Bang! Pow! Boom!
Encyclopedia
Bang! Pow! Boom! is the 11th studio album
by American
hip hop
group Insane Clown Posse
. Released on September 1, 2009 by Psychopathic Records, it was the group's second album with producer Mike E. Clark
since his return to Psychopathic Records
, and the first album to focus on the Dark Carnival
since the conclusion of the group's original "Joker's Cards" series. The character is the first of a set of six new Joker's Cards.
The album's title refers to a character within the Dark Carnival described as a large, continuing explosion which clears evil souls from the carnival grounds. Bang! Pow! Boom! peaked at number four in the Billboard Top 200
. Critics praised Clark's production and the return to the Dark Carnival concept. In 2010, Psychopathic Records
released a "Nuclear Edition" of the album, which featured previously unreleased material. The music video for the song "Miracles
", produced for the reissue, became viral
, and was the subject of a Saturday Night Live
parody which was praised by the group.
produced much of Insane Clown Posse
's discography until the group's sixth and seventh albums, Bizzar
and Bizaar
. After Clark nearly died from a collapsed lung, he became less active in the music industry, his studio not being used for much of the early decade, and the group worked with Mike Puwal
on their eighth and ninth albums, The Wraith: Shangri-La
and Hell's Pit. In 2006, Clark returned to Psychopathic Records and produced the group's tenth studio album, The Tempest
in 2007, but did not work with the group directly. Bang! Pow! Boom! was the first album which Clark worked on directly with Joseph Bruce
and Joseph Utsler
since Bizaar. Bang! Pow! Boom! was recorded between September 2008 and July 2009 at Clark's Fun House Studio. Bruce listened to music by the psychedelic rock
band Gong
for inspiration. In order to ensure the quality of their vocal recordings, Bruce and Utsler drank tea before every take and didn't smoke cannabis
while recording. Much material was recorded for the album; some songs left off the initial release appeared on the "Nuclear Edition" reissue, while another song intended for Bang! Pow! Boom!, "If I Ate Your Brains", was released as part of a single for the 2009 Hallowicked concert.
, without it being the seventh Joker's Card". Bang! Pow! Boom! was the first album to focus on this concept since The Wraith: Shangri-La. The album was later revealed to be the first Joker's Card of a "second deck." Bang! Pow! Boom! is a character within the Dark Carnival which Bruce describes as a "continuous explosion that stomps his way through the crowd blowing [...] evil souls [...] to Hell". The album features a series of skits in which rednecks, pedophiles, and husbands who abuse their wives receive phone calls inviting them to the Dark Carnival, where they are promised $
100,000 for arriving.
According to Bruce, "In Yo Face" was originally titled "Pie in Yo Face", but it was decided that the final title sounded better. "The Bone" features surf rock-influenced guitars. According to Bruce, "Mike's beat for this was so fuckin' crazy sounding I had no idea what the fuck to do with it." "To Catch a Predator" was written during the mixing process, when the group realized that the album needed a song "that attacks an evil". Inspired by the television series To Catch a Predator
, the song's lyrics describe Violent J luring pedophiles into his house to violently murder them. According to Bruce, "I could easily see myself killing pedophiles in real life and having no guilt. The only reason I don’t do it is because I'd probably get caught. So its nice to live it out through my music." "Boing Boing", a comedic sex-oriented rap, samples audio from a pornographic film which had previously been sampled by the group on their Tunnel of Love EP. Bruce says that the song was intended as a joke. Some fans interpreted the song as Bruce and Utsler calling themselves ugly, while others believed that they were bragging about how many women they have sex with. Bruce commented "We're not sex symbols, especially not me. If there are girls, they’re there to see Shaggy."
"I Found a Body" features lyrics similar to the plot of Weekend at Bernie's
, and incorporates Bruce's singing, concluding with a "Pearl Jam
style yell". "Fonz Pond" was inspired by a series of bicycle trails and paths leading to what had once been a pond, but had dried out, and was filled with garbage and rusted junk. Rumors spread about kids that died trying to pass the curve surrounding the area. Clark created a beat which sounded unlike what Bruce had initially expected, leading him to write a song about a haunted pond hidden in the woods. Bruce describes the production of "Imma Kill U" as similar to that of early albums by Ice Cube
and Public Enemy. Bruce states that Utsler initially hated "Juggalo Island" when they began recording it, and said that it was "too soft" for Insane Clown Posse. Bruce maintained his confidence in the song, but promised Utsler that if he still felt the same way after the song was completed, it would be left off the album. As the recording continued, Utsler began to like the track more, and later praised the song in a phone conversation.
