Insane Clown Posse (abbreviated as ICP), is an American hip-hop duo compose… Read Full Bio ↴Insane Clown Posse (abbreviated as ICP), is an American hip-hop duo composed of Violent J (Joseph Bruce) and Shaggy 2 Dope (Joseph Utsler). ICP has earned two platinum and five gold albums. According to Nielsen SoundScan, the entire catalog of the group has sold 6.5 million units in the United States and Canada as of April 2007. The group has established a dedicated following called Juggalos numbering in the "tens of thousands".

Founded in Detroit in 1989, Insane Clown Posse performs a style of hardcore hip hop known as horrorcore and is known for its elaborate live performances. Originally known as JJ Boyz and Inner City Posse, the group introduced supernatural- and horror-themed lyrics as a means of distinguishing itself stylistically. The duo founded the independent record label Psychopathic Records with Alex Abbiss as manager, and produced and starred in the feature films Big Money Hustlas and Big Money Rustlas. They formed their own professional wrestling promotion, Juggalo Championship Wrestling, and later collaborated with many hip hop and rock musicians.

The songs of Insane Clown Posse center thematically on the mythology of the Dark Carnival, a metaphoric limbo in which the lives of the dead are judged by one of several entities. The Dark Carnival is 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 original lineup of Insane Clown Posse was John Utsler (John Kickjazz), Joe Bruce (Violent J) and Joey Utsler (Shaggy 2 Dope). John Utsler left before Carnival of Carnage was released in 1992.

Insane Clown Posse's performance style is often described as horrorcore hip hop, which "utilize shocking (and blatantly over-the-top) narratives to give an over-exaggerated, almost cartoon-like version of urban deprivation in Detroit", according to author Sara Cohen. Bruce and Utsler describe many of their lyrics as being tongue-in-cheek. The group's early work features a raw, minimalistic sound, which later evolved into a more rock-oriented style. The group's lyrics serve as morality tales, with songs focusing on subjects such as cannibalism, murder and necrophilia. Insane Clown Posse's debut album, Carnival of Carnage, features a politically-oriented focus, criticizing elitism and prejudice against those who live in the ghetto, while the album's liner notes criticize the Gulf War. The group's lyrics have opposed racism, bigotry, domestic violence, and child abuse.

Insane Clown Posse has covered songs by Geto Boys, Sly Fox, and Above the Law. Bruce and Utsler refer to Ice Cube, Awesome Dre, Geto Boys, and Esham as influences on their own music, while Bruce has expressed admiration for Gong, Pearl Jam, and Michael Jackson. Mike E. Clark's production for the group incorporates elements such as "carnival organ riffs, power chords and shotgun blasts...banjolike plucking and Van Halen-esque guitar squeals", while Bruce and Utsler sometimes alternate between rapping and screaming. Bruce has credited pop music as an influence on some of the group's material, even terming the music "Wicked Pop". Bruce has also stated "We do our own genre of music". In his review of The Tempest, Allmusic's David Jeffries writes that Bruce and Utsler "[rap] in a carnival barker fashion that fits with their circus motif, their Insane Clown disguises, and Mike E. Clark's big top-inspired production." Insane Clown Posse has influenced similar acts, such as Axe Murder Boyz, Blaze Ya Dead Homie and Boondox.

Put It Down
Insane Clown Posse Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴

What up y'all?
This Jed Thumpman
Let me tell y'all a little story
About a muthafucka that I know named Blaze
Now everytime we roll up a joint
Muthafuckas always be talkin' about Blaze Blaze Blaze
Man fuck Blaze
This muthafucka act like he puttin' it down for the hood

Talkin' bout everybody know Blaze, big baller
I don't give a fuck
Dead muthafucka don't get no special treatment from me
Look at Sarie's son little Eric
You know that muthafucka down to wear a wheelchair
I hate that muthafucka
And I don't show him no special treatment
So Blaze can kiss my ass

