The Wraith: Shangri-La
Encyclopedia
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 albums representing the sixth Joker's Card in the group's Dark Carnival
mythology. The album's lyrics describe the titular Wraith's exhibition of heaven.
The album was the first Insane Clown Posse album that producer Mike E. Clark
did not contribute to. It features guest appearances by Jumpsteady
, Anybody Killa
, Zug Izland
, Blaze Ya Dead Homie
, Twiztid
, and Esham
. The Wraith: Shangri-La was released in two different versions as well as in DVD-Audio
format. It debuted at number fifteen on the Billboard
charts and, in 2010, it became eligible for gold certification
by the Recording Industry Association of America
(RIAA).
in which "spirits in a traveling carnival
appeared to him," Insane Clown Posse created the mythology of the Dark Carnival
in 1991. The Carnival, a metaphoric limbo in which the lives of the dead await to be judged, was planned to be elaborated through a series of stories
called Joker's Cards, each of which offers a specific lesson designed to change the "evil ways"
of listeners before "the end consumes us all." The group originally planned six Joker's Cards to be released, with the final, "The Wraith", being two separate albums.
At the time of the release of the fifth Joker’s Card, Insane Clown Posse was signed to Island Records
. The group did not want to release the sixth Joker’s Card on the label, but were contractually obligated for two more albums. As a result, they released the double album
Bizaar
and Bizzar
, then left the label. Upon returning to their own label, Psychopathic Records
, the duo embarked on the Hatchet Rising Tour in 2001. They returned that November and attempted to begin work on the sixth Joker’s Card. Unable to create the character, members Joseph Bruce and Joseph Utsler
went into seclusion to free their minds. The two agreed that their next appearance would be in the following July at the 2002 Gathering of the Juggalos
, where they would reveal the Card.
With his free time, Bruce began jogging daily. The exercise helped clear his mind and allow him to focus on the sixth Joker’s Card. He and Utsler brainstormed on the telephone regularly, and the two created the character of the Wraith. In the end, Bruce says, the group knew what the sixth Joker’s Card would be because they've "said it all along. DEATH, and what's after that? Heaven and Hell. One for the true, Shangri-La, and one for the rest, Hell's Pit." The name of the Card, The Wraith, was another name for death itself.
. After brainstorming in seclusion about the album, the group traveled to recording studios across the United States to produce The Wraith: Shangri-La. They began writing and recording in Dallas, Texas
along with Zug Izland
and producer Mike Puwal
, who offered Insane Clown Posse a sound Bruce described as being more pop
-oriented. One night in Dallas, Joseph Bruce was approached by a fan. The fan informed him that a woman that Bruce had slept with had died, but that she had always cherished the night the two spent together. Bruce wrote the song "Welcome to the Show" shortly afterward and made reference to the woman in the lyrics.
After recording several songs in Dallas, Insane Clown Posse and Puwal left and headed to a studio in Las Vegas, Nevada
. The song "Hell’s Forecast" was written and inspired by Las Vegas’ hot desert sun. Next, the group traveled to a studio located outside of Nashville, Tennessee
. They recorded alongside Anybody Killa
and studio band member Rich "Legs Diamond" Murrell. Finally, the group headed home to Detroit. They finished recording at The Lotus Pod, and Puwal finalized the album shortly after.
. The card featured two "exhibits", Shangri-La and Hell's Pit, which were each given its own album. The Wraith: Shangri-La revealed that the hidden message of Insane Clown Posse's music was always to follow God and make it to Heaven. Hell's Pit toured where those who do not atone for their sins nor follow the ways of Shangri-La are sent, illustrating the horrors of hell itself.
. "Bitch Slappaz" Contains a sample from the song "Compton’s In the House" by N.W.A.
. According to the group's mythology, upon your death, the Wraith takes you to either Shangri-La
(heaven) or to Hell's Pit (hell). In The Wraith: Shangri-La, the ICP guides the listener as The Dark Wraith takes the listener upon an exhibition of heaven (while he may change his mind and try to pull you out of heaven), whereas in the group's ninth studio album, Hell's Pit, The Pure Wraith takes the listener on a voyage through hell
.