The lyrics of "Miracles
" focus on the extraordinary events humans experience in life which often go unacknowledged, and encourages listeners to take time to look at the world and reevaluate their life. The song's music is built around an ascending synthesizer melody, and climaxes with an electric guitar solo performed by Mike E. Clark, and beatboxing
by Joseph Utsler. "Chop Chop Slide" was inspired by the "Cha Cha Slide
".
. Bang! Pow! Boom! was initially announced as having an April release. Bruce and Utsler participated in a three-day photo shoot for the album's promotional images. The album's release was preceded with a nationwide in-store tour beginning in August, and followed by a 64-day tour, including the group's annual Halloween performance in Detroit. The album was released in three different color variations of the cover: red, blue, and green. Each version features its own unique introduction and hidden track
. A sampler for the album was released, featuring a decoder piece for finding hidden messages in the album's artwork.
A special edition of the album, dubbed the "Nuclear Edition", was released on April 6, 2010. It features bonus material from each version of the album, three previously unreleased tracks, the sampler, two music videos and the documentary A Family Underground
. The first music video from the album, "In Yo Face", was released on December 18, 2009. The second music video from the album, "Miracles", premiered as part of the "Nuclear Edition" reissue. A third music video from the album, "Juggalo Island", was filmed at the 2008 Gathering of the Juggalos
. A fourth music video from the album, "Fonz Pond", has also been released but is not on the Nuclear Edition.
, but fans will appreciate the extra enthusiasm from the duo, the bounty of filth, and maybe most of all, the reviving of the Dark Carnival mythos." The Detroit News
music critic Adam Graham gave the album a B rating, describing it as "the best material the Clowns have touched since 1999's The Amazing Jeckel Brothers
."
Kik Axe Music reviewer Matt Molgaard gave the album a four out of five rating, writing that "even if you’re not a huge fan of the 'commercial' sound [...] there's plenty of grim tracks to appease the appetite of new and old fans alike." Another writer for the website, James Zahn, gave the "Nuclear Edition" reissue 4.5 out of 5.
Washington City Paper
writer Andrew Noz gave the album "three and a half 20 oz. Faygo
bottles out of five". Consequence of Sound reviewer David Buchanan notes the change to a more positive sound as universally appealing while also noting the comeback of Dark Carnival references as a selling point for long-time fans, giving the album 3.5 stars out of 5. Mike E. Clark received praise for the album's production, which David Jeffries described as "inventive", and Adam Graham described as being "packed with enough hooks, chants and stellar riffs to tide the Juggalo
Nation over through a year's supply of Faygo."
Top Independent Albums chart
and number 4 on the Billboard 200
selling 50,000 copies in its first week. In 2010, the "Nuclear Edition" charted at #55 on the Billboard 200, following the release of the "Miracles" music video. By February 2010, the album had sold over 100,000 copies. By October 8, 2010, the album had surpassed the group's previous release, The Tempest
, in sales by almost 50,000 copies.
" has become viral
. On April 17, 2010 Saturday Night Live
aired a sketch which parodied the video. In the sketch, fictional personalities DJ Supersoak and Lil' Blaster debuted a fictional music video by the Thrilla Killa Klownz called "Magical Mysteries" as part of Under Underground Records' "Underground Rock Minute". The fictional video featured Ryan Phillippe
and Bobby Moynihan
rapping about things such as "where the sun hides at night" and blankets. Saturday Night Live had previously parodied Psychopathic Records in 2009. Insane Clown Posse called the "Miracles" parody "a huge honor".
Production
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
group Insane Clown Posse
Insane Clown Posse
Insane Clown Posse is an American hip hop duo from Detroit, Michigan. The group is composed of Joseph Bruce and Joseph Utsler, who perform under the respective personas of the "wicked clowns" Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope. Insane Clown Posse performs a style of hardcore hip hop known as horrorcore...
