As we move into the summer months, we begin to be greeted by warm weather, smiling faces, and Juggalo face paint. While the last of those three indicators aren’t too common, it was on April 19th 2024 because Shaggy 2 Dope of Insane Clown Posse made his return to Victoria with his “Quest for the Ultimate Groove” tour. The final Canadian date of the tour took place at Capital Ballroom and joining him was DJ Clay, Otis Julius, Bake Lo, and Trippzter. While the crowd didn’t get drenched with Root Beer flavored Faygo this time, we here at Rocktographer made sure that we got to experience the Juggalo drink of choice prior to the performance. With our sweet tooth craving filled with Cotton Candy Faygo, we began to descend into the depths of the Dark Carnival.
Say what you will about Juggalos, but you cannot deny the passion. You can go from an impressive two-song set from Trippzter, to an impressive lyricist like Bake Lo and the room is continuously alive. Throughout the night, you could hear Juggalos yelling their classic salute, “Whoop Whoop”, 258 times to be exact. If you are wondering: yes, I did count and it was all in the name of concert journalism. Getting back on track, I thought the opening two sets were really great standard setters for the rest of the night. Bake Lo’s music had that gritty rap style, while Trippzter had a bit more of an animated flow. At this point, I was pretty much sold on the night.
While I can’t say for certain that Otis Julius is a Juggalo, I can honestly say that the crowd loved him none the less. Bringing a humoristic approach to rap, Otis’s stage presence was one for the ages. Dawning an incredible mullet while singing a song about it being business in the front, and a party in the back is all I need to see to know that this guy was the real deal and if you think it stops there, you would be mistaken. At one point, he chugged a bunch of water and then belched into the microphone, and that during another part of the set, he got the crowd to boo the queen. Lots of truly memorable moments. What I truly appreciated about his set though was his references. Like his song “Jawbreaker”, which is a reference to the classic Cartoon Network series, Ed Edd and Eddy. It was a pleasure to be able to witness this set in all of its glory.
Taking a short detour from the rap genre was DJ Clay, who brought his pumped up EDM music to the stage. I know it may sound odd to not hear rap at a rap show, but I think having this set truly defines a Juggalo. It doesn’t matter about the genre, it’s all about family. A family that Tyson and I are now officially apart of. DJ Clay brought that true style of EDM which I found to be a great change of pace. His set also showcased the lighting that this show brought on tour with them. While it might not have been too epilepsy friendly, it was still sight to see. A great palette cleanser set and could easily see him playing a festival out here and it being a great addition.
There are very few as iconic as Shaggy 2 Dope of the Insane Clown Posse. If I remember correctly, the first moment I heard of Shaggy was when I played Backyard Wrestling on the PlayStation 2. At the time, I had no idea that him and Violent J had created this huge community and even after all these years, they are staying relevant. Shaggy’s set featured a little bit of everything, including tracks from his latest album, “Professor Shaggs and the Quest for the Ultimate Groove”. There’s no question his lyricism is still as great as back in the day. I will say I was truly impressed by his energy on stage. There was no sign of slowing down throughout the entire set which is amazing. I had to take a moment to truly appreciate everything he created. This whole fanbase developed into a crazy carnival filled with Gatherings, Backyard Wrestling, and other crazy activities. If that’s not something inspiring, I don’t know what is.
What conclusion did I come to at the end of the day? Juggalos are good people. At no point did I feel worried about mine or anyone’s safety. I mention this because in 2011, The FBI classified Juggalos as a criminal gang, a title that Insane Clown Posse and their fans would not like very much. While I may not be fully dressed up with the facepaint, I still felt super welcomed in the space. This show alone has made me want to go to the Gathering of the Juggalos and see if it’s as insane as some say it is. Before I close this review, one final note: Since Tyson and I are now a part of the Juggalo Family, we are technically on the FBI’s radar. As you are all in association with us, technically you are on the FBI’s watchlist as well. That might suck for you but hey, at least we are on the watchlist together.
