As evidenced clearly in Violent J’s autobiography, ICP’s monetary success caught the eye of big business. The chapter Banned by a Filthy Rat made it more than clear that if you don’t play ball with the elites, they can and will crush you. “It’s one big club, and you ain’t in it,” as George Carlin famously said.

However, the Juggalo culture persevered. Undeterred by the antics of those with deep pockets, and armed with an independent spirit and the reach of new technology like social media, we grew. We became united and powerful, as so many of us remember this “Family” era marked off annually with a legendary string of Gatherings.

That unity, love and strength was seen as a threat. Let’s face it, fighting the FBI lawsuit ultimately is what broke us down and put divides in our culture. It took them decades, but THEY were finally able to take away our power. We were once a counter-culture movement that posed an actual threat to the establishment had we continued to grow. That is what one would consider success as defined by counter-culture. They had to sick the FBI on us, something designed to take out their most dangerous adversaries.

Don’t lament that what it means to be a Juggalo now is so much different than what it once was. We did some badass shit in our day, enough to make the United States government take notice of our love for one another as a threat to their control. We were seen as a potential slave revolt against our masters, so they crushed & lashed our spirit. I for one am proud to say that I took part in that middle finger to the worst of humanity, and you should be too.