. Released on September 1, 2009 by Psychopathic Records, it was the group's second album with producer Mike E. Clark
Mike E. Clark
Mike Earl Clark is an American record producer and DJ from Detroit, Michigan currently signed to Hatchet House.Clark is best known for his work with Insane Clown Posse, for which he has produced nine studio albums...
since his return to Psychopathic Records
Psychopathic Records
Psychopathic Records, also known as "The Hatchet", is an American independent record label based in Farmington Hills, Michigan that specializes in hip hop music. The label was founded in 1991 by Alex Abbiss and hip hop group Insane Clown Posse....
, and the first album to focus on the Dark Carnival
Dark Carnival (Insane Clown Posse)
The Dark Carnival is the mythology of the concept album series used in much of Insane Clown Posse's discography. It is a concept of the afterlife in which souls are sent to a form of limbo while waiting to be sent to Heaven or Hell based on their individual actions. These concepts are related by...
since the conclusion of the group's original "Joker's Cards" series. The character is the first of a set of six new Joker's Cards.
The album's title refers to a character within the Dark Carnival described as a large, continuing explosion which clears evil souls from the carnival grounds. Bang! Pow! Boom! peaked at number four in the Billboard Top 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
. Critics praised Clark's production and the return to the Dark Carnival concept. In 2010, Psychopathic Records
Psychopathic Records
Psychopathic Records, also known as "The Hatchet", is an American independent record label based in Farmington Hills, Michigan that specializes in hip hop music. The label was founded in 1991 by Alex Abbiss and hip hop group Insane Clown Posse....
released a "Nuclear Edition" of the album, which featured previously unreleased material. The music video for the song "Miracles
Miracles (Insane Clown Posse song)
Miracles is a song written by Insane Clown Posse and Mike E. Clark for the duo's 2009 album Bang! Pow! Boom!. A music video was produced for the 2010 reissue of the album, dubbed the "Nuclear Edition". The song's lyrics focus on things experienced in everyday life and displaying an appreciation for...
", produced for the reissue, became viral
Viral video
A viral video is one that becomes popular through the process of Internet sharing, typically through video sharing websites, social media and email...
, and was the subject of a Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
parody which was praised by the group.
Production
Mike E. ClarkMike E. Clark
Mike Earl Clark is an American record producer and DJ from Detroit, Michigan currently signed to Hatchet House.Clark is best known for his work with Insane Clown Posse, for which he has produced nine studio albums...
produced much of Insane Clown Posse
Insane Clown Posse
Insane Clown Posse is an American hip hop duo from Detroit, Michigan. The group is composed of Joseph Bruce and Joseph Utsler, who perform under the respective personas of the "wicked clowns" Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope. Insane Clown Posse performs a style of hardcore hip hop known as horrorcore...
's discography until the group's sixth and seventh albums, Bizzar
Bizzar
Bizzar is the sixth studio album by Insane Clown Posse. Released on October 31, 2000, it is the first half of the Bizzar Bizaar double album, released the same day as its companion album, Bizaar.- Release and reception :...
and Bizaar
Bizaar
Bizaar is the seventh studio album by Insane Clown Posse. Released on October 31, 2000, it is the second half of the Bizzar Bizaar double album, released the same day as its companion album, Bizzar.- Release and reception :...
. After Clark nearly died from a collapsed lung, he became less active in the music industry, his studio not being used for much of the early decade, and the group worked with Mike Puwal
Mike Puwal
Mike Puwal or Mike P , full name Michael J. Puwal III, is a guitarist and producer best known for his work with Psychopathic Records.-Biography:...
on their eighth and ninth albums, The Wraith: Shangri-La
The Wraith: Shangri-La
The Wraith: Shangri-La is the eighth studio album by American hip hop group Insane Clown Posse, released on November 5, 2002, by Psychopathic Records. Recording sessions for the album took place in 2002 at multiple recording studios throughout the United States. The album is the first of two...
