Soopa Villainz is an American hip hop supergroup based in

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

. Formed in 2002, the group consists of

Joseph Bruce Joseph Frank Bruce (born April 28, 1972), known by his stage name Violent J, is an American rapper, record producer, professional wrestler, and part of the hip hop duo Insane Clown Posse. He is a co-founder of the record label '' Psychopathic R ...

(Mr. Diamond), Joseph Utsler (Mr. Club) and

Esham Esham is an American rapper from Detroit, Michigan. Esham released his debut studio album, ''Boomin' Words from Hell'', in 1989. Since then, he has gone on to release 15 studio albums in total and is best known as a representative of the hip ...

(Mr. Spade). Lavel (Mr. Heart) was later added to the lineup, but left during the group's hiatus. Since 2018, the group has reverted to its original lineup. The songs of Soopa Villainz center thematically on nefarious actions conducted by

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. ...

supervillain A supervillain or supercriminal is a variant of the villainous stock character that is commonly found in American comic books, usually possessing superhuman abilities. A supervillain is the antithesis of a superhero. Supervillains are often ...

s. The group went on hiatus in 2005. ICP announced at its 2016 GOTJ seminar that the group would be reuniting for 2017. During ICP's performance on July 21, 2018 a banner showing the groups logo was unfurled, teasing the return of the group. Soopa Villainz made their on stage return at the 20th annual "Soopa" Gathering of the Juggalos in Springville, Indiana on August 2, 2019.

History

The group made their debut appearances in 2002 on Esham's '' Acid Rain'' and

Insane Clown Posse Insane Clown Posse, often abbreviated as ICP, is an American hip hop duo. Formed in Detroit in 1989 as a gangsta rap group, ICP's best known lineup consists of rappers Violent J (Joseph Bruce) and Shaggy 2 Dope (originally 2 Dope; Joseph Utsl ...

's '' The Wraith: Shangri-La''. Later that year, the group released the Halloween single "Silence of the Hams."Insane Clown Posse (2005). ''Forgotten Freshness Volumes 4''. Liner notes.

Psychopathic Records Psychopathic Records is an American independent record label headquartered in Farmington Hills, Michigan. The label is most associated with the hip hop music subgenres horrorcore and rap rock. The label was founded in 1991 by Alex Abbiss and hip ...

. In 2005, they released their debut album ''

Furious Furious may refer to: * Rage (emotion) Arts and entertainment * Furious (album), by Soopa Villainz, 2005 *"Furious", a song by Joan as Police Woman from the 2008 album '' To Survive'' *"Furious", a song by Ja Rule from ''The Fast and the Furious ...

''. The album peaked at number 9 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' "Top Independent Albums" chart, number 42 on the "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums" chart, and number 92 on the ''Billboard'' 200. Following a disagreement with the label, Esham and Lavel left Psychopathic Records in October, effectively disbanding the Soopa Villainz. During the ICP 2016 GOTJ on July 22, 2016 it was announced that at the GOTJ 2017 there may be a Soopa Villainz reunion. The next day on July 24, 2016 Esham announced via social media that he will not be performing at another GOTJ again, stating "I will not follow in someone else's shadow". During

's 2018 GOTJ seminar,

Violent J Joseph Frank Bruce (born April 28, 1972), known by his stage name Violent J, is an American rapper, record producer, professional wrestler, and part of the hip hop duo Insane Clown Posse. He is a co-founder of the record label '' Psychopathic R ...

said that the 2019 GOTJ would be themed The Soopa Gathering in honor of it being the 20th Annual, but few understood what he was eluding to. During ICP's Saturday night performance, they brought out Esham for a song, and then revealed that indeed Soopa Villainz have reunited and will indeed release a new album and will be at the 2019 GOTJ. On September 18, 2019, it was announced that The Villainz would be performing on Devil's Night in Detroit, MI, at the El Club, just 24 hours before ICP's annual Hallowicked Show.

Discography

Studio albums *''

'' (August 16, 2005) Compilation albums *''It Ain't Safe No More'' (May 20, 2006) *''Hit List'' (July 26, 2019) Singles *"Ricochet" (October 31, 2019)

References

American hip hop groups Bands with fictional stage personas Detroit hip hop groups Psychopathic Records artists Hip hop supergroups Musical groups established in 2002 2002 establishments in Michigan Hip hop collectives {{US-hiphop-bio-stub