In our interview with ICP — Insane Clown Posse — we ask Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope about their favorite rock and metal bands. And we chat about nu-metal from the subgenre’s best rapper to why they like the new school bands more than the classic ones.
Elsewhere, the duo reflect on their time working at St. Andrews Hall in Detroit, Michigan. They were fortunate enough to catch legendary bands very early in their career, including a young Rage Against the Machine playing to a couple hundred people in the 1,000 capacity room.
ICP’s Favorite Rock + Metal Bands
“I love grunge, man. I like some ’80s metal too, but I’m a huge grunge fan. I listen to it, still, constantly,” Violent J tells us. “I also like things like Korn.”
“When I was a kid at my mom’s house, it was Queen or the Beatles or Motown shit, stuff like that,” Shaggy 2 Dope looks back. “You’ve got to be a damn fool to be a musician and not understand and listen to all forms of music.”
Throughout their career, ICP have readily embraced other forms of music, even beyond rap, hip-hop, rock and metal.
Early on, Violent J’s big grunge favorite was Pearl Jam, but lately it’s been Alice in Chains. “I was late in discovering how deep and how awesome they really were. I got to see them at one of the last [four] shows they ever did [with Layne Staley] when they were opening for KISS in ’96.”
He shouts out Pearl Jam again, as well as post-grunge standouts Puddle of Mudd. “I think Wes [Scantlin] is kind of crazy, but I definitely am a fan. No genius is not crazy.”
“I didn’t fully understand the depth of grunge music until I got older,” Violent J continues, “At the time, I was very aware of what Pearl Jam was doing and Nirvana. But later in my life, I go back and study this shit — the records I never heard.”
READ MORE: The 10 Rock + Metal Bands With the Most Diehard Fanbases
ICP’s Nu-Metal Favorites
While we’d never brand ICP nu-metal, their intersection at rock and rap’s crossroads invites a discussion about nu-metal and who is the best rapper in the scene.
“We did a song with Fred Durst,” Violent J says when asked about nu-metal rappers. “I like Fred Durst and it’s so great to see Limp Bizkit smash it right now.”
Insane Clown Posse, “Bitch Betta Have My Money” (ft. Fred Durst)
Shaggy 2 Dope adds, “You’ve got motherfuckers in nu-metal that, during the parts where they do rap, they spit insanely fucking good.”
For him, he’s really into the new school of nu-metal and trap metal.
“City Morgue — fucking amazing. Kim Dracula, Nathan James… holy fuck, man. I know a lot of them came up listening to rap too, so they know how to do it. It’s not like back in the days of rock ‘n’ roll guys trying to rap [mocks basic rap cadence]. They had no clue how to do it,” he says.
“Today’s nu-metal is a lot better than the old nu-metal,” adds Violent J. “I wasn’t a big fan of nu-metal in the ’90s.”
One old school nu-metal band they both admired though, is Korn.
“Korn was the hardest shit I ever heard when that came out. That ‘Blind’ song – what the fuck? That shit was mind-bending. I was such a hip-hop head at the time, but I bumped that record insanely,” Shaggy 2 Dope enthuses.
“Korn came busting through the wall like Kool-Aid Man. It just left a hole for everybody else to follow,” Violent J assesses. “Everything about them — the swag, the [imitates slap bass]… They’re innovators. They changed music forever.”
Watch Loudwire’s Full Interview With ICP
In the video below, get more on the stories above as well as those recollections of seeing Rage Against the Machine level a small crowd right as they were supporting their first album!
Follow Insane Clown Posse on Instagram, X, Facebook and TikTok. Visit the ICP website to see all upcoming tour dates.
11 Rappers Inspired by Rock Music
Rock and metal have had a big influence on a lot of rappers.
Gallery Credit: Chelsea Smile