and Hell's Pit. In 2006, Clark returned to Psychopathic Records and produced the group's tenth studio album, The Tempest
The Tempest (album)
The Tempest is the tenth studio album by American hip hop duo Insane Clown Posse. Released in 2007, the album marks the return of producer Mike E. Clark, who had a falling-out with the duo in 2000...
in 2007, but did not work with the group directly. Bang! Pow! Boom! was the first album which Clark worked on directly with Joseph Bruce
Joseph Bruce
Joseph Frank "Joe" Bruce is an American rapper, record producer, professional wrestler and actor. Bruce is most commonly known as Violent J of the Insane Clown Posse . He is the co-founder of the record label Psychopathic Records, with fellow ICP rapper Joseph Utsler and their former manager,...
and Joseph Utsler
Joseph Utsler
Joseph William "Joey" Utsler is an American rapper, record producer, DJ, professional wrestler and actor. Utsler is known as Shaggy 2 Dope of the hip hop group Insane Clown Posse. He is the co-founder of the record label Psychopathic Records, with fellow Insane Clown Posse rapper Joseph Bruce and...
since Bizaar. Bang! Pow! Boom! was recorded between September 2008 and July 2009 at Clark's Fun House Studio. Bruce listened to music by the psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that is inspired or influenced by psychedelic culture and attempts to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues rock bands in United States and the United Kingdom...
band Gong
Gong (band)
Gong is a Franco-British progressive/psychedelic rock band formed by Australian musician Daevid Allen. Their music has also been described as space rock. Other notable band members include Allan Holdsworth, Tim Blake, Didier Malherbe, Pip Pyle, Gilli Smyth, Steve Hillage, Francis Moze, Mike Howlett...
for inspiration. In order to ensure the quality of their vocal recordings, Bruce and Utsler drank tea before every take and didn't smoke cannabis
Cannabis (drug)
Cannabis, also known as marijuana among many other names, refers to any number of preparations of the Cannabis plant intended for use as a psychoactive drug or for medicinal purposes. The English term marijuana comes from the Mexican Spanish word marihuana...
while recording. Much material was recorded for the album; some songs left off the initial release appeared on the "Nuclear Edition" reissue, while another song intended for Bang! Pow! Boom!, "If I Ate Your Brains", was released as part of a single for the 2009 Hallowicked concert.
Music and lyrics
According to Bruce, the goal was to produce an album that was "very much a part of the Dark CarnivalDark Carnival (Insane Clown Posse)
The Dark Carnival is the mythology of the concept album series used in much of Insane Clown Posse's discography. It is a concept of the afterlife in which souls are sent to a form of limbo while waiting to be sent to Heaven or Hell based on their individual actions. These concepts are related by...
, without it being the seventh Joker's Card". Bang! Pow! Boom! was the first album to focus on this concept since The Wraith: Shangri-La. The album was later revealed to be the first Joker's Card of a "second deck." Bang! Pow! Boom! is a character within the Dark Carnival which Bruce describes as a "continuous explosion that stomps his way through the crowd blowing [...] evil souls [...] to Hell". The album features a series of skits in which rednecks, pedophiles, and husbands who abuse their wives receive phone calls inviting them to the Dark Carnival, where they are promised $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
100,000 for arriving.
According to Bruce, "In Yo Face" was originally titled "Pie in Yo Face", but it was decided that the final title sounded better. "The Bone" features surf rock-influenced guitars. According to Bruce, "Mike's beat for this was so fuckin' crazy sounding I had no idea what the fuck to do with it." "To Catch a Predator" was written during the mixing process, when the group realized that the album needed a song "that attacks an evil". Inspired by the television series To Catch a Predator
To Catch a Predator
To Catch a Predator is an American reality television series that features hidden camera investigations by the television newsmagazine program Dateline NBC. It is devoted to impersonating underage youth and detaining adults who contact them over the Internet for sexual liaisons...
, the song's lyrics describe Violent J luring pedophiles into his house to violently murder them. According to Bruce, "I could easily see myself killing pedophiles in real life and having no guilt. The only reason I don’t do it is because I'd probably get caught. So its nice to live it out through my music." "Boing Boing", a comedic sex-oriented rap, samples audio from a pornographic film which had previously been sampled by the group on their Tunnel of Love EP. Bruce says that the song was intended as a joke. Some fans interpreted the song as Bruce and Utsler calling themselves ugly, while others believed that they were bragging about how many women they have sex with. Bruce commented "We're not sex symbols, especially not me. If there are girls, they’re there to see Shaggy."
