Talking bout the funky funky ghetto

mike e clark has sucked after AJB – I hope mike p takes over! he has a bigger more professional sound. Hells pit is way the fuck better than MDP

tony baronie said

I need to hear those horror/carnival sound effects….the horror themes…the crazy shaggy high pitched scream stuff….and jays patented clowish laugh…..man it really does it for me like the first chorus of the tempest when he is doing that awesome clown laughing thing…. and then on “the blasta” during that chorus he does more of that clown laughing stuff. it totally works

completely agree about the clown laugh thing.  That’s one of the things that made icp so cool.

however, that is not j laughing on the tempest track.  It’s “sinister minister” James Mitchell from ecw.

as for the wraith, I do think that it was bad business to tell the Juggalos that mec was responsible for icp’s success, (which they did, go read the riddlebox liner notes) and then to turn around and say that they didn’t need him.  However, hell’s pit is one of my favorites, and I think having a fresh sound was good for them.

This thread made me go back and listen to Hell’s Pit.  I had forgotten how awesome that album is.  It’s such a deviation from all of their previous albums.  I love it’s unique sound.  I don’t think that Hell’s Pit would have been possible with MEC.

Hell’s pit was also a major evolution in J’s lyrical style.  Him and Mike P were on the exact same page.  Mike P’s tight beats kept all the yelling off the album unlike MDP and BPB.  Personally, I’d like to see another Mike P album.

And if I remember right.  Mike P is work with boondox next

Feel So Right should of been on Hells Pit. But I’m happy it was on FF4 at least. 

MOA is the place b to be lol.  But when you live in mn its whatever because you can there whenever.

You scared mother fucker go to church! 

Mike E. Clark’s obviously not bothered that he wasn’t on the albums, so why should you?

Old Mr Dangerous said
Suitably, “Shangri-La” is almost over-produced and tweaked, and Hell’s Pit is like a minimalist style. I think they compliment each other great. I did the whole headphones approach that the clowns suggested when I copped “Shangri-La,” and it is indeed cool. You can hear shit new sometimes. It’s a journey through a carnivalistic heaven, so that’s what a lot of it sounds like. “Hell’s Pit” deals with not only literally being in hell, but kind of like being in a personal hell. I love the symbols of isolation throughout. Violent J mentions Super K’s, Wal Mart’s, it gives the impression of everything being bland, happiness-deficient and pointless. He buys a double-barrel with ease, uses a chainsaw on a worker in another store. “Sedatives”, “Angels Falling”, “Walk into the Darkness”, shit most of the tracks are about a hell on earth kind of view. “Everyday I Die” and “Burning Up” are the only literal “IN FUCKING HELL” tracks, the only fantasy-style transports. It seems like the album is more about frustration and despair than demons and pitchforks (although we all know there’s a bit if that there too). 

 

Hell’s Pit is probably more genius than ICP intended, IMO.

Good post and this is exactly how I started feeling as I got older. First time I listened to Shangri-La the day before it came out (yeah I couldn’t wait sorry) it hit me hard and made me break down. Then it just sorta sat on my shelf. I mean I listened to it a lot and memorized it. But it wasn’t until years later where I really discovered how awesome it is with headphones and something to smoke on to get in that relaxed state of mind and peace. By the time it gets to “The Wraith”, I was in personal heaven. By the time it was over, I was ready to smoke some more and listen again. I did that for like a week straight. Good times. So much background stuff going on in that album. It’s also the album that makes me absolutely hate anything ICP does now that’s soft. That was their album to do it and they’re never going to do it better than that. Now it comes off as forced and corny and lame with no passion at all. But on Shangri-La they were screaming and yelling about it all. Dat passion. I do like Wizard of the Hood too but that’s more of a side show to Shangri-La than ICP going soft completely. Their next two albums were Black Rain and Hell’s Pit and didn’t lose any steps.

Hell’s Pit is definitely more genius than I’m sure they intended. Then again this was back when the dark carnival was making the shit for them. It is a personal hell. That state of mind of misery and depression. They captured it perfectly. The last really good ICP album imo.

The 6th was awesome. Some people like one or the other but I like it as a double album. They both compliment each other and sound completely different. The production on both is great. Both have got me through tough times. I love how theme oriented it was. A personal journey through heaven and hell. Even Hell’s Forecast was a great idea to remind the listener no matter how good life is, it can be taken away out of nowhere. The whole 6th era was ICP moving on from the 90’s but also evolving in other ways especially the themes. That constant journey. Yet remaining creative and passionate. It was ICP grown up but still ICP.

I’m old school through and through but I’ll always give it up to the 6th as it’s own thing. To me it’s 90’s ICP and 6th era ICP. Everything in between and after barely gets any play out of me.

Thy Wraith made me eat my baby