 | | Protégés of the Insane Clown Posse, the Detroit-area Caucasian rap duo Twiztid based their act on a similarly theatrical, outrageous, makeup-heavy image and an obsession with serial-killer horror films. |
 | | Psychopathic Records' back-story for Blaze Ya Dead Homie (born Chris Rouleau) suggests that he is a reincarnated gangsta who was originally killed in the late '80s, at the beginning of gangsta rap. |
 | | Prozak is a longtime member of the Detroit-area horrorcore rap scene, performing in the groups Bedlam and Project: Deadman before embarking on a solo recording career in 2004. |
 | | The Detroit based hip-hop "supergroup" has a rather dramatic story to go along with the story of its membership, Dark Lotus was -- at its outset and at its core -- the result of a collaboration between Insane Clown Posse and Twiztid. |
 | | Part of Detroit's demented rap school along with Eminem, Esham, and a host of others, Bizarre is a cross between a twisted Biz Markie and a cast member of Night of the Living Dead, favoring warped horror-core and devilish themes in his music. |
 | | Insane Clown Posse are a cartoonish metal/rap band with a vaunted live show that features open fires, chain saws, liters of soda dousing the audience (Faygo being the group's favorite brand), and more emphasis on performance art than the performance of music. |
 | | Like many underground rappers in the Midwest, Tech N9ne specialized in bizarre hardcore rap and stood as one of the few recognized rappers based in Kansas City when he debuted in the late '90s. |
 | | Rap duo Potluck probably knows hip-hop's ongoing relationship with marijuana better than most others, since their place of residence, Humboldt County, CA, is one of the marijuana production capitals of the world. |
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 | | Self-described "psychedelic hip-hop punk rock" outfit the Kottonmouth Kings emerged from Orange County, California, in 1994. |
 | | As an underappreciated cult artist, Esham's harsh hardcore rap thrived in this hometown of Detroit, MI, for years before an ensemble of artists with a similar style began crossing over into the mainstream in the late '90s. |
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 | | A versatile producer as well as an excellent solo rapper in his own right, Brotha Lynch Hung was born Kevin Mann in Sacramento, California. |
 | | Detroit-based rapper, producer, wrestler, and actor Violent J (born Joseph Frank Bruce) is best known as half (along with Shaggy 2 Dope [born Joseph Utsler]) of the greasepaint-wearing hip-hop duo Insane Clown Posse. |
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 | | Rapper Krizz Kaliko first came on the scene collaborating with his fellow Kansas City MC Tech N9ne. In 2007, he made an appearance on the Kottonmouth Kings album Cloud Nine. |
 | | One-half of the rock-rap crew the Insane Clown Posse, rapper/wrestler/label owner Shaggy 2 Dope was born Joseph William Utsler in his beloved Detroit. |
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 | | Brooklyn-based hardcore rapper Necro raised the bar for perversity in the late '90s and early 2000s with his music and films. |
 | | Although they still draw from the same California hardcore punk and Beastie Boys eclecticism as Orange County rap-metal outfit the Kottonmouth Kings, Johnny Richter (Tim McNutt) and D-Loc (Dustin Miller) splintered off to create a more strictly rap group, Kingspade, in the early 2000s. |
 | | Michigan underground rapper Madrox is better known as Jamie Madrox, one-half of maniacal, horrorcore group Twiztid. |
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 | | Masked MC Anybody Killa first emerged from the Psychopathic Records/Insane Clown Posse collective in the late '90s, contributing to tracks from likeminded types like Twizted, Blaze Ya Dead Homie, and Esham. |
 | | In its press materials, the Detroit sleaze metal band Zug Izland described its songcraft as "an exploration of imperfect human morality brought forth through the imagery of a pure fantasy. |
 | | The addition of the first Southern artist, Boondox, to the growing roster of the Insane Clown Posse's Psychopathic Records during the 2000s indicated the label's expansion of its deranged and murderous brand of rap-rock within the indie rap sphere. |
 | | Driven by an affinity for graphic violence, porn, and government conspiracy theories, Ill Bill (William Braunstein) is best known as the founder and frontman of four-man underground rap group Non Phixion. |
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 | | Detroit, MI DJ, producer, rapper, and mixtape impresario DJ Clay got his start as a DJ at local house parties and by appearing on other Detroit hip-hop albums. |
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 | | Kutt Calhoun is an underground hardcore rapper from Kansas City, affiliated with Tech N9ne and the independent label Strange Music. |
 | | Detroit area horrorcore rapper Prozak teamed with former Insane Clown Posse producer Mike E. Clark to found the short-lived duo Project: Deadman. |
 | | Along with group leader Esham's numerous '90s solo albums, Natas' work during this same decade trailblazed a path through uncharted territory, defining a dark style of hardcore rap characterized by decadent motifs and heavy metal-like aggression. |
 | | Axe Murder Boyz, better known as AMB, are an underground rap duo associated with Psychopathic Records, the horrocore rap label founded by and popularized by the Insane Clown Posse (aka ICP). |
 | | Dubbing himself "hip-hop's bastard" and "punk rock's fat brother," rapper Big B is a member of the rap-rock group OPM plus a solo artist with numerous releases on the Kottonmouth Kings' label, Suburban Noize. |
 | | At first, Hopsin was famous for his falling out with the pioneering label Ruthless, but that became a footnote when the rapper, producer, and actor released the hit track "Sag My Pants" on his own in late 2010. |
 | | Born Felipe Coronel in a military hospital in Lima, Peru, in 1978, Immortal Technique moved to Harlem with his parents when he was two years old. |
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 | | Initially known best for being a huge white-boy rapper from Tennessee, Haystak overcame his anomalous status with time as listeners learned to cherish his sincerity. |
 | | Huntington Beach, CA's (hed) p.e. (the "pe" stands for "Planet Earth") was founded in 1994 by frontman Jahred (aka M. |
 | | La Coka Nostra is a hip-hop supergroup featuring members of House of Pain (Everlast, Danny Boy, and DJ Lethal), Non Phixion (Ill Bill), Special Teamz (Slaine), plus solo artist Big Left. |
 | | Wherever rapper Eminem goes, controversy and headlines are sure to follow. With so many people unsure about whether to love him or hate him, five young rappers have decided to join him on his latest project, D12. |
 | | The Southern hip-hop duo called Rehab were literally a product of their namesake. Original members Danny Boone and Brooks Buford, both recovering alcoholics and drug addicts, met at a local rehab facility and connected over their love of music. |
 | | Emerging in 1993, when Dr. Dre's G-funk had overtaken the hip-hop world, the Staten Island, New York-based Wu-Tang Clan proved to be the most revolutionary rap group of the mid-'90s -- and only partially because of their music. |
 | | Yelawolf is an underground rapper from a small town in the South who found major-label success in 2011. |
 | | Though the Dayton Family never extended their reach to either the West or East Coast, the little-known rap group developed a substantial cult following in the Midwest during the mid-'90s with their potent hardcore rap. |
 | | Evolving slowly but steadily over the years, Three 6 Mafia began as an exploitative, horror-themed underground hardcore rap sensation ("666 Mafia," get it?) yet went on to enjoy relatively mainstream success years later, eventually winning an Oscar and scoring some major hits. |
 | | Born Joseph Foreman, Afroman may be the first artist to achieve a worldwide hit with the assistance of the Internet. |
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 | | The RZA -- and maybe even GZA -- of Odd Future (short for Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All), Tyler, the Creator is the alternative hip-hop crew's main rapper, producer, and source of inspiration. |
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