Joseph Frank Bruce (born April 28, 1972),
known by his stage name Violent J, is an American rapper, record producer,
professional wrestler
Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...
, and part of the hip hop duo
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 ...
. He is a co-founder of the record label ''
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 ...
'', with fellow ICP rapper
Shaggy 2 Dope
Joseph William Utsler (; born October 14, 1974), known by his stage name Shaggy 2 Dope, is an American rapper, record producer, DJ, podcast host of Shaggy and The Creep Show, and professional wrestler. He is part of the hip hop duo Insane Clo ...
(Joseph Utsler) and their former manager, Alex Abbiss. Also along with Utsler, Bruce is the co-founder of the professional wrestling promotion
Juggalo Championship Wrestling
Juggalo Championship Wrestling (formerly Juggalo Championshit Wrestling) is an American independent professional wrestling promotion founded in 1999 by Violent J (Joseph Bruce) and Shaggy 2 Dope (Joseph Utsler), better known as the hip-hop duo In ...
.
Early life
Bruce was born in
Berkley, Michigan
Berkley is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a northern suburb of Detroit located along the Woodward Corridor ( M-1) in southeastern Oakland County. The population was 15,194 as of the 2020 Census.
History
Prior to ...
.
He was the last born of three children. His father, Richard Bruce, stole all of the family's money and left when Bruce was two years old.
Joe's mother, Linda, was forced to care for him and his siblings,
Robert
The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...
and Theresa, off the income she made as a janitor. At age seven, Joe and his brother caught a butterfly, and both were fascinated by the vibrant colors and overall peacefulness of the creature.
They kept the butterfly in a jar overnight, and intended to free it the following morning. When they awoke, the brothers found the butterfly had died, and felt as if they had committed a murder. The brothers made a vow that "one day,
hey
Hey or Hey! may refer to:
Music
* Hey (band), a Polish rock band
Albums
* ''Hey'' (Andreas Bourani album) or the title song (see below), 2014
* ''Hey!'' (Julio Iglesias album) or the title song, 1980
* ''Hey!'' (Jullie album) or the title s ...
will make it to heaven, so that
hey
Hey or Hey! may refer to:
Music
* Hey (band), a Polish rock band
Albums
* ''Hey'' (Andreas Bourani album) or the title song (see below), 2014
* ''Hey!'' (Julio Iglesias album) or the title song, 1980
* ''Hey!'' (Jullie album) or the title s ...
can
..apologize to that Butterfly face-to-face."
On every Insane Clown Posse album and EP it reads "Dedicated to the Butterfly."
Bruce received all of his clothes from
rummage sale
A jumble sale (UK), bring and buy sale (Australia) or rummage sale (U.S and Canada) is an event at which second hand goods are sold, usually by an institution such as a local Boys' Brigade Company, Scout group, Girlguiding group or church, ...
s, and his food from canned food drives held at his own school.
[Fostey, p. 20–33] After moving to
Oak Park, Bruce met John Utsler, and his little brother
Joey
Joey may refer to:
People
*Joey (name)
Animals
* Joey (marsupial), an infant marsupial
* Joey, a Blue-fronted Amazon parrot who was one of the Blue Peter pets
Film and television
* ''Joey'' (1977 film), an American film directed by Horace ...
.
[Fostey, pgs. 51–61] He also began his gang life by reluctantly getting involved in criminal activity in
Royal Oak Township
Royal Oak Charter Township is a charter township in Oakland County, Michigan, Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 2,374. The city of Royal Oak, Michigan, Royal Oak is s ...
.
Along with John and Joey, Bruce got heavily into rap music. In 1989, Bruce, as Jagged Joe, Joseph Utsler, as Kangol Joe, and John Utsler, as Master J, released the single titled ''
Party at the Top of the Hill
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 ...
'' under the name of ''JJ Boys'', but they did not pursue a serious career in music.
[Fostey, p. 539–540]
Bruce dropped out of school in ninth grade,
[Fostey, p. 81] and moved in with his friend, Rudy, in
River Rouge.
[Fostey, p. 106–119] There he formed his own gang called Inner City Posse, which would terrorize people with Army-issued
tear gas
Tear gas, also known as a lachrymator agent or lachrymator (), sometimes colloquially known as "mace" after the early commercial aerosol, is a chemical weapon that stimulates the nerves of the lacrimal gland in the eye to produce tears. In ad ...
and steal car radios for money.
One night, Joe's mother, who had just moved to
Ferndale, had her house attacked by rival gang, Hazel Park Posse (HPP), from
Hazel Park
Hazel Park is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As a part of Metro Detroit, the city shares its southern border with the city of Detroit. As of the 2010 census, the population was 16,422.
Hazel Park was incorporated as a c ...
.
Fearing for his mother's life, Joe fled to Bonnie Doone,
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
, a trailer park town just outside
Fort Bragg
Fort Bragg is a military installation of the United States Army in North Carolina, and is one of the largest military installations in the world by population, with around 54,000 military personnel. The military reservation is located within Cum ...
, where his brother was staying with the
U.S. Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...
.
It was there that Bruce witnessed the open racism which would later emerge as the hate for
bigots
Discrimination is the act of making unjustified distinctions between people based on the groups, classes, or other categories to which they belong or are perceived to belong. People may be discriminated on the basis of race, gender, age, reli ...
referenced in Insane Clown Posse's lyrics.
At seventeen, Joe returned to Ferndale. He was soon jailed, and the experience convinced him to get away from gang life.
[Fostey, p.121–144] In 1989, after a short career in professional wrestling, Bruce and his friend Dale Miettinen Jr. recorded ''
Intelligence and Violence
''Intelligence and Violence'' is an album by Inner City Posse, self-released by Violent J (Joseph Bruce, Insane Clown Posse) and "D-Lyrical" in 1989.
Production
The recording group consisted of Joseph Bruce and D-Lyrical, who Bruce later recal ...
'' on a
karaoke
Karaoke (; ; , clipped compound of Japanese ''kara'' "empty" and ''ōkesutora'' "orchestra") is a type of interactive entertainment usually offered in clubs and bars, where people sing along to recorded music using a microphone. The music is ...
machine, which marked the debut of Bruce's stage name Violent J.
Joe bought his own karaoke machine and, along with Joey and John Utsler, formed the music group
Inner City Posse, named after their gang. After the release of the album ''
Bass-Ment Cuts'', the group hired record store owner Alex Abbiss as their manager, and established the
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 ...
record label with him in 1991.
Musical career
Solo career (1989–present)
In 1989, Bruce recorded his first solo release, ''Enter the Ghetto Zone'', using two
cassette players. One played the beat, while the other recorded, and Bruce stuck his head between the two and rapped.
In 2003, Bruce released his second solo release ''
Wizard of the Hood
''Wizard of the Hood'' is the debut EP by Violent J. Released in 2003, it is the Insane Clown Posse member's first solo release. The EP is a concept album based on '' The Wizard of Oz'', which is retold in an urban setting. Several tracks from ...
'', which was an extended reference to the
Wizard of the Hood songs which he recorded on Inner City Posse's ''
Intelligence and Violence
''Intelligence and Violence'' is an album by Inner City Posse, self-released by Violent J (Joseph Bruce, Insane Clown Posse) and "D-Lyrical" in 1989.
Production
The recording group consisted of Joseph Bruce and D-Lyrical, who Bruce later recal ...
'' and ''
Dog Beats
''Dog Beats'' is a 1991 EP by Inner City Posse, later to be known as Insane Clown Posse. Having previously created and released three homemade "basement tapes" (distributed locally and highly sought-after by collectors today) that were recorded on ...
'', and Insane Clown Posse's ''
Carnival of Carnage
''Carnival of Carnage'' is the debut studio album by American hip hop group Insane Clown Posse, released on October 18, 1992, by Psychopathic Records.
Recording sessions for the album took place from 1991 to 1992 at Miller Midi Productions and ...
''. In 2009, Bruce released the LP ''
The Shining'', which was initially given away for free at the 2008
Gathering of the Juggalos
The Gathering of the Juggalos (The Gathering or GOTJ) is an annual festival put on by Psychopathic Records, featuring performances by the entire label roster as well as numerous well-known musical groups and underground artists. It was founded by ...
before being nationally released. During ICP's GOTJ 2013 seminar J and Shaggy stated that they were wanting to do solo albums. On December 10, 2015, with the release of "Phantom: X-tra Spooky" EP two flyers were released. One for Shaggy 2 Dope's new solo album titled "F.T.F.O.M.F." said to be released in 2016. The other flyer was for Violent J's new solo album titled "Karma Forest" said to be released in 2016.
Insane Clown Posse (1989-present)
In late 1991, ''Inner City Posse'' changed their style, look, and name. Bruce recalled a dream of a clown running around in Delray, which became the inspiration for the group's new name: Insane Clown Posse.
