ICP - "Riddle Box" (5 stars) 1995 was a huge year for Detroit underground rap duo Insane Clown Posse. Mainly because they released their 3rd LP entitled "Riddle Box". This album is their first to be released in stores nationwide, due to Psychopathic Records' brief distribution deal with Jive Records' short-lived phony label "Battery Records".
When I first heard this album, I was completely blown away. Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope move away from gangsta rap and focus more on horrorcore. Violent J goes deeper in the depths of his infamous "sick storytelling rap". This is also the first album he uses his "squeaky" voice which he was once known for. Shaggy 2 Dope doesn't disappoint at all. In fact, he is nearly on par with J, although he doesn't tell stories as much, Shaggy can still spit the wicked "graveyard" and sex raps.
The production here stands out as well, once again, courtesy of the legendary Mike E. Clark. His production contribution here is what made me consider him one of the best underground rap producers out there. His beat style switches from funk ("Headless Boogie") to just flat out scary beats ("12"). ICP also co-produced this, like many of their previous releases. The production gets 2 thumbs up from me.
To give you a deeper analysis on the individual tracks. Here's my track-by-track ratings.
01. "Intro" (N/A) 02. "Riddle Box" (N/A) 03. "The Show Must Go On" (A+) 04. "Chicken Huntin' (Slaughter House Mix)" (B+) 05. "Interview" (N/A) 06. "Toy Box" (C+) (least favorite) 07. "Cemetary Girl" (A+) 08. "3 Rings" (B+) 09. "Headless Boogie" (A+) (favorite) 10. "The Joker's Wild" (A+) 11. "Dead Body Man" (A+) 12. "Lil' Somthin' Somthin'" (A+) 13. "Ol' Evil Eye" (A) 14. "12" (A) 15. "The Killing Fields (ft. Legs Diamond)" (B+) 16. "I'm Coming Home" (A+)
So to answer the question; is this my favorite ICP album? Yes, well, at least on the same boat as "The Great Milenko". But, I'll get to that one later. I strongly recommend this to Juggalos, people who like funky rap and horrorcore rap fans. This album was well worth every penny. Just go ahead and give it a sample, if you like what you hear, take my word for it and purchase it, if you don't like it, that's fine. And if you're skeptical, that's actually quite an understandable feeling when looking into ICP. But that feeling should soon wear off once you hear this classic. Peace.
~Raw Hide.
Legs Diamond appears courtesy of Psychopathic Records.
era i miss this time of icp so much...commical wicked horror music...why oh why, and where has it all gone!!??
I don't get it As a grown-up, I don't get this stuff, but my 21 year old daughter loves it. Go figure! Not for the young, though!!!
It's The Wicked Clown Show Riddlebox. Just saying that brings to mind some great memories I've had with this album playing. This is one of my favorite ICP albums, though its hard to pick a favorite. This was one of ICP's darkest albums and one of their best.
Intro(9/10) Sets up the mood for the album.
Riddlebox(9/10) Short song about what the Riddlebox is and sets the tone for whats to come.
The Show Must Go On(10/10) A song of almost perfection. Good lyrics, great chorus, cool circus music.
Chicken Huntin'(10/10) Like I said in my review of Ringmaster, this version in my opinion is superior. Great lyrics mixed with great music.
Interview Skit(8/10) Funny mock interview about the band.
Toy Box(10/10) Kickin' song about being a nerd and making your own toys that kill those you hate.
Cemetary Girl(10/10) The warpedness is great. Being able to joke about certain topics (like digging up your dead girlfriend) is what has always made ICP unique.
3 Rings(9/10) Good song about being a freek show. Catchy song.
Headless Boogie(8/10) Has its ups and downs. Realy good chorus.
The Joker's Wild(9/10) J has his own game show and tortures the contestants who screwed him over.
Dead Body Man(10/10) Also on Tunnel Of Love EP. For those that don't know this song rocks. A Juggalo fav that they play at their shows.
Lil' Somthin' Somthin'(3/10) Just couldn't get into it. Never realy liked it.
Ol' Evil Eye(9/10) Edgar Allen Poe-ish song about an old man with a weird eye and they kill him.
12(10/10) One of the best songs on the album. True wicked s***. ICP style.
Killing Fields(8/10) Creepy song about being dead and being damned to roam in the killing fields.
I'm Coming Home(5/10) I'll get bashed by other Juggalos for saying this but I don't realy care for this song. I think its the music I don't like. Either way, it grows on you. I usually skip it.
Overall, One of ICP's best. MCL
The jokes on you The Riddle Box was ICP's 3rd LP album, and 3rd Joker's Card released in 1995. Finally they were on a major record label, Jive. However, Jive didnt distribute this album all over the country, they just kept it in Detroit, so ICP personally traveled down to Texas and promoted themselves down there and became quite popular in that area, and proved they werent just a local Detroit thing. They changed up their style a little bit, from rapping about gangsta clown type stuff, to rapping more wicked. This is some of ICP's best work in my opinion.
Intro: Intro to the album. You hear a car crash, and then a man is introduced to the Riddle Box, he turns the crank to decide his fate.
Riddle Box: 3/5 - This basically sets the tone of the album, and explains the Riddle Box a little more. Nice beat.
The Show Must Go On: 4/5 - About being freak show clowns.
Chicken Huntin' (Slaughter House Mix) - 5/5 - This is by far ICP's biggest song. Played at every single concert. This was also their first music video that they released.
Interview: 1/5 - Just a skit where a guy asks questions and they respond with goofy noises.
Toy Box: 3/5 - About a boy who has no friends and gets picked on so he makes evil toys that kill people.
Cemetary Girl: 4/5 - This is about Violent J having a dead girlfriend that he digs up cause he misses her.
3 Rings: 4/5 - Its about side show freaks at a carnival
Headless Boogie: 4/5 - Nice beat. Catchy hook. Its about dead people dancing without heads.
The Joker's Wild: 3/5 - I like this beat a lot. The theme of this song is its a game show hosted by Violent J, and people he doesnt like have to play and they all die basically.
Dead Body Man: 5/5 - Classic ICP song. This can also be found on the Terror Wheel Album, but this one has a little news skit before the song. Its about a man who collects dead bodies. This was covered by Blaze in 2002.
Lil' Somthin' Somthin': 4/5 - Here the album tones down a little bit. This song is about ... girls.
Ol Evil Eye: 5/5 - This is probably my all time favorite ICP song. This is a very dark song, the song is pretty much based on The Tell Tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe, and you can even hear it being recited before the song starts.
12: 3/5 - A man gets killed by the death penalty and comes back to kill the 12 jurors who convicted him. Lyrics to this song was found on 1 of the Columbine kids webpages and this caused some controversy.
The Killing Fields: 3/5 - This is a very dark song. This is where all the bad people go when they die.
I'm Coming Home: 4/5 - Good song to end the album with. The title pretty much explains it.
This is some of ICP's best work so if youre a fan of the clowns and you dont have this album, GET IT!
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