In the album's final track, "Thy Unveiling", Joseph Bruce
revealed that the hidden message of their music was always to follow God and make it to Heaven. Ben Sisario criticizes the series' ending in the Rolling Stone Album Guide
, writing "the whole thing was some bland divine plan [...] Is this man's final dis of God, or His of us?" Some critics perceived the spiritual element of the storyline as a joke or a stunt. Allmusic writer Bradley Torreano wrote that "Even if it is a joke, it isn't a funny one, or even a clever one."
According to Bruce:
nationwide. The next day, eight more release parties were held nationwide. Hosts of the parties included Twiztid
, Anybody Killa
, Juggalo Championship Wrestling wrestlers Rude Boy and Sabu
, and Insane Clown Posse.
The Wraith: Shangri-La was released in two compact disc
editions, one with a bonus DVD featuring a seminar from the 2002 Gathering of the Juggalos
, and the other featuring a live concert performance. The album was also released on DVD-Audio
format with the surround sound mix. In 2003, Insane Clown Posse went on the 75-date Shangri-La World Tour, where the group performed across the United States
, Australia
and Europe
.
and number one on the Top Independent Albums chart. In 2003, the surround sound mix was named "Most Adventurous Mix" at the second annual Surround Music Awards. In The Great Rock Discography, Martin Charles Strong gave the album four out of ten stars. The album received two stars out of five in The New Rolling Stone Album Guide.
In September 2003, Insane Clown Posse was voted the worst band of any musical genre in Blender
, with The Wraith: Shangri-La named as the group's worst album. Despite describing Insane Clown Posse as "imbecilic white rappers", the magazine complimented the album for its "charming, good-natured idiocy."
By 2010, the album had sold well enough to become eligible for gold certification
by the Recording Industry Association of America
.
Skunk Works
' Black Ops Desert Prowler program. The patch features the Wraith, with added red eyes, surrounded by six stars with the words "Desert Prowler, Alone and on the Prowl."
Other personnel
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 November 5, 2002, by 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....
. Recording sessions for the album took place in 2002 at multiple recording studios throughout the United States. The album is the first of two albums representing the sixth Joker's Card in the group's 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...
mythology. The album's lyrics describe the titular Wraith's exhibition of heaven.
The album was the first Insane Clown Posse album that 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...
did not contribute to. It features guest appearances by Jumpsteady
Robert Bruce (rapper)
Robert Bruce is a former American rapper, Psychopathic Records don, and professional wrestler, and currently works as a paramedic in Detroit, Michigan.Bruce is most commonly known by his stage name Jumpsteady...
, Anybody Killa
Anybody Killa
James Lowery, also known as Anybody Killa, or ABK, is a Native American rapper from Detroit, Michigan whose stage persona is that of a Native American warrior. He is signed to Psychopathic Records.-Biography:...
, Zug Izland
Zug Izland
Zug Izland is an alternative rock band from Detroit, Michigan formerly associated with Psychopathic Records. Named after an industrial site in Detroit, the band broke onto the national competitive music scene in 2003 with their debut album, Cracked Tiles, produced by Insane Clown Posse member...
, Blaze Ya Dead Homie
Blaze Ya Dead Homie
Chris Rouleau, also known as Blaze Ya Dead Homie, is an American rapper from Romeo, Michigan. His stage persona is that of a reincarnated gang member killed in the late 1980s, and his music is a fusion of gangsta rap and horrorcore.-Biography:...
, Twiztid
Twiztid
Twiztid is an American hip hop duo from Warren, Michigan. The group is composed of Jamie Spaniolo and Paul Methric, who perform under the respective personas of Jamie Madrox and Monoxide Child...
, and Esham
Esham
Rashaam Attica Smith, better known by his stage name Esham , is an American rapper from Detroit, Michigan known for his hallucinogenic style of hip hop which he refers to as "acid rap", which fuses rock-based beats and lyrics involving subjects such as death, drug use, evil, paranoia and...
. The Wraith: Shangri-La was released in two different versions as well as in DVD-Audio
DVD-Audio
DVD-Audio is a digital format for delivering high-fidelity audio content on a DVD. DVD-Audio is not intended to be a video delivery format and is not the same as video DVDs containing concert films or music videos....
format. It debuted at number fifteen on the Billboard
Billboard (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...
charts and, in 2010, it became eligible for gold certification
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
(RIAA).