"I Found a Body" features lyrics similar to the plot of Weekend at Bernie's
Weekend at Bernie's
Weekend at Bernie's is a 1989 American comedy film directed by Ted Kotcheff. A comedy starring Andrew McCarthy and Jonathan Silverman features the two as a couple of young insurance agency employees who discover their boss is deceased...
, and incorporates Bruce's singing, concluding with a "Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam is an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. Since its inception, the band's line-up has included Eddie Vedder , Jeff Ament , Stone Gossard , and Mike McCready...
style yell". "Fonz Pond" was inspired by a series of bicycle trails and paths leading to what had once been a pond, but had dried out, and was filled with garbage and rusted junk. Rumors spread about kids that died trying to pass the curve surrounding the area. Clark created a beat which sounded unlike what Bruce had initially expected, leading him to write a song about a haunted pond hidden in the woods. Bruce describes the production of "Imma Kill U" as similar to that of early albums by Ice Cube
Ice Cube
O'Shea Jackson , better known by his stage name Ice Cube, is an American rapper and actor. He began his career as a member of the hip-hop group C.I.A. and later joined the rap group N.W.A. After leaving N.W.A in December 1989, he built a successful solo career in music, and also as a writer,...
and Public Enemy. Bruce states that Utsler initially hated "Juggalo Island" when they began recording it, and said that it was "too soft" for Insane Clown Posse. Bruce maintained his confidence in the song, but promised Utsler that if he still felt the same way after the song was completed, it would be left off the album. As the recording continued, Utsler began to like the track more, and later praised the song in a phone conversation.
The lyrics of "Miracles
Miracles (Insane Clown Posse song)
Miracles is a song written by Insane Clown Posse and Mike E. Clark for the duo's 2009 album Bang! Pow! Boom!. A music video was produced for the 2010 reissue of the album, dubbed the "Nuclear Edition". The song's lyrics focus on things experienced in everyday life and displaying an appreciation for...
" focus on the extraordinary events humans experience in life which often go unacknowledged, and encourages listeners to take time to look at the world and reevaluate their life. The song's music is built around an ascending synthesizer melody, and climaxes with an electric guitar solo performed by Mike E. Clark, and beatboxing
Beatboxing
Beatboxing is a form of vocal percussion primarily involving the art of producing drum beats, rhythm, and musical sounds using one's mouth, lips, tongue, and voice. It may also involve singing, vocal imitation of turntablism, and the simulation of horns, strings, and other musical instruments...
by Joseph Utsler. "Chop Chop Slide" was inspired by the "Cha Cha Slide
Cha Cha Slide
The "Cha Cha Slide" is a song often played at dance clubs, school dances/proms, parties, skating rinks, bar mitzvahs and weddings in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and the United Kingdom , created by Chicago's DJ Casper...
".
Release and promotion
The album's title was first announced in the liner notes of Bruce's solo album The ShiningThe Shining (Violent J album)
The Shining is the second solo album of American rapper Joseph Bruce, better known as Violent J. Released on April 28, 2009, it is the rapper's first full-length album and second solo release, following the extended play Wizard of the Hood...
. Bang! Pow! Boom! was initially announced as having an April release. Bruce and Utsler participated in a three-day photo shoot for the album's promotional images. The album's release was preceded with a nationwide in-store tour beginning in August, and followed by a 64-day tour, including the group's annual Halloween performance in Detroit. The album was released in three different color variations of the cover: red, blue, and green. Each version features its own unique introduction and hidden track
Hidden track
In the field of recorded music, a hidden track is a piece of music that has been placed on a CD, audio cassette, vinyl record or other recorded medium in such a way as to avoid detection by the casual listener...
. A sampler for the album was released, featuring a decoder piece for finding hidden messages in the album's artwork.