[Fostey, p. 174–185] Upon returning home that night, Bruce had a dream in which spirits in a
traveling carnival
A traveling carnival (US English), usually simply called a carnival, or travelling funfair (UK English), is an amusement show that may be made up of amusement rides, food vendors, merchandise vendors, games of chance and skill, thrill acts, ...
appeared to him—an image that would become the basis for the
Dark Carnival mythology detailed in the group's Joker's Cards series.
These stories each offer a specific lesson designed to change the "evil ways" of listeners before "the end consumes us all." Insane Clown Posse has a dedicated following, often referred to by the group as
Juggalo
A juggalo (feminine juggalette, or juggala in Spanish) is a fan of the hip hop group Insane Clown Posse or any other hip hop group signed to Psychopathic Records. Juggalos have developed their own idioms, slang, and characteristics. Th ...
s and Juggalettes.
John Utsler left the group about a month before the release of ''Carnival of Carnage'' and Insane Clown Posse has since been composed of Joseph Bruce and Joseph Utsler, who perform under the respective personas of the murderous,
wicked clowns Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope. The duo performs a style of
hardcore hip hop
Hardcore hip hop (also hardcore rap) is a genre of hip hop music that developed through the East Coast hip hop scene in the 1980s. Pioneered by such artists as Run-DMC, Schoolly D, Boogie Down Productions and Public Enemy, it is generally cha ...
known as ''
horrorcore
Horrorcore, also called horror hip hop, horror rap, death hip hop, or death rap, is a subgenre of hip hop music based on horror-themed and often darkly transgressive lyrical content and imagery. Its origins derived from certain hardcore hip h ...
'', and is known for its dark, violent lyrics and elaborate live performances. Insane Clown Posse has earned two
platinum
Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver".
Platinu ...
and five gold albums. According to
Nielsen SoundScan
Luminate (formerly Nielsen SoundScan, Nielsen Music Products, and MRC Data) is a provider of music sales data. Established by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett in 1991, data is collected weekly and made available every Sunday (for albums sales) and eve ...
, the entire catalog of the group has sold 6.5 million units in the United States and Canada as of April 2007.
Golden Goldies (1995)
Golden Goldies was a comical group whose lyrics focused solely on
gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...
.
The group consisted of Psychopathic Record's employees and friends; Joseph Bruce (Golden Jelly), Joseph Utsler (Gold D), Robert Bruce (Golden Gram), Billy Bill (Gold Double B), Alex Abbiss (Gold Rocks),
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 ...
(Gold Digger),
Rich Murrell (Golden Warrior), Frank Giammanco (Golden Frank), Keith Jex (Gold Teeth), Josh Silverstein (Rold Gold), Kelly Eubanks (Gold Spud), Dave Fink the East Side G (Golden Toby), and Matt Mackalantie (Gold Spakalantie).
Their only LP, ''Gimme Them Fuckin' Nuggets Bitch, Or I'll Punch Your Fuckin' Face'', was recorded in 1995 in a span of one week, and was not publicly released.
Golden Goldies was a project put together by Insane Clown Posse for entertainment purposes only. To add more humor to the album, each artist was given only five minutes to write their verses, and had only one take to record them, which resulted in some artists messing up their lines, and lyrics containing "some very strange things."
The group held only one live performance, which occurred at the record release party for Insane Clown Posse's
Riddle Box
''Riddle Box'' is the third studio album by the American hip hop duo Insane Clown Posse, released in October 1995 on Battery Records and Island Records in association with Psychopathic Records. It is the third Joker's Card in the group's Dark ...
.
Dark Lotus (1998-2017)
Formed in 1998, Dark Lotus consisted of Bruce and Utsler of Insane Clown Posse,
Jamie Spaniolo
Jamie Michael Spaniolo (born November 5, 1975), known professionally as Jamie Madrox, is an American rapper from Detroit, Michigan and performs as a member of the hip hop groups Twiztid and House of Krazees. Spaniolo's stage name is a reference ...
and
Paul Methric
Paul may refer to:
*Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name)
*Paul (surname), a list of people
People
Christianity
*Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chris ...
of
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 ...
, and
Chris Rouleau
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 ...
.
Each member was said to "act as a 'petal' of the lotus,"
and it was announced that there would be six members. After switching between two different "sixth members,"
Marz, and
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 ...
, Dark Lotus decided to keep the group to only five. On January 19, 2017, via an interview with Faygoluvers, Insane Clown Posse announced that the group disbanded.
Psychopathic Rydas (1999–present)
Psychopathic Rydas formed in 1999, and consists of Psychopathic Records-associated rappers performing under alternate stage names in the style of mainstream
gangsta rap
Gangsta rap or gangster rap, initially called reality rap, emerged in the mid- to late 1980s as a controversial hip-hop subgenre whose lyrics assert the culture and values typical of American street gangs and street hustlers. Many gangsta rappe ...
.
The group's current lineup consists of Bruce (Bullet),
Utsler (Full Clip),
Methric (Foe Foe),
Spaniolo (Lil' Shank),
Rouleau (Cell Block), Lowery (Sawed Off) and Hutto (Yung Dirt).
Psychopathic Rydas reuses the beats of popular rappers within the genre without paying to license the original songs or requesting permission from copyright owners to use the music, effectively making their albums
bootleg
Bootleg or bootlegging most often refers to:
* Bootleg recording, an audio or video recording released unofficially
* Rum-running, the illegal business of transporting and trading in alcoholic beverages, hence:
** Moonshine, or illicitly made ...
s
[Insane Clown Posse (1999). ''The Amazing Jeckel Brothers''. Liner notes. ]Island
An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...
/Psychopathic
Psychopathy, sometimes considered synonymous with sociopathy, is characterized by persistent antisocial behavior, impaired empathy and remorse, and bold, disinhibited, and egotistical traits. Different conceptions of psychopathy have been ...
. and resulting in the releases becoming difficult to find in some markets.
Soopa Villainz (2002–2005)
Formed in 2002, Soopa Villainz consisted of Detroit rappers L.A.V.E.L. (Mr. Heart), Bruce (Mr. Diamond),
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 ...
(Mr. Spade) and Utsler (Mr. Club). The group made appearances on Insane Clown Posse's ''
The Wraith: Shangri-La'' and Esham's ''
Acid Rain
Acid rain is rain or any other form of precipitation that is unusually acidic, meaning that it has elevated levels of hydrogen ions (low pH). Most water, including drinking water, has a neutral pH that exists between 6.5 and 8.5, but acid ...
'' and ''
Repentance
Repentance is reviewing one's actions and feeling contrition or regret for past wrongs, which is accompanied by commitment to and actual actions that show and prove a change for the better.
In modern times, it is generally seen as involving a co ...
'' before releasing their debut album, ''
Furious'', in 2005. Following Esham and Lavel's departure from Psychopathic Records in October 2005, the group disbanded.
Style and influences
Bruce has cited the artists
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 ...
,
N.W.A
N.W.A (an abbreviation for Niggaz Wit Attitudes) was an American hip hop group whose members were among the earliest and most significant popularizers and controversial figures of the gangsta rap subgenre, and the group is widely considered ...
,
Ice Cube
An ice cube is a small piece of ice, which is typically rectangular as viewed from above and trapezoidal as viewed from the side. Ice cubes are products of mechanical refrigeration and are usually produced to cool beverages. They may be produc ...
, Awesome Dre,
Geto Boys
Geto Boys (originally spelled Ghetto Boys) was an American hip-hop group originally formed in Houston, Texas. The Geto Boys enjoyed success in the 1990s with the group's classic lineup consisting of Bushwick Bill, Scarface and Willie D, earning ...
,
Gong
A gongFrom Indonesian and ms, gong; jv, ꦒꦺꦴꦁ ; zh, c=鑼, p=luó; ja, , dora; km, គង ; th, ฆ้อง ; vi, cồng chiêng; as, কাঁহ is a percussion instrument originating in East Asia and Southeast Asia. Gongs ...
,
Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. The band's lineup consists of founding members Jeff Ament (bass guitar), Stone Gossard (rhythm guitar), Mike McCready (lead guitar), and Eddie Vedder (lead vocals, guita ...
, and
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...
as influences on his music.
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 ...
reviewer James Monger has referred to Bruce's style as an "onslaught of Midwest Dirty Rap."
Professional wrestling career
Early career (1983–1986)
Bruce began wrestling alongside his friends Joseph and John Utsler. The three got involved in
backyard wrestling
Backyard wrestling (BYW), also referred to as yarding or backyarding, is an underground hobby and sport involving untrained practices of professional-style wrestling, typically in a low-budget environment, such as a backyard. Although not legit ...
, and created two backyard
wrestling ring
A wrestling ring is the stage on which a professional wrestling match usually occurs. It is similarly constructed to a boxing ring and is traditionally square-shaped.
Configuration and construction
The configuration and construction of the trad ...
s for their made up promotion ''Tag Team Wrestling'', later renamed ''National All-Star Wrestling''.
