The Amazing Jeckel Brothers

The rise of the Insane Clown Posse--or a group very much like them--was probably inevitable; somebody had to play the part of Howard Stern in the rap world. That it was two guys in clown makeup who rap--badly--over prerecorded tracks and spray their audiences with soda was a pure accident, brought about when their former record label dropped the act on the eve of the release of The Great Milenko. The Amazing Jeckel Brothers, their first proper follow-up album to Milenko, capitalizes on their notoriety; it features guests like the Jerky Boys and Ol' Dirty Bastard and issues challenges to MTV, Lollapalooza, and Kiss bassist Gene Simmons--whom ICP accuse of stealing their "shit" (though shtick would be a more appropriate word, and it was Simmons's in the first place). ICP stick with the formula on Jeckel Brothers that they've, um, perfected; it's not for everyone, but fans won't be disappointed. --Randy Silver