posse, Prozak and Mickey Avalon. Clark has also worked with George Clinton, Patti Smith, R.L. B ...

, who had stopped working with

Psychopathic Records Psychopathic Records is an American independent record label headquartered in Farmington Hills, Michigan. The label is most associated with the hip hop music subgenres horrorcore and rap rock. The label was founded in 1991 by Alex Abbiss and hip ...

due to a disagreement with ICP's

Joseph Bruce Joseph Frank Bruce (born April 28, 1972), known by his stage name Violent J, is an American rapper, record producer, professional wrestler, and part of the hip hop duo Insane Clown Posse. He is a co-founder of the record label ''Psychopathic Re ...

and Joseph Utsler. Clark later produced a remix of the song, which appeared on '' Forgotten Freshness Volume 4'', after Clark reconciled with ICP.Insane Clown Posse (2005). ''Forgotten Freshness Volumes 4''. Liner notes.

. A single was released later in the year and a music video for the song was produced, featuring appearances by the entire

roster at the time, which included

Anybody Killa James Lowery (born June 26, 1974), also known as Anybody Killa, or ABK, is an American rapper from Detroit, Michigan, United States, whose stage persona is that of a Native American warrior. He was signed to Psychopathic Records, but is now under ...

Blaze Ya Dead Homie Chris Rouleau, also known as Blaze Ya Dead Homie or simply Blaze (born April 27, 1976), is an American rapper from Mt. Clemens, Michigan. A representative of the hip hop subgenres gangsta rap and horrorcore, his stage persona is a resurrected g ...

Esham Esham is an American rapper from Detroit, Michigan. Esham released his debut studio album, '' Boomin' Words from Hell'', in 1989. Since then, he has gone on to release 15 studio albums in total and is best known as a representative of the hip ...

and

Zug Izland Zug Izland is an American rock band from Detroit, Michigan, United States, currently signed to Psychopathic Records. The group sometimes refers to its fans as " zuggalos". Background Zug Izland formed in 2001, named after an industrial site ne ...

. The song's lyrics focus on the positive aspects of friendship, and is more upbeat and cheerful than ICP is generally known for. Unlike most ICP work, the song was well-received by critics. It is listed on

streaming services An over-the-top media service is a streaming media service offered directly to viewers via the Internet. OTT bypasses cable, broadcast, and satellite television platforms, the companies that traditionally act as a controller or distributors of s ...

as "Juggalo Homies" to distinguish it from a newer ICP song also called "Homies".

Recording

During the recording of ICP's double album releases ''

Bizzar ''Bizzar'' is the seventh studio album by the American hip hop group Insane Clown Posse. Released on October 31, 2000 by Island Records (in association with Psychopathic Records), it is the second half of the ''Bizzar Bizaar'' double album, rele ...

'' and ''

Bizaar ''Bizaar'' is the sixth studio album by the American hip hop group Insane Clown Posse. Released on October 31, 2000 by Island Records in association with Psychopathic Records, it is the first half of the ''Bizaar Bizzar'' double album, released ...

'', the duo had a falling out with producer Mike E. Clark, and decided to record ''The Wraith: Shangri-La'' without him. In 2001, Insane Clown Posse built its own studio called "The Lotus Pod" in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

. After brainstorming in seclusion about the album, the group traveled to recording studios across the United States to produce ''The Wraith: Shangri-La''. They began writing and recording in

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County w ...

along with

and producer Mike Puwal.

Lyrics and music

Puwal offered Insane Clown Posse a sound Bruce described as being more pop-oriented. Writer Bradley Torreano of

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

describes "Homies" as the group's most positive song, and a "laid-back

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

track." The lyrics describe the positive aspects of loyalty and friendship.

Music video

A music video was produced for the song, featuring Insane Clown Posse, Twiztid and Zug Izland, as well as appearances by Anybody Killa, Blaze Ya Dead Homie, Esham and Psychopathic Records employees. It was reissued on the DVD '' Psychopathic: The Videos'' in 2007. No one knows who the girl is in the music video.

Reception

Allmusic and ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...

'' both gave "Homies" positive reviews

Track listing

Charts

References

{{Insane Clown Posse 2002 singles Insane Clown Posse songs Songs about friendship