The trio staged National All-Star Wrestling's first show, ''NAW Wrestling Extravaganza'', in front of friends and family. Among others, the show featured Bruce wrestling under the moniker Darryl "Dropkick" Daniels, and Joey Utsler wrestling as both Rhino, and the
masked NAW World Champion White Tiger.
Bruce stopped wrestling after becoming involved in gang life and forming Inner City Posse.
Independent circuit (1990, 1994–2004)
After being released from jail in 1990, Bruce decided to get away from gang life and start a career in professional wrestling.
Bruce's friend, Rudy Hill, got him booked in a local wrestling promotion. Rudy had lied to the promoter by telling him that Bruce had been trained at the
Chris Adams Wrestling School
Professional wrestling has accrued a considerable amount of jargon throughout its existence. Much of it stems from the industry's origins in the days of carnivals and circuses. In the past, professional wrestlers used such terms in the presence o ...
in
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
.
At the event, Bruce met
Rob Van Dam
Robert Alexander Szatkowski (born December 18, 1970) is an American professional wrestler and actor better known by his ring name Rob Van Dam (frequently abbreviated to RVD). He is best known for his tenures in Extreme Championship Wrestling ...
and
Sabu, two other first-timers with whom he became very good friends.
Bruce wrestled as Corporal Darryl Daniels, wearing a
U.S. Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...
uniform that his brother had sent him while in the
Gulf War
The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...
, and had his first match against "Irish" Mickey Doyle at Azteca Hall in Southwest Detroit.
Training alongside Rob Van Dam, Bruce went on to wrestle for
Al Snow
Allen Ray Sarven (born July 18, 1963) is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Al Snow. He is best known as a wrestler for Smoky Mountain Wrestling, Extreme Championship Wrestling, and World Wrestling Entertainment. Sn ...
, including the event which featured the debut of Van Dam.
After a short run in the business, Joe realized his dislike for the backstage politics, and decided to take up a career in music, taking the name Violent J.
Bruce returned to wrestling in the
independent circuit
In professional wrestling, the independent circuit or indie circuit is the collective noun, collective name of independent professional wrestling promotions which are smaller than major televised promotions. It is roughly analogous to a minor lea ...
in 1994, under the name Hector Hatchet.
He competed for Midwest Championship Wrestling throughout the next year, wrestling in between recording sessions and touring.
From 1996 to 1998, Bruce was involved in a rivalry with
Sewer Dwella in Insane Championship Wrestling.
He continued to compete in several independent promotions for the next three years, including
IWA Mid-South
Independent Wrestling Association (IWA) Mid-South (also known as IWA Mid-South, IWA-MS, and IWA Mid South Wrestling) is an American independent professional wrestling promotion based in New Albany, Indiana. It was formed by Ian Rotten in 1996 ...
and NWA Mid American Wrestling.
In 2001, Bruce appeared in
Xtreme Pro Wrestling
Xtreme Pro Wrestling (XPW) is an American independent professional wrestling promotion owned by Rob Zicari.
Zicari originally ran the promotion out of Los Angeles from 1999 to 2003. He appeared on shows as the on-camera owner under the name Ro ...
at ''XPW Rapture'' to aid Utsler. After Bruce suffered a
real-life
Real life is a phrase used originally in literature to distinguish between the real world and fictional, virtual or idealized worlds, and in acting to distinguish between actors and the characters they portray. It has become a popular term on the ...
injury from a sloppy
clothesline
A clothes line or washing line is any type of rope, cord, or twine that has been stretched between two points (e.g. two sticks), outside or indoors, above the level of the ground. Clothing that has recently been washed is hung along the line t ...
, the duo left the company.
On October 5, 2002, he and Utsler wrestled in
Ring of Honor
Ring of Honor (ROH) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. The promotion was founded by Rob Feinstein on February 23, 2002, and was operated by Cary Silkin from 2004 until 2011, when the promotion was so ...
and defeated Oman Tortuga and Diablo Santiago.
Bruce was later made a playable character in both
Eidos Interactive
Square Enix Limited (formerly Domark Limited and Eidos Interactive Limited) is a British subsidiary of the Japanese video game company Square Enix, acting as their European publishing arm. The company formerly owned ''Tomb Raider'', which was in ...
's video games
Backyard Wrestling: Don't Try This at Home and
Backyard Wrestling 2: There Goes the Neighborhood as Violent J. To help promote the games, he competed in a series of matches for Backyard Wrestling in 2003 and 2004.
Extreme Championship Wrestling (1997)
In August 1997, Bruce received a telephone call from friends Rob Van Dam and Sabu.
They asked if he and Utsler could appear on
Extreme Championship Wrestling
HHG Corporation, doing business as Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), was a professional wrestling promotion and media company that was based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The promotion was founded in 1992 by Tod Gordon as National Wrest ...
(ECW)'s second
pay-per-view
Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast.
Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program guid ...
(PPV) program,
Hardcore Heaven
Hardcore Heaven was a professional wrestling event produced by Eastern/Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW). It took place annually from 1994 to 2000, with the exception of 1998. The 1997, 1999 and 2000 iterations aired on pay-per-view. The footag ...
. The duo went to Florida to discuss the ECW program's content with Van Dam, Sabu, and
Paul Heyman
Paul Heyman (born September 11, 1965) is an American professional wrestling manager, former promoter, photographer, and executive. He is currently signed to WWE, appearing on the SmackDown brand as manager for Undisputed WWE Universal Heavyweight ...
. Heyman was pleased that Bruce and Utsler were former wrestlers, which meant that they could surprise the crowd by taking
bumps
A bumps race is a form of rowing (sport), rowing race in which a number of boats chase each other in single file, each crew attempting to catch and ‘bump’ the boat in front without being caught by the boat behind.
The form is mainly used i ...
. Heyman also favored the idea of using Insane Clown Posse, because it was unlikely that anyone knew of the relationship the group had with Van Dam and Sabu.
Heyman presented his idea to Bruce and Utsler, who agreed to participate. Insane Clown Posse opened the ECW program by performing songs and exciting the crowd. Then Van Dam and Sabu, the main
villains
A villain (also known as a "black hat" or "bad guy"; the feminine form is villainess) is a stock character, whether based on a historical narrative or one of literary fiction. ''Random House Unabridged Dictionary'' defines such a character a ...
at the time, attacked Bruce and Utsler. The top
fan favorite,
The Sandman
The Sandman is a mythical character in European folklore who puts people to sleep and encourages and inspires beautiful dreams by sprinkling magical sand onto their eyes.
Representation in traditional folklore
The Sandman is a traditional charact ...
, came in and saved them by chasing away Van Dam and Sabu with his signature
Singapore cane
Rattan, also spelled ratan, is the name for roughly 600 species of Old World climbing palms belonging to subfamily Calamoideae. The greatest diversity of rattan palm species and genera are in the closed-canopy old-growth tropical forests of ...
.
ICP's Strangle-Mania Live (1997)
Being avid wrestling fans, Bruce and Utsler owned, and were fascinated by, the
death match wrestling collection ''Outrageously Violent Wrestling from Japan.'' The duo decided to create a compilation of their favorite matches, recording their own sports announcing under the personas named "Handsome" Harley Guestella a.k.a. "Gweedo" (Utsler) and "Diamond Donovan Douglas" a.k.a. "3D" (Bruce).
The compilation video was released nationwide under the title ''ICP's Strangle-Mania''. The video's success allowed Bruce and Utsler to host their own wrestling show, ''ICP's Strangle-Mania Live'', to a sold-out performance at St. Andrew's Hall. The main event featured Insane Clown Posse versus The Chicken Boys, who were played by two friends of Bruce and Utsler.
With local wrestling
booker Dan Curtis, other wrestlers such as
Mad Man Pondo
Kevin Canady (born June 24, 1969) is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Mad Man Pondo. Best known for his hardcore wrestling style, Canady has wrestled for various wrestling promotions, including Independent Wrestling ...
,
2 Tuff Tony,
Corporal Robinson
Stephen Robinson, known by the ring name Corporal Robinson, is an American professional wrestler best known for his hardcore wrestling style, Robinson has wrestled for various wrestling promotions, including Juggalo Championship Wrestling, Combat Z ...
,
King Kong Bundy
Christopher Alan Pallies (November 7, 1955 – March 5, 2019) was an American professional wrestler, actor and stand-up comedian, better known by his wrestling gimmick and ring name, King Kong Bundy. Under this gimmick, he portrayed a pugnacious, ...
, and
Abdullah the Butcher
Lawrence Robert Shreve (born January 11, 1941), better known by the ring name Abdullah the Butcher, is a Canadian retired professional wrestler. He has a reputation for being involved in some of the most violent and bloody hardcore wrestling matc ...
were also booked on the show to wrestle in the same death match style as shown in ''ICP Strangle-Mania''.
World Wrestling Federation (1998)
In 1998, Insane Clown Posse were asked by the
World Wrestling Federation (WWF) to perform the entrance theme for the wrestling group
The Oddities.
