Riddle Box

Riddle Box is the third studio album by Insane Clown Posse, released on October 10, 1995, through Battery Records and Psychopathic Records. It was the group’s first national release and the third Joker’s Card in the Dark Carnival series.

The story

ICP signed with Battery, a Jive Records subsidiary, expecting its first major push. Violent J described the album as “all the records we had done … rolled into one single effort.” Jive’s A&R head had asked for a running time under an hour. The finished album ran about 70 minutes, and Bruce kept the length by pointing to the role of the skits.

Sound and production

The duo produced the album with Mike E. Clark at studios including The Fun House and Pulsar Sound. Clark introduced them to guitarist Rich Murrell, known as Legz Diamond, who added much of the album’s theatrical sound. The concept centers on a supernatural jack-in-the-box that decides where souls go after death. “Chicken Huntin’,” first heard on Ringmaster, returns here as the “Slaughter House Mix.”

Legacy

Battery/Jive did little to promote the album, so ICP paid for its own marketing in the Dallas area. Riddle Box was eventually certified Gold by the RIAA, and it helped the Juggalo fanbase become a distinct subculture.