A special edition of the album, dubbed the "Nuclear Edition", was released on April 6, 2010. It features bonus material from each version of the album, three previously unreleased tracks, the sampler, two music videos and the documentary A Family Underground
A Family Underground
A Family Underground is an American documentary film written and directed by Paul Andresen. Filmed at the 2008 Gathering of the Juggalos, the film focus on the event and the Juggalo fan base. Gathering of the Juggalos is a music festival hosted by Psychopathic Records every summer...
. The first music video from the album, "In Yo Face", was released on December 18, 2009. The second music video from the album, "Miracles", premiered as part of the "Nuclear Edition" reissue. A third music video from the album, "Juggalo Island", was filmed at the 2008 Gathering of the Juggalos
Gathering of the Juggalos
The Gathering of the Juggalos is an annual festival put on by Psychopathic Records, featuring performances by the entire label as well as numerous well-known musical groups and underground artists. It was founded by Robert Bruce, Insane Clown Posse , and their label in 2000...
. A fourth music video from the album, "Fonz Pond", has also been released but is not on the Nuclear Edition.
Reception
Bang! Pow! Boom! received positive reviews. Allmusic reviewer David Jeffries gave the album three out of five stars, calling it "a formulaic album from the kings of slaughterhouse rap-rockRap rock
Rap rock is a cross-genre fusing vocal and instrumental elements of hip hop with various forms of rock. Rap rock is often confused with rap metal and rapcore, subgenres that include heavy metal-oriented and hardcore punk-oriented bands, respectively....
, but fans will appreciate the extra enthusiasm from the duo, the bounty of filth, and maybe most of all, the reviving of the Dark Carnival mythos." The Detroit News
The Detroit News
The Detroit News is one of the two major newspapers in the U.S. city of Detroit, Michigan. The paper began in 1873, when it rented space in the rival Free Press's building. The News absorbed the Detroit Tribune on February 1, 1919, the Detroit Journal on July 21, 1922, and on November 7, 1960,...
music critic Adam Graham gave the album a B rating, describing it as "the best material the Clowns have touched since 1999's The Amazing Jeckel Brothers
The Amazing Jeckel Brothers
The Amazing Jeckel Brothers is the fifth studio album by American hip hop group Insane Clown Posse, released on May 25, 1999, by Island Records, in association with Psychopathic Records. Recording sessions for the album took place from 1998 to 1999. The album is the fifth Joker's Card in the...
."
Kik Axe Music reviewer Matt Molgaard gave the album a four out of five rating, writing that "even if you’re not a huge fan of the 'commercial' sound [...] there's plenty of grim tracks to appease the appetite of new and old fans alike." Another writer for the website, James Zahn, gave the "Nuclear Edition" reissue 4.5 out of 5.
Washington City Paper
Washington City Paper
The Washington City Paper is a U.S. alternative weekly newspaper serving the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.Founded in 1981, and published for its first year under the masthead 1981, taking the City Paper name in volume 2, by Russ Smith, it shared ownership with the Chicago Reader from 1982...
writer Andrew Noz gave the album "three and a half 20 oz. Faygo
Faygo
Faygo or Faygo Pop is a soft drink brand headquartered in Detroit, Michigan. It is distributed in the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, and Central Southern regions of the United States...
bottles out of five". Consequence of Sound reviewer David Buchanan notes the change to a more positive sound as universally appealing while also noting the comeback of Dark Carnival references as a selling point for long-time fans, giving the album 3.5 stars out of 5. Mike E. Clark received praise for the album's production, which David Jeffries described as "inventive", and Adam Graham described as being "packed with enough hooks, chants and stellar riffs to tide the Juggalo
Juggalo
Juggalo or Juggalette is a name given to fans of Insane Clown Posse or any other Psychopathic Records hip hop group. Juggalos have developed their own idioms, slang, and characteristics.-History:...
Nation over through a year's supply of Faygo."
Chart performance
Bang! Pow! Boom! debuted at number 1 on the BillboardBillboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Top Independent Albums chart
Billboard charts
The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine...
and number 4 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
selling 50,000 copies in its first week. In 2010, the "Nuclear Edition" charted at #55 on the Billboard 200, following the release of the "Miracles" music video. By February 2010, the album had sold over 100,000 copies. By October 8, 2010, the album had surpassed the group's previous release, The Tempest
The Tempest (album)
The Tempest is the tenth studio album by American hip hop duo Insane Clown Posse. Released in 2007, the album marks the return of producer Mike E. Clark, who had a falling-out with the duo in 2000...