The WWF also wanted ICP to appear on their
SummerSlam
SummerSlam is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Dubbed "The Biggest Party of the Summer", it is considered WWE's secon ...
pay-per-view (PPV) program in August 1998 and rap live while The Oddities entered the ring. Once the duo arrived at the arena, they realized their wrestling dreams had come true; they had been contacted by wrestling's top company and were now set to appear on their PPV program at the company's most historic venue,
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...
.
Bruce and Utsler were assigned to the locker room with
Stone Cold Steve Austin
Steve Austin (born Steven James Anderson; December 18, 1964), better known by his ring name "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, is an American media personality, actor, and retired professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest and most ...
and
The Undertaker
Mark William Calaway (born March 24, 1965), better known by the ring name The Undertaker, is an American retired professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, Calaway spent the vast majority ...
, who were to wrestle during the main event that night. The duo immediately felt the animosity of the locker room that had previously driven them away from wrestling.
Insane Clown Posse performed and was asked to return for the live broadcast of ''
Monday Night Raw
''WWE Raw'', also known as ''Monday Night Raw'' or simply ''Raw'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that currently airs live every Monday at 8 p.m. ET on the USA Network in the United States. The show fe ...
'' the following night. At the broadcast, Bruce and Utsler requested for more than just a rapping role; they wanted to wrestle.
Vincent McMahon favored the idea and allowed them to participate.
Insane Clown Posse was put in a feud with
The Headbangers
The Headbangers are a professional wrestling tag team consisting of Mosh (Charles Warrington) and Thrasher (Glenn Ruth). As the name of the team implies, their gimmick is that they are a pair of metalheads, complete with heavy metal related T-shi ...
. In the first wrestling match, The Headbangers were
stiff, throwing real punches and kicks.
In the rematch, a move was planned where The Headbangers would be flipped over by Bruce and Utsler. When the time came to flip over, however, The Headbangers refused to move, forcing Insane Clown Posse to genuinely flip them over and begin throwing punches.
Realizing that the match was getting too heated, McMahon ended the feud after that match.
Bruce and Utsler were put into other matches along with The Oddities.
Vince Russo
Vincent James Russo (born January 24, 1961) is an American professional wrestling booker, writer, and pundit.
He is notable for his tenures with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE), World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Total Nonstop ...
told Bruce and Utsler to "make it seem like you don't know anything about wrestling, and you guys keep choking and digging into their eyes".
During this time, Bruce and Utsler had no contract with WWF. They, however, did have an agreement that the WWF would occasionally play Insane Clown Posse commercials, and in return, Bruce and Utsler would wrestle for free.
Bruce and Utsler knew that airtime cost significantly more than any monetary compensation they would receive and were thus satisfied with the agreement. The duo were told they were to suddenly
turn on The Oddities in their match against The Headbangers, then join them in beating up the group. They were also informed that their commercial would air the very next week, which had still not aired after three months of being involved with the WWF.
The next week Insane Clown Posse and The Headbangers had a match with Steve Austin. Backstage, Austin made it clear to Bruce and
Thrasher
Thrashers are a New World group of perching bird, passerine birds related to mockingbirds and New World catbirds. Like these, they are in the family (biology), family Mimidae. There are 15 species in one large and 4 monotypic genus, genera.
T ...
that Thrasher would receive the first
Stone Cold Stunner, after which Bruce would turn around and receive the second.
During the match, Austin gave Bruce the Stunner first, catching him off guard, thus having Bruce
sell
Sell can refer to:
People
* Brenda Sell (born 1955), American martial arts instructor and highest ranking non-Korean female practitioner of taekwondo
* Brian Sell (born 1978), American retired long-distance runner
* Edward Sell (priest) (1839– ...
the move awkwardly. Although disappointed over the events during the match, Bruce and Utsler continued in hopes that McMahon would air the commercial as promised. Bruce and Utsler contacted Abbiss to inquire about the commercial and were informed that it was not aired. Given that McMahon failed to uphold his promise to air Insane Clown Posse's commercial, Abbiss recommended that Bruce and Utsler terminate their agreement with the WWF.
Hellfire Wrestling (1998)
While involved with the WWF, Insane Clown Posse brought Dan Curtis with them. After leaving the WWF, Curtis suggested that Insane Clown Posse start its own promotion while continuing with its music. He came to Bruce's house each night to discuss ideas about the promotion. Curtis convinced Bruce to coordinate another ''Strangle-Mania Live'' show, to be followed by an eighty-city "Hellfire Wrestling" tour.
Curtis booked the talent and wrote the scripts. ''Strangle-Mania Live'' sold out the
Majestic Theater in Detroit.
Two days after the show, Curtis was found dead in his apartment, due to a sudden diabetic problem.
The "Hellfire Wrestling" tour was subsequently canceled.
World Championship Wrestling (1999–2000)
Bruce then went on to wrestle a long stint in
World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling, Inc. (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of Nation ...
with Shaggy 2 Dope. The duo formed two
stables
A stable is a building in which livestock, especially horses, are kept. It most commonly means a building that is divided into separate stalls for individual animals and livestock. There are many different types of stables in use today; the ...
. The first stable, ''The Dead Pool'', consisted of Insane Clown Posse,
Vampiro
Ian Richard Hodgkinson (born May 31, 1967), better known by his ring name Vampiro, is a Canadian semi-retired professional wrestler who most recently served as director of talent for Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA). He also worked for Lucha Unde ...
, and
Raven
A raven is any of several larger-bodied bird species of the genus ''Corvus''. These species do not form a single taxonomic group within the genus. There is no consistent distinction between "crows" and "ravens", common names which are assigned t ...
; the second consisted of Insane Clown Posse, Vampiro,
Great Muta
is a Japanese professional wrestler and professional wrestling executive currently signed to Pro Wrestling Noah (Noah), where he is a former GHC Heavyweight Champion. He is best known for his work as in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Ne ...
, and
Kiss Demon, known as ''The Dark Carnival''.
On August 9, 1999, Insane Clown Posse made their WCW debut on
Monday Nitro
''WCW Monday Nitro'', also known as ''WCW Nitro'' or simply ''Nitro'', is an American professional wrestling television program that was produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and broadcast weekly every Monday night on TNT in the United ...
in a six-man tag team match.
Insane Clown Posse and Vampiro defeated
Lash LeRoux
Mark LeRoux (born November 22, 1976) is an American cartoonist, caricature artist and retired professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Lash LeRoux. He is best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling from the late- ...
,
Norman Smiley
Norman Anthony Smiley (born February 28, 1965) is an English-American retired professional wrestler and vocalist specializing in Gregorian Chants. He is best known for his appearances with the Mexican promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre fro ...
, and
Prince Iaukea
Michael Laauli Hayner (born August 1, 1964) is an American semi-retired professional wrestler
Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the ki ...
. At
Road Wild 1999,
Rey Mysterio, Jr.,
Billy Kidman
Peter Alan Gruner Jr. (born May 11, 1974) is an American retired professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Billy Kidman. He is currently employed by WWE as a producer.
As a wrestler, Kidman is best known for his work with World Champi ...
, and
Eddie Guerrero
Eduardo Gory Guerrero Llanes (October 9, 1967 – November 13, 2005) was an American professional wrestler. He was a prominent member of the Guerrero wrestling family, being the son of first-generation wrestler Gory Guerrero. Eddie Guerrero is ...
defeated Vampiro and Insane Clown Posse.
Insane Clown Posse continued to wrestle on Monday Nitro, defeating
Public Enemy
"Public enemy" is a term which was first widely used in the United States in the 1930s to describe individuals whose activities were seen as criminal and extremely damaging to society, though the phrase had been used for centuries to describe p ...
one week, and losing to
Konnan
Charles Ashenoff (born Carlos Santiago Espada Moises; January 6, 1964),''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'', Dave Meltzer, ed., May 10, 2010, issue.Sims, Steve"Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame/Founded by Dave Meltzer - Konnan". Accessed August 1, 2016. O ...
and Rey Mysterio, Jr. another. At
Fall Brawl 1999, the tag team of Rey Mysterio, Eddie Guerrero, and Billy Kidman again defeated Vampiro and Insane Clown Posse. On September 13, Insane Clown Posse defeated
Lenny Lane
Lenny or Lennie may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Lenny (given name), a list of people and fictional characters
* Lennie (surname), a list of people
* Lenny (singer) (born 1993), Czech songwriter
Arts and entertainment Music
* ''L ...
and
Lodi.
On the August 23, 2000, episode of
WCW Thunder
''WCW Thunder'', or simply ''Thunder'', is an American professional wrestling show that was produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW) which aired on TBS from January 8, 1998 to March 21, 2001.
The popularity of WCW in 1996 and 1997 allo ...
