"The Great Milenko" 20th Anniversary Edition Dropping 9/1!
Whaddup, ‘Los and ‘Lettes. Nice talking to you again. This is your pal J-Webb schoolin’ you with some dopeness—the 20th anniversary edition of the almighty 4th Joker’s Card, “The Great Milenko,” will be hitting stores and digital sites everywhere on Friday, September 1!!!
Working on this project has been a literal dream come true for me because like thousands of others, “The Great Milenko” was the first Joker’s Card I ever heard and was my initiation to the world of the Dark Carnival. I still remember that day like it was yesterday. I was living in Longview, Washington (that shitty town that Green Day wrote a song about back in the day) and my friend Rick who worked at the local music store Just Music told me “You gotta hear these guys! This is right up your alley!” Rick knew I had eclectic and just-plain-fuckin’-weird taste in music and he never let me down when it came to introducing me to new bands. He put on “Hokus Pokus” from the just-released Island version of “The Great Milenko” … and something just went off in me. I had never heard anything like this and distinctly remember saying “Holy shit! This is fuckin’ amazing.” I bought the album on the spot.
You probably have a similar story about the first time YOU heard ICP. It’s just something about the way the music instantly gets under your skin and you feel that tingle of the Dark Carnival magic send a shiver up your spine and before you know it…you are a Juggalo. It’s pure, positive energy and there’s nothing else like it in the world. Can I get an “Amen?”
So you can imagine what a treat it’s been for me to work with Universal Music on the 20th anniversary reissue of “The Great Milenko.” I approached Universal last fall with the idea of doing a reissue and they totally jumped on the idea. Many of the people working there were involved with releasing the original Island version back in the day and there’s at least one ninja over there who worked for bitch ass, Disney-owned Hollywood Records when “Milenko” was first released! This project has been just as much a trip down Memory Lane for many people at Universal as it has for me…and when you see this baby, you’ll be able to feel all the mad love that went into this amazing reissue,
OK, OK, I’ll quit with the bullshit and get to what you wanna know—WHAT FLAVOR DOES THIS REISSUE HAVE ON IT! For one thing, the album has been completely remastered for 2017 and sounds fucking INCREDIBLE! The sound is mountain spring-level crystal clear and you’ll hear background instruments and beats that you couldn’t hear as sharp back in ’97.
Also, this deluxe package includes a DVD of the notorious and now classic ICP film “Shockumentary”—the long out-of-print feature that MTV aired exactly once and hated so much they put a fucking disclaimer on it basically saying “Island Records bought airtime and THIS is what they want to show you!” This from the same network that gave Jesse Camp his own show (if you don’t know who that is, YouTube him…if you dare).
But the BIGGEST and most DEVASTATING flavor of this reissue is the BONUS DISC, which was PERSONALLY PRODUCED BY VIOLENT J!! J and Mike Clark worked together and found some “Milenko” era outtakes that they totally forgot existed! We’re talking about SHIT YOU’VE NEVER HEARD BEFORE IN YOUR LIFE, BABY! Unreleased tracks that are only JUST NOW seeing the light of day. You won’t find this shit ANYWHERE else except on the Great Milenko anniversary edition.
There’s also another piece of amazing flavor—a BRAND NEW ICP TRACK PRODUCED BY THE VERY MAN WHO MADE “THE GREAT MILENKO” POSSIBLE…the one and only…JULIAN-FUCKING-RAAAAAAYYYMOOOOOOND!!! You read about Julian in “Behind the Paint,” and recently, ICP and Julian had a chance reunion and before they knew it, everyone was in the studio together. The result is a track that is living proof that the Great Milenko’s spell continues to reign over this world and that the Dark Carnival magic is undeniably real. The song is called “Black Blizzard” and it’s going to blow your fucking mind!
So on Friday, September 1—just before the Juggalo March—be sure and grab your copy of “The Great Milenko 20th Anniversary Edition.” It should be easy to spot because Milenko is made out of premium quality shiny gold and silver (to make it a companion piece to the ‘Riddle Box 20th Anniversary’ that we put out two years ago) and will definitely be the brightest CD on the shelf.
And yes, in case you’re wondering, there WILL be a vinyl version dropping as well with its OWN special flavor…but for now, I’m not telling you when! What? Don’t you like surprises?!?!
Mad love to Universal for working with us on this project and mad love to YOU, the Juggalos, who have made “The Great Milenko” a certifiable hip-hop CLASSIC! “Great Milenko, wave your wand…”