Background
Following a dream by group member Joseph BruceJoseph 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,...
in which "spirits in a traveling carnival
Traveling carnival
A traveling carnival is an amusement show that may be made up of amusement rides, food vendors, merchandise vendors, games of chance and skill, thrill acts, animal acts or sideshow curiosities. A traveling carnival is not set up at a permanent location, like an amusement park, but is moved from...
appeared to him," Insane Clown Posse created the mythology of 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...
in 1991. The Carnival, a metaphoric limbo in which the lives of the dead await to be judged, was planned to be elaborated through a series of stories
Morality play
The morality play is a genre of Medieval and early Tudor theatrical entertainment. In their own time, these plays were known as "interludes", a broader term given to dramas with or without a moral theme. Morality plays are a type of allegory in which the protagonist is met by personifications of...
called Joker's Cards, each of which offers a specific lesson designed to change the "evil ways"
Sin
In religion, sin is the violation or deviation of an eternal divine law or standard. The term sin may also refer to the state of having committed such a violation. Christians believe the moral code of conduct is decreed by God In religion, sin (also called peccancy) is the violation or deviation...
of listeners before "the end consumes us all." The group originally planned six Joker's Cards to be released, with the final, "The Wraith", being two separate albums.
At the time of the release of the fifth Joker’s Card, Insane Clown Posse was signed to Island Records
Island Records
Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
. The group did not want to release the sixth Joker’s Card on the label, but were contractually obligated for two more albums. As a result, they released the double album
Double album
A double album is an audio album which spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically records and compact discs....
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 :...
and 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 :...
, then left the label. Upon returning to their own label, 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....
, the duo embarked on the Hatchet Rising Tour in 2001. They returned that November and attempted to begin work on the sixth Joker’s Card. Unable to create the character, members Joseph Bruce 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...
went into seclusion to free their minds. The two agreed that their next appearance would be in the following July at the 2002 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...
, where they would reveal the Card.
With his free time, Bruce began jogging daily. The exercise helped clear his mind and allow him to focus on the sixth Joker’s Card. He and Utsler brainstormed on the telephone regularly, and the two created the character of the Wraith. In the end, Bruce says, the group knew what the sixth Joker’s Card would be because they've "said it all along. DEATH, and what's after that? Heaven and Hell. One for the true, Shangri-La, and one for the rest, Hell's Pit." The name of the Card, The Wraith, was another name for death itself.
Recording
In 2001, Insane Clown Posse built its own studio called "The Lotus Pod" in Detroit, MichiganMichigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. After brainstorming in seclusion about the album, the group traveled to recording studios across the United States to produce The Wraith: Shangri-La. They began writing and recording in Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
along with Zug Izland
Zug Izland
Zug Izland is an alternative rock band from Detroit, Michigan formerly associated with Psychopathic Records. Named after an industrial site in Detroit, the band broke onto the national competitive music scene in 2003 with their debut album, Cracked Tiles, produced by Insane Clown Posse member...
and producer 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:...
, who offered Insane Clown Posse a sound Bruce described as being more pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
-oriented. One night in Dallas, Joseph Bruce was approached by a fan. The fan informed him that a woman that Bruce had slept with had died, but that she had always cherished the night the two spent together. Bruce wrote the song "Welcome to the Show" shortly afterward and made reference to the woman in the lyrics.
After recording several songs in Dallas, Insane Clown Posse and Puwal left and headed to a studio in Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
. The song "Hell’s Forecast" was written and inspired by Las Vegas’ hot desert sun. Next, the group traveled to a studio located outside of Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
. They recorded alongside Anybody Killa
Anybody Killa
James Lowery, also known as Anybody Killa, or ABK, is a Native American rapper from Detroit, Michigan whose stage persona is that of a Native American warrior. He is signed to Psychopathic Records.-Biography:...
and studio band member Rich "Legs Diamond" Murrell. Finally, the group headed home to Detroit. They finished recording at The Lotus Pod, and Puwal finalized the album shortly after.
Joker's Cards
The face of the sixth Joker's Card is "The Wraith"—or simply, DeathDeath (personification)
The concept of death as a sentient entity has existed in many societies since the beginning of history. In English, Death is often given the name Grim Reaper and, from the 15th century onwards, came to be shown as a skeletal figure carrying a large scythe and clothed in a black cloak with a hood...