, Great Muta, Vampiro, and Insane Clown Posse beat
Tank Abbott
David Lee "Tank" Abbott (born April 26, 1965) is an American retired mixed martial arts fighter, professional wrestler, and author. He currently hosts his own podcast series titled "The Proving Ground with Tank Abbott." Abbott is perhaps best kno ...
and
3 Count
3 Count was a professional wrestling stable in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) which formed in 1999. The group consisted of Shane Helms, Shannon Moore and Evan Karagias and they were given a boy band gimmick. For a brief time, Tank Abbott was a ...
.
Five days later, on Monday Nitro, Insane Clown Posse and Vampiro defeated 3 Count, and the following week, Rey Mysterio, Jr. and
Juventud Guerrera
Eduardo Aníbal González Hernández (born November 23, 1974) is a Mexican professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Juventud "Juvi" Guerrera.
Guerrera is best known for his appearances with the Mexican professional wrestling promot ...
beat Insane Clown Posse. On September 25,
Mike Awesome
Michael Lee Alfonso (January 24, 1965 – February 17, 2007) was an American professional wrestler. He was best known for his appearances with the American professional wrestling promotions Extreme Championship Wrestling, World Championship Wrestl ...
defeated Insane Clown Posse in a
Handicap Hardcore match
Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...
.
Juggalo Championship Wrestling (1999–2006)
On December 19, 1999, Bruce and Utsler created their own wrestling promotion, ''Juggalo Championshit Wrestling'' (now known as
Juggalo Championship Wrestling
Juggalo Championship Wrestling (formerly Juggalo Championshit Wrestling) is an American independent professional wrestling promotion founded in 1999 by Violent J (Joseph Bruce) and Shaggy 2 Dope (Joseph Utsler), better known as the hip-hop duo In ...
). That night, the duo defeated the team of two
Doink the Clown
Doink the Clown is a professional wrestling persona originally and most popularly portrayed by Matt Osborne, who debuted the Doink persona in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 1992. Doink is a clown (or evil clown) wearing traditional clo ...
s to become the first ever
JCW Tag Team Champions.
The event was taped and released as ''JCW, Volume 1''. Commentary was provided by Bruce and Utsler under their "3D" and "Gweedo" announcing personas.
In 2000, Insane Clown Posse was involved in a rivalry with The Rainbow Coalition (Big Flam, Bob, and Neil). That April, the duo teamed with Vampiro to defeat The Rainbow Coalition.
They defeated the Coalition again when they teamed with
Evil Dead
''Evil Dead'' is an American horror film franchise created by Sam Raimi consisting of four feature films and a television series. The series revolves around the ''Necronomicon Ex-Mortis'', an ancient Sumerian text that wreaks havoc upon a gro ...
later that year, and the match that was featured on ''JCW, Volume 2''.
In 2003, Insane Clown Posse defended, and retained, their JCW Tag Team Championships against
Kid Cock (a parody of
Kid Rock
Robert James Ritchie (born January 17, 1971), known professionally as Kid Rock (also known as Bobby Shazam), is an American singer, songwriter and rapper. His style alternates between rock, hip hop, country, and metal. A self-taught musician, ...
) and Feminem (a parody of
Eminem
Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem (; often stylized as EMINƎM), is an American rapper and record producer. He is credited with popularizing hip hop in middle America and is critically acclai ...
).
The match was featured on ''JCW, Volume 3''. At the 2006
Gathering of the Juggalos
The Gathering of the Juggalos (The Gathering or GOTJ) is an annual festival put on by Psychopathic Records, featuring performances by the entire label roster as well as numerous well-known musical groups and underground artists. It was founded by ...
, Bruce,
Nosawa
, better known by his ring names Nosawa and , (born December 17, 1976) is a Japanese freelance professional wrestler, best known for his appearances in All Japan Pro Wrestling and various independent promotions.
Career Early career (19952004)
Nos ...
, and Vampiro lost to
Mad Man Pondo
Kevin Canady (born June 24, 1969) is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Mad Man Pondo. Best known for his hardcore wrestling style, Canady has wrestled for various wrestling promotions, including Independent Wrestling ...
and
The Headhunters
The Headhunters are an American jazz fusion band formed by Herbie Hancock in 1973. The group fused jazz, funk, and rock music.
History (and name)
Hancock had grown dissatisfied with his prior band, Mwandishi, and wanted to make a band with a st ...
, but defeated Pondo and
Powers of Pain
Powers may refer to:
Arts and media
* ''Powers'' (comics), a comic book series by Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming
** ''Powers'' (American TV series), a 2015–2016 series based on the comics
* ''Powers'' (British TV series), a 200 ...
the next day.
Bruce continued to wrestle for JCW, which could only be seen at live events until the 2007 start of ''
JCW SlamTV!''.
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2004, 2006)
On January 21, 2004, Bruce appeared alongside Utsler on an episode of the weekly
NWA Total Nonstop Action
Impact Wrestling (stylized as ''IMPACT! Wrestling''), is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment.
Founded by Jeff and Jerry Jarrett in 2002, the promoti ...
PPV. The duo were shown partying in the crowd alongside the
Juggalo
A juggalo (feminine juggalette, or juggala in Spanish) is a fan of the hip hop group Insane Clown Posse or any other hip hop group signed to Psychopathic Records. Juggalos have developed their own idioms, slang, and characteristics. Th ...
s in attendance.
In the main event of the night, which featured
Jeff Jarrett
Jeffrey Leonard Jarrett (born July 14, 1967) is an American professional wrestler and promoter. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he also serves as Director of Business Development.
Beginning his career in his father J ...
going against
El Leon, Jarrett and El Leon were fighting in the crowd when Insane Clown Posse sprayed
Faygo
Faygo Beverages, Inc., is a soft drink company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan. The beverages produced by the company, branded as Faygo or Faygo Pop, are distributed in the Midwestern, Mid-Atlantic, and Central Southern regions of the United ...
in Jarrett's eyes.
The following week, Insane Clown Posse were interviewed in the ring by
Mike Tenay
Michael William Tenay (born March 1, 1955) is an American podcast presenter and retired professional wrestling play-by-play announcer known for his time as an announcer for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA ...
. The duo explained that they were fans of TNA, and that they wanted to be a part of the promotion themselves. As they started making
kayfabe
In professional wrestling, kayfabe, as a noun, is the portrayal of staged events within the industry as "real" or "true", specifically the portrayal of competition, rivalries, and relationships between participants as being genuine and not staged. ...
negative remarks toward Jarrett,
Glenn Gilberti
Glenn Gilbertti (born November 12, 1967) is an American professional wrestler, best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) as Disco Inferno (briefly changed to Disqo) from 1995 to 2001.
During his six-year tenure with ...
and
David Young interrupted. When Gilberti tried to convince the duo to apologize to Jarrett, Insane Clown Posse chased Gilbertti and Young out of the ring before challenging the team to a match for the next week.
On February 4, Insane Clown Posse defeated Glen Gilbertti and David Young. Later that night, Scott Hudson interviewed Insane Clown Posse, and the duo announced that they would face whoever Jeff Jarrett threw at them next in a "
Juggalo Street Fight".
Insane Clown Posse won against the team of Glen Gilbertti and Kid Kash on February 18.
Two weeks later, Insane Clown Posse announced that they would take part in a "
Dark Carnival match" the next week against Glen Gilbertti and any partner he chooses.
The following week, Insane Clown Posse and 2 Tuff Tony took on Glen Gilbertti, Kid Kash, and David Young. "The Alpha Male"
Monty Brown
Montaque "Monty" Brown (born April 13, 1970) is an American retired professional wrestler and NFL linebacker. In professional wrestling, he is best known for his time with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) where he wrestled under his real n ...
made his TNA return, and cost Insane Clown Posse and 2 Tuff Tony the match.
During their stint in TNA, Insane Clown Posse brought the company its largest paying crowds in history.
After the duo left, they remained close with the company.
On March 17, 2006, Insane Clown Posse hosted and booked TNA's first ever
house show
A house show or live event is a professional wrestling event produced by a major promotion that is not televised, though they can be recorded. Promotions use house shows mainly to cash in on the exposure that they and their wrestlers receive du ...
, which took place in
Detroit, Michigan
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 ...
.
The duo defeated
Team Canada members
Eric Young and
Petey Williams
Peter Williams III (born August 26, 1981) is a Canadian professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE as a backstage producer. He is best known for his time in Impact Wrestling, where he is a two-time X Division Champion. He is also k ...
.
Return to the independent circuit (2004–present)
On December 12, 2004, Bruce and Utsler competed in the event
A Night of Appreciation for Sabu
A Night of Appreciation was a professional wrestling benefit show held to raise funds for American professional wrestler Terry "Sabu" Brunk, who had incurred costly medical bills while hospitalized for several months after contracting a mysteriou ...
, teaming with the Rude Boy to defeat the team of
Corporal Robinson
Stephen Robinson, known by the ring name Corporal Robinson, is an American professional wrestler best known for his hardcore wrestling style, Robinson has wrestled for various wrestling promotions, including Juggalo Championship Wrestling, Combat Z ...