I put in work for my hood
So fuck a 9 to 5
You can find me on the corner
Hustlin' on the grind
They call me Mr. Lump Lump
So when their heads hear the thunder and the bump bump
They come out runnin' like the kids to the ice cream man
Children I'm sorry it's Blaze in the loony van
Playin' Atari, and I gotta do a crime to loot and 8 ball
Semi automatic with a clip for the law
All I want to do is make money and smoke
Fuck hella bitches, and slang my dope
The law ain't good for a muthafuckin thang
But eatin' mad donuts, and gettin' all in the way
I been gone for more than a day, and some things changed
Some many died and some faded away
I represent the ghetto from Harlem to Pinewood
I ride for the hood, I put it down for the hood

I put it down for the hood
I ride for the hood
And all my muthafuckas is up to no good
Cause everybody in the hood is trying to come up
So gimme all of your money before you get your ass stuck
I put it down for the hood
I ride for the hood
And all my muthafuckas is up to no good
Cause everybody in the hood is trying to come up
So gimme all of your money before you get your ass stuck

I've been dead to the world for the last 11 years
My body's decomposing, I'm missin' part of my ear
Still gonna rock till the day I die again
Get up back from the dead, and ryde again
Walk again, talk thug shit, right
Empty mack clips, right
Keep it old school, want to see that bitch? Uh huh
When it's thugs in King's coats and Raider's caps
Killers, jerry curls, and baseball bats
Ready to die like everyday
I put it down like a muthafucka, everyday
I drink brew and smoke weed like, everyday
And we all trying to get paid but anyway
Killas don't talk, but this one do
Talk you out your wallet let the 45 blast you
Twice in the chest, once in the face
Plus the extra heater on the safe side in case
Your bitch is wack well she can catch one too
Cause if you're down with your hood
Then your hood down with you

I put it down for the hood
I ride for the hood
And all my muthafuckas is up to no good
Cause everybody in the hood is trying to come up
So gimme all of your money before you get your ass stuck
I put it down for the hood
I ride for the hood
And all my muthafuckas is up to no good
Cause everybody in the hood is trying to come up
So gimme all of your money before you get your ass stuck

Psychopathic just like thugs
We ball, and we fight
And just like the freaks I come out every night
Holdin' down the sidewalk
Standin' amongst muthafuckas that's soon to be outlined in chalk
Sippin' on a cold ass 40 of OE
Live from the DET we OG
Pissy drunk always, we dead bumpin'
Stay thug with the throw away in the trunk
Bitch slapper, fuck a bitch rapper
Bitches were made for fuckin' but that's another chapter
Bitch you don't know me, don't approach me
Thinkin' that you're down with Blaze ya dead homie
G Blood imbedded in street blocks
That's why I put it down, and blast with many shots
Bullet holes in my chest, it's all good
Man I even died for my hood, muthafucka

I put it down for the hood
I ride for the hood
And all my muthafuckas is up to no good
Cause everybody in the hood is trying to come up
So gimme all of your money before you get your ass stuck
I put it down for the hood
I ride for the hood
And all my muthafuckas is up to no good

Cause everybody in the hood is trying to come up
So gimme all of your money before you get your ass stuck

Overall Meaning

Insane Clown Posse's song Put It Down is a tale about hustling in the hood and doing whatever it takes to survive. The song begins with Jed Thumpman introducing the main character Blaze and how he brags about being a big baller in the hood. However, in Thumpman's eyes, Blaze is merely a show-off who gets no special treatment from him. The lyrics then shift to Blaze's point of view where he talks about putting in work for his hood and hustling to make money. He describes himself as a Mr. Lump Lump who sells drugs and carries a semi-automatic gun. Blaze also expresses his distrust of the law and how it hasn't done anything good for him or his community. The song ends with both Thumpman and Blaze claiming to ride for the hood and do whatever it takes to survive.

The lyrics of Put It Down are filled with slang and profanity that might be hard to follow for some listeners. However, they paint a vivid picture of life in the hood and how people struggle to make ends meet. The song's message is one of survival, where people have to do whatever it takes to provide for themselves and their families. In this context, Blaze's bragging about being a big baller comes across as hollow and empty, and Thumpman's dismissal of him seems justified. Overall, the song provides a window into the challenging and often harsh reality of life in the hood.

Lyrics © MOMAD MUSIC PUBLISHING, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CHRISTOPHER MAURICE BROWN, DWAYNE ALLEN ABERNATHY, SEAN GARRETT, SHONDRAE L. CRAWFORD

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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