Insane Clown Posse Album: “Beverly Kills 50187”

I shouldn't even be writing this review. The fellow ninja above Bryant Ward pretty much summed it all up. But for the sake of "everyone having their own opinions", I'm gonna go ahead and write mine.

I agree somewhat with this EP being their best to date, but I believe that "

" is its only competitor. With that said, this EP is a classic from start to finish. None of the tracks are skippable, all 8 are nothing short from excellent. This is also one of the most original albums I've ever heard. Each song represents Detroit's unique sound in every way.

Compared to previous I.C.P. albums, this one is a HUGE improvement. When I say "improvement" I mean that Violent J steps his lyrical game up as well as his flow. He doesn't rish the beat like he used to. He is also getting deeper in his storytelling rap. Which he is genuinely loved for today. 2 Dope does extremely well here. And this is the only album with former I.C.P. member Greez-E, he replaced John Kichass for a brief period of time. I'm not saying that I would like to have Greez-E in I.C.P. today, but maybe a spot on Psychopathic Records wouldn't hurt. He rapped on only one song here and he had potential. I'd like to hear something new from him.

The production on this album is also a plus. Chuck Miller, Esham, Mike Clark and I.C.P. all cut beats for this EP. No beat on here is a dud. They all shine. If I had to sum the production style up in one word it would have to be "funky". That's the first thing hat comes to mind when I think of the superb production that this EP has to offer. The best beat on this album would have to be a cross from "The Stalker" and "Joke Ya Mind".

As I said in previous reviews, Amazon limited their characters to 4000 words. So I can't give a track-by-track breakdown. But I am going to give the tracklisting as well as my personal rating of each individual track.

01. "Beverly Kills" (A+)

02. "17 Dead" (B) (least favorite)

03. "The Stalker" (A)

04. "In The HAUGHHH!" (A)

05. "Chop! Chop! (ft. Esham)" (A+)

06. "Joke Ya Mind" (A+) (my favorite)

So, there you have it. My review for Beverly Kills 50187. I recommend this to all old skool hip-hop fans, Juggalos and Esham fans. It's okay to be skeptical, but you'll forget all about your worries for this album once you pop this in. This is a must-have. Be sure to check out my profile for more reviews.

Peace and MCL.

~Raw Hide

Out of all the EP's released by the I.C.P., this ranks as #1 on my list.

This concept EP is short, yet incredibly sweet. From the Carnival of Carnage era, this was easily my favorite EP following my favorite Joker's Card. Besides the dirt and grime of this early I.C.P. work, the contributions from mentor and Acid Rap Originator Esham The Unholy only make an excellent effort better.

'Chop! Chop!' featuring and produced by Esham is one of two of the Esham-laced gems. If you liked 'Taste' from C.O.C., you'll love this even more. Wicked lyrics with dark beats by E(even earning a censor, courtesy of I.C.P., when Esham raps "Into newborn baby's heads I drill".)

'17 Dead' remains one of my favorite of all-time I.C.P. songs, produced by Esham The Unholy at his studio in Detroit, The Hell's Doors. I love the old school, grimey production. The 17 reference is referring to how many people bought their previous effort, COC. Yup, the multi-millionare self-made pioneers of underground rap started their carrer out with 17 sales on the day of their debut as Insane Clown Posse.

With the help of local record store owner Alex Abiss(aka Double A), Violent J, Shaggy 2 Dope and Shagg's brother John started the label, Psychopathic Records.

By the time their debut was released, John Kickjazz was a rapper of the past. He was, for a minute or two, replaced by another local friend of I.C.P.'s, an underground Detroit MC, called Greez-E(Real name Eric). He only raps on 'In The Haughhh!', a pretty tight track. Soon after, Greez-E dropped the mic, left the music scene and got married.

The last track, 'Joke Ya Mind', was a stray from the norm and worked well. With dope production from none-other then Mike Clark, Violent J shines with good lyric writing. This song was later re-made into a much tighter, darker and updated version on J's brother Jumpsteady's debut EP, 'The Chaos Theory'.

From the comic book cover(drawn by Shaggy), to the concept, I love it. This is where I.C.P.'s anti-mainstream works began and continued up until Milenko, where I.C.P. actually got a little taste of success. If your a newer fan of I.C.P and just dig their newer stuff(Milenko and up) this may sound quite a bit different then what your used to hearing. I.C.P. were two nobodies hungry for attention and just hungry literally, which shows in their lyrics and overall sound. This is the I.C.P. that made me become a fan. I love the darker, older works much more then the newer stuff they've put out since Riddlebox(My favorites being C.O.C. and Ringmaster, specifically). If your more Hell's Pit then Shangri-La, this is for you!

This E.P. is a classic, in my opinion. Every song on this E.P. is great, but my absolute favourite would have to be "The Stalker", a tale of an obsession with a woman who they stalk. This song has an amazing beat, it's mega- old skool lol. Anyways, I highly recommend this album to all juggalos.

MCL

Jono