,
Zach Gowen
Zachary Mark Gowen (born March 30, 1983) is an American professional wrestler and promoter. Gowen competed for World Wrestling Entertainment and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling.
Gowen's left leg was amputated when he was eight years old. He is t ...
, and Breyer Wellington.
Utsler received surgery on his neck the following year, forcing Bruce to compete as a singles competitor and as a member of the Hatchet Boys, alongside Corporal Robinson and 2 Tuff Tony.
In late 2006, Bruce was involved in a rivalry with Pro Wrestling Unplugged. On November 18, he turned on Corporal Robinson, the then
JCW Heavyweight Champion and PWU Hardcore Champion, provoking a series of matches between JCW and PWU.
At Pro Wrestling Unplugged's "PWU vs JCW", Team PWU (
The Backseat Boyz
The Backseat Boyz were a professional wrestling tag team that consisted of Trent Acid and Johnny Kashmere who competed in Ring of Honor, Pro Wrestling Unplugged, Combat Zone Wrestling, Assault Championship Wrestling, the Premier Wrestling Federa ...
and Corporal Robinson) defeated Team JCW (2 Tuff Tony, Violent J, and Dyson Pryce).
The following month, Team PWU (
Trent Acid
Michael Verdi (November 12, 1980 – June 18, 2010), best known by his ring name Trent Acid, was an American professional wrestler.
He worked as a tag team wrestler for most of his career, primarily as part of The Backseat Boyz with Johnny Kashm ...
, Corporal Robinson,
Johnny Kashmere
John Kashmer (born November 6, 1978), better known by the ring name Johnny Kashmere, is an American professional wrestler. Kashmere has competed in Ring of Honor, Combat Zone Wrestling, Assault Championship Wrestling, and NWA New Jersey, and in J ...
, Pete Hunter, and
Gary Wolfe) took on Team JCW (Nosawa, 2 Tuff Tony, Violent J, Mad Man Pondo, and
Raven
A raven is any of several larger-bodied bird species of the genus ''Corvus''. These species do not form a single taxonomic group within the genus. There is no consistent distinction between "crows" and "ravens", common names which are assigned t ...
) in a
War Games match.
Raven, however, attacked both teams, provoking all members of Team PWU and Team JCW to join forces and attack Raven.
Bruce continues to appear as Violent J at various promotions in the independent circuit.
Return to JCW (2007–present)
In 2007, JCW launched ''SlamTV!''. With it came the first broadcast of JCW since the three initial DVDs. Bruce returned to commentary as Diamond Donovan Douglas, and Utsler returned as "Handsome" Harley Guestella. 3D and Gweedo announced in an episode of SlamTV! that Insane Clown Posse had been stripped of the JCW Tag Team Championships due to them not defending the title.
At the first annual
Bloodymania, JCW's premier wrestling event, Insane Clown Posse teamed with
Sabu to defeat Trent Acid and The Young Alter Boys w/ Annie Social the Nun.
Later that night, Corporal Robinson,
Scott Hall
Scott Oliver Hall (October 20, 1958 – March 14, 2022) was an American professional wrestler. He was best known for his tenures with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) under his real name and under the ring name the Diamond Studd and with the ...
, and Violent J formed the
Juggalo World Order
The Juggalo World Order (commonly known as the jWo or JWO, the official typeset in the logo) is a professional wrestling stable which wrestles for Juggalo Championship Wrestling (JCW). The name of the stable is inspired by the New World Order (nW ...
(JWO).
Shaggy 2 Dope,
Nosawa
, better known by his ring names Nosawa and , (born December 17, 1976) is a Japanese freelance professional wrestler, best known for his appearances in All Japan Pro Wrestling and various independent promotions.
Career Early career (19952004)
Nos ...
,
Kevin Nash
Kevin Scott Nash (born July 9, 1959) is an American actor and retired professional wrestler, currently signed to WWE under a legends contract. He is best known for his tenure with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) where he performed under his r ...
, 2 Tuff Tony, and
Sid Vicious
John Simon Ritchie (10 May 1957 – 2 February 1979), better known by his stage name Sid Vicious, was an English musician, best known as the bassist for the punk rock band Sex Pistols. Despite dying in 1979 at age 21, he remains an icon of the ...
later joined the group.
On January 26, 2008, Bruce and Tony won the
JCW Tag Team Championship
The JCW Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling tag team championship in Juggalo Championship Wrestling. Twelve teams, comprising a total of twenty-five wrestlers, have held the JCW Tag Team Championship, combining for a total of twenty ...
. However, their victory was declared void, stricken from the record, and the title was vacated.
On November 9, 2008, the Juggalo World Order (Scott Hall, Shaggy 2 Dope, Violent J, 2 Tuff Tony, and Corporal Robinson) "invaded"
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Impact Wrestling (stylized as ''IMPACT! Wrestling''), is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment.
Founded by Jeff and Jerry Jarrett in 2002, the promot ...
's
Turning Point
A turning point, or climax, is the point of highest tension in a narrative work.
Turning Point or Turning Points may refer to:
Film
* ''The Turning Point'', a 1914 silent film starring Caroline Cooke
* ''The Turning Point'' (1920 film), an Ame ...
PPV by purchasing front row tickets to the event. They proceeded to promote their faction by flashing their JWO jerseys, which each member had on, before being removed from the building.
At
Bloodymania III
Bloodymania III was a professional wrestling event produced by Juggalo Championship Wrestling (JCW), which took place at midnight on August 9, 2009 at Hog Rock in Cave-In-Rock, Illinois. Professional wrestling is a type of sports entertainment ...
, Juggalo World Order (Corporal Robinson, Scott Hall, Shaggy 2 Dope, Violent J, and Sid Vicious) defeated Trent Acid and the Alter Boys (Tim, Tom, Terry, and Todd).
On February 10, 2011, Bruce took the on-screen role of commissioner of the company. During their GOTJ seminar on July 24, 2015, Violent J said he is hoping to wrestle again by next year but he wants to "get in a better space".
Acting career
Bruce starred in the Psychopathic Records crime comedy ''
Big Money Hustlas
''Big Money Hustlas'' is a 2000 American comedy film directed by John Cafiero as his feature film debut. The film, a homage to exploitation films of the 1970s, focuses on a streetwise San Francisco detective who tries to take down a New York City c ...
'', as Big Baby Sweets, in 2000. A sequel, ''
Big Money Rustlas
''Big Money Rustlas'' is a 2010 American Revisionist Western comedy film directed by Paul Andresen. The film is a prequel to the 2000 film ''Big Money Hustlas''. Joseph Bruce wrote the story, and he, Andresen, and Studebaker Duchamp adapted the ...
'' followed in 2010, in which Bruce portrayed Big Baby Sweets' ancestor, Big Baby Chips. In 2001, Bruce was offered a role in the musical ''
Prison Song
''Toxicity'' is the second studio album by Armenian-American heavy metal band System of a Down, released on September 4, 2001, through American Recordings and Columbia Records. Expanding on their 1998 eponymous debut, it incorporated more mel ...
'', in which he was asked to play a bigoted prison guard.
The producers offered Bruce the role on the basis of his appearances on ''
The Howard Stern Show
''The Howard Stern Show'' is an American radio show hosted by Howard Stern that gained wide recognition when it was nationally syndicated on terrestrial radio from WXRK in New York City, between 1986 and 2005. The show has aired on Howard 100 a ...
'', and told him that they wanted "a big white dude with urban slang to his voice", and on the basis of his radio appearances, thought that Bruce was perfect for the role.
[ While Bruce had interest in acting outside of Psychopathic Records projects, as well as being willing to act without face paint, he did not want to play a racist, and turned the role down.][ In preparation for ''Big Money Rustlas'', Bruce starred in the film '']Death Racers
''Death Racers'' is a 2008 American action film directed by Roy Knyrim. Considered a mockbuster of the film '' Death Race'' (released that same year), ''Death Racers'' follows teams of criminals competing in a deadly, over-the-top racing event in ...
'' in 2008. According to Bruce, "We just did it for fun. We knew it was gonna be basically garbage."[AVclub.com](_blank)
/ref>
Personal life
Family
Joe Bruce has two siblings: a younger sister, and an older brother, Jumpsteady
Robert Bruce (born August 9, 1970) is an American retired rapper and professional wrestler who would go on to become a Don for Psychopathic Records.
Bruce is most commonly known by his stage name Jumpsteady. He is the older brother of Violent J ...
, who was known as the "Psychopathic Records Don" from 1992 until he left in 2005 to become a paramedic. He regained the position when he returned in 2012. Jumpsteady
Robert Bruce (born August 9, 1970) is an American retired rapper and professional wrestler who would go on to become a Don for Psychopathic Records.
