Not a good comment! As usual! Sad thing is it took you days to think that up! Exclamation points on everything! All day! Every non-funny sentence! Sometimes two!! Or three!!! Can’t forget these 

I dunno when he became a “ruthless heartless scantless son of a bitch bastard devil himself” but I know he started to suck at rapping when he started smoking weed.

Right then is when he switched from his awkward, super white, pronouncing all his words all hard and shit style, to his “rap flow” style where he actually tries to, ya know, rap, and it just doesn’t work for him IMO.

I think becoming a shit head business man came a LOT earlier than any of you are willing to admit. If you don’t think there’s a SHREWD business man behind those interviews on Shockumentary where 2dope never says anything and J talks like a wrestler at the camera you’re sorely mistaken.

Plus before he started smoking weed he was spending most of his off-time over-eating and having panic attacks, so the guy “behind the paint” was never a particularly happy ninja. He didn’t leave the show and thank Shangri-La for all the Juggalos, he went back to his tour bus and curled onto the floor sucking on nyquil until everything shut up and went away.

Here’s my final thoughts on Joe Bruce.

Maybe he’s a “sonofabitch bastard devil himself” businessman. Maybe he don’t even like you, but he gotta front cause you’re a record label guy. Whatever. No one’s perfect.

But he’s rich. Rich enough for life. Rich enough that he and Joey Utsler could, at this second, completely cease doing anything Insane Clown Posse related and just sit back and enjoy life. They could travel, take their kids to India, change their names and just quit the whole Juggalo world forever. We’re not sorry if we tricked ya’ll bitch! They could.

But they don’t.

They both work their asses off just about every day, to entertain us and keep this Juggalo World turning. THEY DON’T HAVE TO!

I know it’s hard to put on the front of “Violent J” so often. It’s exhausting, likely excruciating at times. Put yourself in his shoes. REALLY put yourself there. The fame and hate and even the love has got to fuck with the mind. Give the man a break, he impacted yours and my own lives in ways that I couldn’t imagine it without. 

So why doesn’t he quit? Because like he said about those broken broke ass wrestlers. LOVE. L-O-V-E. 

Even if it’s all a sham, it has become something more, whether they still enjoy it or not. 

They enjoy the Juggalo World and their personas AT LEAST ENOUGH to continue doing it every day. That’s enough for me. I’ll pay for entertainment like every other American with an extra dollar.

Old Mr Dangerous said

I HIGHLY disagree about the weed point you made. I feel that the marijuana brought out some insane creativity from the guy. Shangri-La, Wizard of the Hood, his verse on “Sticky Icky Situations”, etc. That was a stellar ass period. I also could go as far as to say that the weed might have influenced Mr. Bruce to get in shape. He was a happy ass dude overall at that time. You have your opinion though, and I understand how you could see it in the opposite if you prefer the way he composed and delivered verses prior to the puff.

That final sentence of yours makes me very empathetic for the guy, shrewd businessman or not. Before I overcame my own psyche, I also had panic attacks many years back. It’s a horrible, irrational bullshit head mess. I would say I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy, but I would lol. I’ve always disliked that saying. Anyway, good discussion on your end as well, I just feel differently.

 

There’s not one song I enjoy from Wizard of The Hood; I’m not crazy about either side of Shangri-La either. Not to imply that I ‘only like the old shit’ or anything. Bang Pow Boom is my second favorite Jokers Card after Ringmaster; but I definitely prefer it the other way around. You’re welcome to enjoy it, and I’m sure the majority of my preference is based on my own association with the older style, but that’s what it is.

I don’t mean to imply that his panic attacks had anything to do with “turning into a shrewd business man”, but rather point out that the character was never (and could never) be 100% true to life, so comparing him as a businessman now vs then with the expectation or implication being that he used to be DWTC and now he’s DWTMoney or something is unfair because it’s always been a mix of both, and a lot of other shit. People are multi-dimensional, and no artist has a stage persona that represents ALL of them.

Stalkz said
 

Old Mr Dangerous said

I HIGHLY disagree about the weed point you made. I feel that the marijuana brought out some insane creativity from the guy. Shangri-La, Wizard of the Hood, his verse on “Sticky Icky Situations”, etc. That was a stellar ass period. I also could go as far as to say that the weed might have influenced Mr. Bruce to get in shape. He was a happy ass dude overall at that time. You have your opinion though, and I understand how you could see it in the opposite if you prefer the way he composed and delivered verses prior to the puff.

That final sentence of yours makes me very empathetic for the guy, shrewd businessman or not. Before I overcame my own psyche, I also had panic attacks many years back. It’s a horrible, irrational bullshit head mess. I would say I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy, but I would lol. I’ve always disliked that saying. Anyway, good discussion on your end as well, I just feel differently.

 

There’s not one song I enjoy from Wizard of The Hood; I’m not crazy about either side of Shangri-La either. Not to imply that I ‘only like the old shit’ or anything. Bang Pow Boom is my second favorite Jokers Card after Ringmaster; but I definitely prefer it the other way around. You’re welcome to enjoy it, and I’m sure the majority of my preference is based on my own association with the older style, but that’s what it is.

 

I don’t mean to imply that his panic attacks had anything to do with “turning into a shrewd business man”, but rather point out that the character was never (and could never) be 100% true to life, so comparing him as a businessman now vs then with the expectation or implication being that he used to be DWTC and now he’s DWTMoney or something is unfair because it’s always been a mix of both, and a lot of other shit. People are multi-dimensional, and no artist has a stage persona that represents ALL of them.

I feel ya. I’m an old school guy myself, I’m just fond of that Shangri La era, albeit in a different way than others. Ringmaster is also my favorite card. BPB is the least. So, different strokes, esé.

And Scruff, yup… the main reason I stay down with those fellas is that reason.

Ringmaster is certainly in my top three. But honestly, Shangri-La has become my favorite. Everything about ICP, especially J, is just so great in that period to me. His voice, his stage performance (sadly something I’ll ever be able to enjoy through videos unless he loses weight again), his style. Just badass. And i swear of all the cards, Shangri-La has the heaviest emotional impact on me, every single time.