. The card featured two "exhibits", Shangri-La and Hell's Pit, which were each given its own album. The Wraith: Shangri-La revealed that the hidden message of Insane Clown Posse's music was always to follow God and make it to Heaven. Hell's Pit toured where those who do not atone for their sins nor follow the ways of Shangri-La are sent, illustrating the horrors of hell itself.
Samples
"Thy Staleness" contains an excerpt from the film Killer Klowns From Outer SpaceKiller Klowns from Outer Space
Killer Klowns From Outer Space is a 1988 American comedy horror movie, made by The Chiodo Brothers and starring Grant Cramer. It is the only Chiodo Brothers' directed and written film – they have worked in many other projects in other roles, such as producing and visual effects...
. "Bitch Slappaz" Contains a sample from the song "Compton’s In the House" by N.W.A.
Lyricism
The Wraith, which represents the sixth Joker's Card, is in essence the grim reaper, or deathDeath
Death is the permanent termination of the biological functions that sustain a living organism. Phenomena which commonly bring about death include old age, predation, malnutrition, disease, and accidents or trauma resulting in terminal injury....
. According to the group's mythology, upon your death, the Wraith takes you to either Shangri-La
Shangri-La
Shangri-La is a fictional place described in the 1933 novel Lost Horizon by British author James Hilton. Hilton describes Shangri-La as a mystical, harmonious valley, gently guided from a lamasery, enclosed in the western end of the Kunlun Mountains...
(heaven) or to Hell's Pit (hell). In The Wraith: Shangri-La, the ICP guides the listener as The Dark Wraith takes the listener upon an exhibition of heaven (while he may change his mind and try to pull you out of heaven), whereas in the group's ninth studio album, Hell's Pit, The Pure Wraith takes the listener on a voyage through hell
Hell
In many religious traditions, a hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as endless. Religions with a cyclic history often depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations...
.
In the album's final track, "Thy Unveiling", 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,...
revealed that the hidden message of their music was always to follow God and make it to Heaven. Ben Sisario criticizes the series' ending in the Rolling Stone Album Guide
Rolling Stone Album Guide
The Rolling Stone Album Guide, previously known as The Rolling Stone Record Guide, is a book that, along with its sister publication Rolling Stone magazine, contains professional reviews of popular music...
, writing "the whole thing was some bland divine plan [...] Is this man's final dis of God, or His of us?" Some critics perceived the spiritual element of the storyline as a joke or a stunt. Allmusic writer Bradley Torreano wrote that "Even if it is a joke, it isn't a funny one, or even a clever one."
According to Bruce:
"We went on an in-store tour right when the sixth Joker Card came out. It was the most moving thing we ever went through in our lives. All across the country, it had such an effect. People would come to the in-stores crying, thanking us. A very, very emotional time. [...] Some people might've been upset by that, but through our eyes all we did was touch a lot of people. We definitely wanted it to be something everlasting. Maybe a 19-year-old might not understand or like that ending now. But later, when he has four kids, he might think, 'That was the shit.'"
Release and promotion
The image of the The Wraith: Shangri-La was first shown at the 2002 musical festival Gathering of the Juggalos. Insane Clown Posse later released The Wraith: Shangri-La Sampler. The four track sampler concentrated on the group's history and contained a seminar that they held at the 2002 event. On November 4, 2002, the day before the release of The Wraith: Shangri-La, 10 release parties were held by Psychopathic RecordsPsychopathic 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....
nationwide. The next day, eight more release parties were held nationwide. Hosts of the parties included Twiztid
Twiztid
Twiztid is an American hip hop duo from Warren, Michigan. The group is composed of Jamie Spaniolo and Paul Methric, who perform under the respective personas of Jamie Madrox and Monoxide Child...
, Anybody Killa
Anybody Killa
James Lowery, also known as Anybody Killa, or ABK, is a Native American rapper from Detroit, Michigan whose stage persona is that of a Native American warrior. He is signed to Psychopathic Records.-Biography:...
, Juggalo Championship Wrestling wrestlers Rude Boy and Sabu
Sabu (wrestler)
Terry Michael Brunk , better known by his ring name Sabu, is an American professional wrestler best known for his extreme wrestling style...
, and Insane Clown Posse.
The Wraith: Shangri-La was released in two compact disc
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
editions, one with a bonus DVD featuring a seminar from the 2002 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...