Bruce is most commonly known by his stage name Jumpsteady. He is the older brother of Violent J ...
has released 2 albums on 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 ...
(The Chaos Theory
''The Chaos Theory'' is the only EP by American rapper Jumpsteady. It was advertised in the booklet of '' Tunnel of Love'' and was originally scheduled for a 1997 release, but was delayed several years. It was eventually released on July 23, ...
and Master of the Flying Guillotine
''Master of the Flying Guillotine'' is a 1976 Hong Kong ''wuxia'' film starring Jimmy Wang Yu, who also wrote and directed the film. It is a sequel to Wang's 1971 film ''One-Armed Boxer'', and thus the film is also known as ''One-Armed Boxer 2' ...
). Bruce has one niece through Jumpsteady, named Samantha. Bruce has two children with ex-wife Michelle "Sugar Slam" Rapp: a son named Joseph "JJ" Bruce II, born in 2005, and a daughter named Ruby Bruce, born in 2006. Bruce and Rapp married on Father's Day, June 16, 2013. On the same day he released a single titled "''Fuck My Dad (Richard Bruce)''". In February 2016 it was announced in the Hatchet Herald that he and Sugar Slam decided to mutually separate, but will always remain good friends and will always put the needs of the children before their own. Bruce has recorded tracks specifically for his children entitled "Song 4 Son" for his son and "Ruby Song" for his daughter. In 2016 Bruce began dating artist Blahzay Roze, but they broke up later that year. On June 17, 2017, he released the music video for the ''2013 Father's Day Single'' titled "''Fuck My Dad (Richard Bruce)''" and featured appearances from Lyte, Shaggy 2 Dope
Joseph William Utsler (; born October 14, 1974), known by his stage name Shaggy 2 Dope, is an American rapper, record producer, DJ, podcast host of Shaggy and The Creep Show, and professional wrestler. He is part of the hip hop duo Insane Clo ...
, Jumpsteady
Robert Bruce (born August 9, 1970) is an American retired rapper and professional wrestler who would go on to become a Don for Psychopathic Records.
Bruce is most commonly known by his stage name Jumpsteady. He is the older brother of Violent J ...
, their younger sister Denise, and Violent J's kids Ruby and JJ.
In support of his daughter's interest in the furry fandom
The furry fandom is a subculture interested in anthropomorphic animal characters. Examples of anthropomorphic attributes include exhibiting human intelligence and facial expressions, speaking, walking on two legs, and wearing clothes. The term ...
, he declared himself "a juggalo furry" and attended Midwest Furfest
Midwest FurFest (MFF) is a furry convention that takes place in Rosemont, Illinois, usually on the second weekend after Thanksgiving. MFF is an Illinois Educational Not-For-Profit Corporation that exists primarily for the purpose of holding an ann ...
with her in December 2018. During the convention, he sometimes dressed in a fursuit
Fursuits are custom-made animal costumes owned and worn by cosplayers and members of the furry fandom, commonly known as "furries"; a furry who wears a fursuit is called a fursuiter. The term is believed to have been coined in 1993 by Robert Kin ...
with sewn-in juggalo makeup made by "DraconicKnight".
Health
In 2021, Bruce announced that he was suffering from atrial fibrillation and subsequently announced ICP's farewell world tour taking place the following year. He assures that he will continue to play live when he is physically able.
Legal troubles
Bruce, along with his bandmate Joseph Utsler, has had numerous run-ins with the law, having been arrested multiple times starting at the age of 17:
*Bruce was jailed for ninety days in 1989–1990 for death threats, robbery, and violating probation
Probation in criminal law is a period of supervision over an offender, ordered by the court often in lieu of incarceration.
In some jurisdictions, the term ''probation'' applies only to community sentences (alternatives to incarceration), such ...
; this experience convinced him to reduce his involvement in gang life.
*On November 16, 1997, Bruce was arrested on an aggravated battery
Battery is a criminal offense involving unlawful physical contact, distinct from assault which is the act of creating apprehension of such contact.
Battery is a specific common law offense, although the term is used more generally to refer to ...
charge after allegedly striking an audience member thirty times with his microphone
A microphone, colloquially called a mic or mike (), is a transducer that converts sound into an electrical signal. Microphones are used in many applications such as telephones, hearing aids, public address systems for concert halls and public ...
at a concert in Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...
. Bruce was held for four hours before being released on US$5,000 bail.
*After a show in Indianapolis
Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...
, Insane Clown Posse's tour bus stopped at a Waffle House in Greenfield, Indiana
Greenfield is a city in and the county seat of Hancock County, Indiana, United States, and a part of the Indianapolis metropolitan area. The population was 20,602 at the 2010 census, and an estimated 23,006 in 2019. It lies in Center Township.
...
. When a customer began to harass Spaniolo and Bruce, a fight broke out between the customer and all of the bands' members. Months later on June 4, 1998, Bruce and Utsler pleaded guilty to misdemeanor disorderly conduct
Disorderly conduct is a crime in most jurisdictions in the United States, the People's Republic of China, and Taiwan. Typically, "disorderly conduct" makes it a crime to be drunk in public, to " disturb the peace", or to loiter in certain are ...
charges (reduced from battery
Battery most often refers to:
* Electric battery, a device that provides electrical power
* Battery (crime), a crime involving unlawful physical contact
Battery may also refer to:
Energy source
*Automotive battery, a device to provide power t ...
) in an Indiana court and were fined US$200 each. Members of Twiztid, Myzery
Nene Encarnacion, also known as Myzery, is a Puerto Rican rapper based out of the Bronx in New York City. He was the first solo act signed with Psychopathic Records, and released his debut EP titled ''Para La Isla'' on the label in 1998. Followi ...
, and Psycho Realm
The Psycho Realm is an American hip hop group started in 1989 by brothers Sick Jacken (Joaquín Gonzalez) and Big Duke (Gustavo Gonzalez) from the Downtown, Pico-Union area of Los Angeles.
History
The first recorded Psycho Realm song, "Scand ...
were charged with battery.
*On June 15, 2001, Bruce was arrested in Columbia, Missouri
Columbia is a city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It is the county seat of Boone County and home to the University of Missouri. Founded in 1821, it is the principal city of the five-county Columbia metropolitan area. It is Missouri's fourth ...
for an outstanding warrant in St. Louis
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
stemming from an incident in February 2001. That incident involved Insane Clown Posse allegedly attacking employees of a St. Louis radio station over disparaging remarks that a disc jockey
A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include Radio personality, radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music f ...
made on the air. The police used several squad cars to detain Bruce, Utsler, and two associates a few miles from a venue where the group had completed a concert. Bruce was transferred to St. Louis the following day and released on bail without charge on June 18. On February 6, 2002, Bruce pleaded guilty to two counts of misdemeanor assault in the second degree and was sentenced to 12 months' unsupervised probation.
Discography
Solo (1990–present)
*Wizard of the Hood
''Wizard of the Hood'' is the debut EP by Violent J. Released in 2003, it is the Insane Clown Posse member's first solo release. The EP is a concept album based on '' The Wizard of Oz'', which is retold in an urban setting. Several tracks from ...
EP (July 22, 2003) (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 ...
)
* The Shining (April 28, 2009) (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 ...
)
*Brother EP (E & J Tour - 01/03/2019-02/13/2019) (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 ...
)
*Bloody Sunday (November 25, 2022) (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 ...
)
*''American Life/Lives'' (TBA) (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 ...
)
*''Walking Home'' (TBA) (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 ...
)
*''Karma Forest'' (TBA) (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 ...
)
w/Insane Clown Posse (1991–present)
*Dog Beats
''Dog Beats'' is a 1991 EP by Inner City Posse, later to be known as Insane Clown Posse. Having previously created and released three homemade "basement tapes" (distributed locally and highly sought-after by collectors today) that were recorded on ...
(February 4, 1991) (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 ...
)
*Carnival of Carnage
''Carnival of Carnage'' is the debut studio album by American hip hop group Insane Clown Posse, released on October 18, 1992, by Psychopathic Records.
Recording sessions for the album took place from 1991 to 1992 at Miller Midi Productions and ...
(October 18, 1992) (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 ...
)
*Beverly Kills 50187
''Beverly Kills 50187'' is the first Extended play, EP by United States, American hip hop music, hip hop group Insane Clown Posse, released in 1993 by Psychopathic Records. It is the first "sideshow" entry in the group's Dark Carnival saga. The g ...
(July 16, 1993) (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 ...
)
* Ringmaster (January 28, 1994) (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 ...
)
*Riddle Box
''Riddle Box'' is the third studio album by the American hip hop duo Insane Clown Posse, released in October 1995 on Battery Records and Island Records in association with Psychopathic Records. It is the third Joker's Card in the group's Dark ...
(October 10, 1995) (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 ...
)
*The Great Milenko
''The Great Milenko'' is the fourth studio album by American hip hop group Insane Clown Posse, released on June 24, 1997 by Hollywood Records in association with Psychopathic Records. As the fourth Joker's Card in the group's Dark Carnival m ...