, in sales by almost 50,000 copies.
Legacy
The music video for "MiraclesMiracles (Insane Clown Posse song)
Miracles is a song written by Insane Clown Posse and Mike E. Clark for the duo's 2009 album Bang! Pow! Boom!. A music video was produced for the 2010 reissue of the album, dubbed the "Nuclear Edition". The song's lyrics focus on things experienced in everyday life and displaying an appreciation for...
" has become viral
Viral video
A viral video is one that becomes popular through the process of Internet sharing, typically through video sharing websites, social media and email...
. On April 17, 2010 Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
aired a sketch which parodied the video. In the sketch, fictional personalities DJ Supersoak and Lil' Blaster debuted a fictional music video by the Thrilla Killa Klownz called "Magical Mysteries" as part of Under Underground Records' "Underground Rock Minute". The fictional video featured Ryan Phillippe
Ryan Phillippe
Matthew Ryan Phillippe , better known as Ryan Phillippe, is an American actor. After appearing on the soap opera One Life to Live, he came to fame in the late 1990s starring in a string of films, including I Know What You Did Last Summer, Cruel Intentions, and 54...
and Bobby Moynihan
Bobby Moynihan
Robert M. "Bobby" Moynihan, Jr. is an American actor and comedian who is currently a cast member on Saturday Night Live.-Early life:...
rapping about things such as "where the sun hides at night" and blankets. Saturday Night Live had previously parodied Psychopathic Records in 2009. Insane Clown Posse called the "Miracles" parody "a huge honor".
Track listing
Personnel
Musicians- Violent JJoseph BruceJoseph Frank "Joe" Bruce is an American rapper, record producer, professional wrestler and actor. Bruce is most commonly known as Violent J of the Insane Clown Posse . He is the co-founder of the record label Psychopathic Records, with fellow ICP rapper Joseph Utsler and their former manager,...
– vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, skit vocals, lyrics - Shaggy 2 DopeJoseph UtslerJoseph William "Joey" Utsler is an American rapper, record producer, DJ, professional wrestler and actor. Utsler is known as Shaggy 2 Dope of the hip hop group Insane Clown Posse. He is the co-founder of the record label Psychopathic Records, with fellow Insane Clown Posse rapper Joseph Bruce and...
– vocals, skit vocals, lyrics - Mike E. ClarkMike E. ClarkMike Earl Clark is an American record producer and DJ from Detroit, Michigan currently signed to Hatchet House.Clark is best known for his work with Insane Clown Posse, for which he has produced nine studio albums...
– programming, skit vocals, producer, engineer, mixing - Razor Ray – guitar on "Bang! Pow! Boom!"
- Rich "Legs Diamond" Murrel – skit vocals
- Michelle "Sugar Slam" Rapp – skit vocals
- Dan Diamond – skit vocals
- Martin Gross – skit vocals
- Carlos "Southwest Sol" Guadarrama – skit vocals
- Wacko – skit vocals
- Awesome Dre – skit vocals
- Corporal RobinsonSteve Robinson (wrestler)Steve Robinson, known by the ring name Corporal Robinson, is an American professional wrestler best known for his hardcore wrestling style. Robinson has wrestled for various wrestling promotions, including Combat Zone Wrestling, and Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South...
– skit vocals - Brian Kuma – skit vocals
Production
- Bill Kozy – mix engineer
- Eric Davie – skit vocals, assistant engineer
- Todd Fairall – assistant engineer
- Jim Kissling – mastering
- Gary Arnett – artwork, graphic design
- Dan Christie – artwork, graphic design
- Jon Bowling – artwork, graphic design
- John Eder – photography
- Charles Green – prop design
Chart positions
| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
4 |
| Top Independent Albums | 1 |
| Top Rap Albums | 3 |
Nuclear Edition
| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Billboard 200 | 55 |
| Top Modern Rock/Alternative Albums | 30 |
| Top Rock Albums | 1 |