, and the other featuring a live concert performance. The album was also released on DVD-Audio
DVD-Audio
DVD-Audio is a digital format for delivering high-fidelity audio content on a DVD. DVD-Audio is not intended to be a video delivery format and is not the same as video DVDs containing concert films or music videos....
format with the surround sound mix. In 2003, Insane Clown Posse went on the 75-date Shangri-La World Tour, where the group performed across the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
Reception
The Wraith: Shangri-La debuted at number 15 on the Billboard 200Billboard 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...
and number one on the Top Independent Albums chart. In 2003, the surround sound mix was named "Most Adventurous Mix" at the second annual Surround Music Awards. In The Great Rock Discography, Martin Charles Strong gave the album four out of ten stars. The album received two stars out of five in The New Rolling Stone Album Guide.
In September 2003, Insane Clown Posse was voted the worst band of any musical genre in Blender
Blender (magazine)
Blender was an American music magazine that billed itself as "the ultimate guide to music and more". It was also known for sometimes steamy pictorials of celebrities....
, with The Wraith: Shangri-La named as the group's worst album. Despite describing Insane Clown Posse as "imbecilic white rappers", the magazine complimented the album for its "charming, good-natured idiocy."
By 2010, the album had sold well enough to become eligible for gold certification
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
.
Legacy
The image of the Wraith from the Shangri-La album cover was used on a flight test patch for the Lockheed MartinLockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin is an American global aerospace, defense, security, and advanced technology company with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995. It is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, in the Washington Metropolitan Area....
Skunk Works
Skunk works
Skunk Works is an official alias for Lockheed Martin’s Advanced Development Programs , formerly called Lockheed Advanced Development Projects. Skunk Works is responsible for a number of famous aircraft designs, including the U-2, the SR-71 Blackbird, the F-117 Nighthawk, and the F-22 Raptor...
' Black Ops Desert Prowler program. The patch features the Wraith, with added red eyes, surrounded by six stars with the words "Desert Prowler, Alone and on the Prowl."
Track listing
Personnel
Vocals- 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,...
– Liner Notes, Vocals - 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 - Anybody KillaAnybody KillaJames Lowery, also known as Anybody Killa, or ABK, is a Native American rapper from Detroit, Michigan whose stage persona is that of a Native American warrior. He is signed to Psychopathic Records.-Biography:...
– Vocals - Blaze Ya Dead HomieBlaze Ya Dead HomieChris Rouleau, also known as Blaze Ya Dead Homie, is an American rapper from Romeo, Michigan. His stage persona is that of a reincarnated gang member killed in the late 1980s, and his music is a fusion of gangsta rap and horrorcore.-Biography:...
– Vocals - EshamEshamRashaam Attica Smith, better known by his stage name Esham , is an American rapper from Detroit, Michigan known for his hallucinogenic style of hip hop which he refers to as "acid rap", which fuses rock-based beats and lyrics involving subjects such as death, drug use, evil, paranoia and...
– Arranger, Producer, Vocals - JumpsteadyRobert Bruce (rapper)Robert Bruce is a former American rapper, Psychopathic Records don, and professional wrestler, and currently works as a paramedic in Detroit, Michigan.Bruce is most commonly known by his stage name Jumpsteady...
– Vocals - Rich “Legs Diamond” Murrell – Vocals
- Lil Pig – Drums, Vocals
- TwiztidTwiztidTwiztid is an American hip hop duo from Warren, Michigan. The group is composed of Jamie Spaniolo and Paul Methric, who perform under the respective personas of Jamie Madrox and Monoxide Child...
– Vocals - Zug IzlandZug IzlandZug Izland is an alternative rock band from Detroit, Michigan formerly associated with Psychopathic Records. Named after an industrial site in Detroit, the band broke onto the national competitive music scene in 2003 with their debut album, Cracked Tiles, produced by Insane Clown Posse member...
– Vocals
Other personnel
- Gary Arnett – Graphic Design, Image Editing
- Tom Baker – Mastering
- William Charley – Image Editing
- Mike Puwal – Engineer
Chart positions
| Chart (2002) | 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... |
15 |
| Top Independent Albums | 1 |
| Chart (2003) | Peak Position |
|---|---|
| Top Independent Albums | 1 |