(June 25, 1997) (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 ...
)
*The Amazing Jeckel Brothers
''The Amazing Jeckel Brothers'' is the fifth studio album by American hip hop group Insane Clown Posse, released on May 25, 1999, by Island Records, in association with Psychopathic Records. Recording sessions for the album took place from 1998 t ...
(May 25, 1999) (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 ...
)
*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 ...
(October 31, 2000) (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 ...
)
*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 ...
(October 31, 2000) (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 ...
)
* The Wraith: Shangri-La (November 5, 2002) (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 ...
)
* The Wraith: Hell's Pit (August 31, 2004) (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 ...
)
* The Tempest (March 20, 2007) (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 ...
)
*Bang! Pow! Boom!
''Bang! Pow! Boom!'' is the eleventh studio album by American hip hop group Insane Clown Posse. Released on September 1, 2009 by Psychopathic Records, it was the group's second album with producer Mike E. Clark since his return to Psychopathic Re ...
(September 1, 2009) (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 ...
)
*The Mighty Death Pop!
''The Mighty Death Pop!'' is the twelfth studio album by Underground American hip hop group Insane Clown Posse, released on August 14, 2012. It is their second album to focus on the Dark Carnival since the conclusion of the group's original " Jok ...
(August 14, 2012) (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 ...
)
* The Marvelous Missing Link: Lost (April 28, 2015) (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 ...
)
* The Marvelous Missing Link: Found (July 31, 2015) (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 ...
)
* Fearless Fred Fury (February 15, 2019) (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 ...
)
w/Dark Lotus (1998–2017)
* Tales from the Lotus Pod (July 17, 2001) (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 ...
)
* Black Rain (April 6, 2004) (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 ...
)
*The Opaque Brotherhood
''The Opaque Brotherhood'' is the third studio album by American hip hop supergroup Dark Lotus. Released on April 15, 2008, it peaked at No. 4 on the '' Billboard'' Top Independent Albums chart, No. 45 on the ''Billboard'' 200, No. 45 on the ...
(April 15, 2008) (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 ...
)
* The Mud, Water, Air & Blood (July 29, 2014) (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 ...
)
w/Psychopathic Rydas (1999–2017)
*Dumpin'
Psychopathic Rydas was an American hip hop group based in Detroit, Michigan. Formed in 1999 as a side project of Insane Clown Posse and Twiztid, the group consisted of Psychopathic Records-associated rappers performing under alternate stage nam ...
(1999) (Joe & Joey Records
Psychopathic Rydas was an American hip hop group based in Detroit, Michigan. Formed in 1999 as a side project of Insane Clown Posse and Twiztid, the group consisted of Psychopathic Records-associated rappers performing under alternate stage nam ...
)
*Ryden Dirtay
''Ryden Dirtay'' is the second studio album by American gangsta rap supergroup Psychopathic Rydas. It was released on July 3, 2001, through Joe & Joey Records. The album made it to #46 on the Independent Albums chart in the United States.
Track ...
(GOTJ 2001) (Joe & Joey Records
Psychopathic Rydas was an American hip hop group based in Detroit, Michigan. Formed in 1999 as a side project of Insane Clown Posse and Twiztid, the group consisted of Psychopathic Records-associated rappers performing under alternate stage nam ...
)
*Check Your Shit In Bitch!
Check or cheque, may refer to:
Places
* Check, Virginia
Arts, entertainment, and media
* ''Check'' (film), a 2021 Indian Telugu-language film
* ''The Checks'' (episode), a 1996 TV episode of ''Seinfeld''
Games and sports
* Check (chess), a thr ...
(GOTJ 2004) (Joe & Joey Records
Psychopathic Rydas was an American hip hop group based in Detroit, Michigan. Formed in 1999 as a side project of Insane Clown Posse and Twiztid, the group consisted of Psychopathic Records-associated rappers performing under alternate stage nam ...
)
*Duk Da Fuk Down
Psychopathic Rydas was an American hip hop group based in Detroit, Michigan. Formed in 1999 as a side project of Insane Clown Posse and Twiztid, the group consisted of Psychopathic Records-associated rappers performing under alternate stage nam ...
(GOTJ 2007) (Joe & Joey Records
Psychopathic Rydas was an American hip hop group based in Detroit, Michigan. Formed in 1999 as a side project of Insane Clown Posse and Twiztid, the group consisted of Psychopathic Records-associated rappers performing under alternate stage nam ...
)
*EatShitNDie (GOTJ 2011) (Joe & Joey Records
Psychopathic Rydas was an American hip hop group based in Detroit, Michigan. Formed in 1999 as a side project of Insane Clown Posse and Twiztid, the group consisted of Psychopathic Records-associated rappers performing under alternate stage nam ...
)
w/Soopa Villainz (2002–2005; 2018–present)
* Furious (August 16, 2005) (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 ...
)
w/The Killjoy Club (2013–2016; 2018)
*Reindeer Games
''Reindeer Games'' (alternatively titled ''Deception'') is a 2000 American action crime thriller film directed by John Frankenheimer in his final feature directorial outing before his 2002 death. It stars Ben Affleck, Gary Sinise, Charlize Ther ...
(September 2, 2014) (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 ...
)
Group membership
*JJ Boys (1988–1989)
* Inner City Posse (1989–1991)
*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 ...
(1991–present)
*Golden Goldies (1995)
*Dark Lotus
Dark Lotus was an American hip hop group based in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Formed in 1998 as a side project of Insane Clown Posse and Twiztid, Dark Lotus was best known as a representative of the horrorcore subgenre. From 1998 to 201 ...
(1998–2017)
*Psychopathic Rydas
Psychopathic Rydas was an American hip hop group based in Detroit, Michigan. Formed in 1999 as a side project of Insane Clown Posse and Twiztid, the group consisted of Psychopathic Records-associated rappers performing under alternate stage nam ...
(1999–2017)
* Soopa Villainz (2002–2005; 2018–present)
* The Bloody Brothers (2005; 2018–present)
* The Killjoy Club (2013–2016; 2018)
*The Loony Goons (2017–present)
Filmography
*''Big Money Hustlas
''Big Money Hustlas'' is a 2000 American comedy film directed by John Cafiero as his feature film debut. The film, a homage to exploitation films of the 1970s, focuses on a streetwise San Francisco detective who tries to take down a New York City c ...
'' (2000), as Big Baby Sweets/Ape Boy
*''Bowling Balls'' (2004), as J
*''Death Racers
''Death Racers'' is a 2008 American action film directed by Roy Knyrim. Considered a mockbuster of the film '' Death Race'' (released that same year), ''Death Racers'' follows teams of criminals competing in a deadly, over-the-top racing event in ...
'' (2008), as Violent J
*''Big Money Rustlas
''Big Money Rustlas'' is a 2010 American Revisionist Western comedy film directed by Paul Andresen. The film is a prequel to the 2000 film ''Big Money Hustlas''. Joseph Bruce wrote the story, and he, Andresen, and Studebaker Duchamp adapted the ...
'' (2010), as Big Baby Chips
Championships and accomplishments
*Juggalo Championship Wrestling
Juggalo Championship Wrestling (formerly Juggalo Championshit Wrestling) is an American independent professional wrestling promotion founded in 1999 by Violent J (Joseph Bruce) and Shaggy 2 Dope (Joseph Utsler), better known as the hip-hop duo In ...
**JCW Tag Team Championship
The JCW Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling tag team championship in Juggalo Championship Wrestling. Twelve teams, comprising a total of twenty-five wrestlers, have held the JCW Tag Team Championship, combining for a total of twenty ...
– (3 times) with Shaggy 2 Dope
Joseph William Utsler (; born October 14, 1974), known by his stage name Shaggy 2 Dope, is an American rapper, record producer, DJ, podcast host of Shaggy and The Creep Show, and professional wrestler. He is part of the hip hop duo Insane Clo ...
(2, first) and 2 Tuff Tony (1)
Bibliography
*''Behind the Paint
''Behind the Paint'' is the 2003 autobiography of American hip hop artist Joseph Bruce, better known as Violent J, one half of the Detroit, Michigan hip hop group Insane Clown Posse. The book focuses on Bruce's entire life until 2002. It begins ...
'' by Violent J with Hobey Echlin (2003) – Autobiography
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Violent J
1972 births
20th-century American male actors
21st-century American male actors
American male film actors
American hip hop record producers
American male professional wrestlers
American color commentators
Horrorcore artists
Insane Clown Posse members
American clowns
Living people
Midwest hip hop musicians
People from Berkley, Michigan
Professional wrestlers from Michigan
Psychopathic Records artists
Rappers from Detroit
Underground rappers
Hardcore hip hop artists
People from Ferndale, Michigan
21st-century American rappers
Dark Lotus members
Psychopathic Rydas members
Rap rock musicians
Soopa Villainz members