The Insane Clown Posse are a horrorcore duo from Detroit, Michigan consisting of Violent J & Shaggy 2 Dope. However, very few know that 3 other members came & went during the first 5 years of the group’s inception. Not only would The Duke of the Wicked & the Southside Strangla go on to create seminal wicked shit albums like The First 6, but they gained an extremely loyal fanbase in the process & their self-owned Psychopathic Records became an independent hip hop powerhouse as the label’s roster continued to grow. I was a bit worried about their latest album Yum Yum Bedlam given that the prelude EP Yum Yum’s Lure was panned by fans when it came out a couple Juggalo Days back but when Halloween came around, they proved me wrong with what I believe to be my 3rd favorite card in the 2nd deck. They then began a trilogy EPs last year called the Seeds of Yum Yum by letting Wicked Vic the Weed blossom during the first quarter of the year & Pug Ugly the Stink Bud at the Gathering of Dreams, but took a break to J can put out his sophomore full-length solo album Bloody Sunday on this year’s Juggalo Day & even 2 Dope’s 3rd EP The Quest for the Ultimate Groove on the 6th year anniversary of F.T.F.O.M.F. (Fuck The Fuck Off MuthaFucka). But ahead of the 6th Joker’s Card in the 2nd Deck, they’re closing out the trilogy on their 19th EP.

After the intro, the first song “Out the Sky” is a ruggedly futuristic opener produced by Chapter 17 Records/PSY in-house producer Shaggytheairhead with Violent J talking about sounding the alarm whereas “Elly May” has that old school carnival sound courtesy of none other than Mike E. Clark so both of the wicked clowns can toss the mic back & forth with one another telling the story of the titular character. “Keep on Choppin’” dives into rap rock turf as the Duke dismembers bodies while the track “Banshee” gives off a more thunderous approach instrumentally so both of them can talk about piledriving motherfuckers through a table. And until the Mike P. remix of “Something to See”, the final song “Average Joey” is a Shaggy 2 Dope solo cut with a somber boom bap beat knowing he can’t be fixed that’s on par with if not better than the material on Quest for the Ultimate Groove.

It’s been almost 3 years since the Yum Yum era began & not only would I consider WOH the Weepin’ Weirdo to be a solid closer to the Seeds of Yum Yum trilogy, but it has me anticipating the 6th & final Joker’s Card of the 2nd Deck even more. Much like Pug Ugly the Stink Bud, the production is a mix of ICP’s past & present sounds as both of the Clowns play to their strengths in the midst of reminding everyone how strong their chemistry is over 3 decades deep in the game for those who thought they were disbanding. The Yum Yum Bedlam era will always hold a special place in this reviewer’s heart because the first time I went to a Gathering was in 2021 only 2 months before the album came out on Hallowicked even though I’ve been down with Psychopathic since they were a roster full of artists in 2011 as a 14 year old outcast starting high school.

Score: 7/10

Source: UndergroundHipHopBlog.com