''Wizard of the Hood'' is the debut EP by

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

. Released in 2003, it is the

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 ...

member's first solo release. The EP is a

concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...

based on '' The Wizard of Oz'', which is retold in an urban setting. Several tracks from the EP also sample music from the 1978 film ''

The Wiz ''The Wiz: The Super Soul Musical "Wonderful Wizard of Oz"'' is a Musical theatre, musical with music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls (and others) and book by William F. Brown (writer), William F. Brown. It is a retelling of L. Frank Baum's childr ...

'', another urban reimagining of ''The Wizard of Oz''. A song with the same title had previously been released on the album ''

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 ...

''.

Plot

Violent J takes on the role of this story's version of Dorothy, making his way through this strange new land to get back to his home. Along the way, he meets the Scarecrow (

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 ...

Monoxide A monoxide is any oxide containing only one atom of oxygen. A well known monoxide is carbon monoxide; see carbon monoxide poisoning. The prefix mono (Greek for "one") is used in chemical nomenclature. In proper nomenclature, the prefix is not ...

), who only needs somebody to smoke with, the Tin Man (Twiztid's

Jamie Madrox James Arthur Madrox, also called the Multiple Man, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer/editor Len Wein, he first appeared in '' Giant-Size Fantastic Four'' #4 (February 1975). ...

), who wants a " gat", and the Lion (

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

), who wants some "hoes".

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 ...

has a brief cameo as a guard in the Wizard's palace as well as fellow Insane Clown Posse member

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 ...

appears as the Wizard.

Release

The EP contains nine story tracks and two "bonus tracks". It was also released in a "Collector's Edition" tin which featured two different bonus tracks and a package of "Violent Joint"

rolling paper Rolling paper is a specialty paper used for making cigarettes (commercially manufactured filter cigarettes and individually made roll-your-own cigarettes). Rolling papers are packs of several cigarette-size sheets, often folded inside a cardboard ...

. In an early 2014 interview Violent J said that he would like to do a Wizard Of The Hood show. During ICP's 2014 GOTJ seminar he said that it may happen very soon. On July 24, 2015 during ICP's seminar Violent J said that he would like to do a Wizard of the Hood full album set at the 2016 GOTJ if

and

are down to do it also. Violent J announced in October, 2015 that they will be performing the whole Wizard of the Hood setlist for GOTJ 17 (2016) complete with changing sets and Twiztid and Blaze Ya Dead Homie will be on stage to do their parts.

Track listing

Cast

— Violent J *

— Scarecrow * Madrox — Tin Tizzy *

— The Lion *

— Palace Guard *

— The Wizard

Chart positions

References

{{Authority control 2003 EPs Concept albums Violent J albums Psychopathic Records EPs