Carnival of Carnage is the debut studio album by American hip hop group Insane Clown Posse, released on October 18, 1992, by Psychopathic Records.

Carnival of Carnage was the first album on which Insane Clown Posse collaborated with producer Mike E. Clark, who would work with the group throughout much of their career.

The other members agreed, deciding that they would take on this new genre and name, and would all don face paint due to the success of their former clown-painted hype man.

[3] Miller charged the group US$6,000 to produce the songs "Red Neck Hoe," "Psychopathic," "Your Rebel Flag," and part of "Night of the Axe.

Original group member John Kickjazz appeared on the songs "Your Rebel Flag", "Psychopathic", "Blacken' Your Eyes", "Wizard of the Hood", "Red Neck Hoe" and "Taste".

While Insane Clown Posse waited in the studio for him to arrive, Esham suggested that he appear on the track instead for the same amount of money, and the group allowed him to record a verse.

[6] The Dark Carnival is a concept of the afterlife in which souls are sent to a form of limbo while waiting to be sent to heaven or hell based on their individual actions.

Each of the six Joker's Cards relate to a specific character — an entity of the Dark Carnival — that tries to "save the human soul" by showing the wicked inside of one's self.

[9][10] The cover of Carnival of Carnage was drawn by Joseph Utsler, who would later create artwork for the rest of the albums in the Joker's Cards series.

[3] "Red Neck Hoe" and "Your Rebel Flag" stem from the group's anti-bigotry philosophy, based on various experiences witnessed by Bruce.

[14] As a teenager, he had briefly lived in Bonnie Doone, North Carolina, a trailer park town just outside Fort Bragg, where his brother Robert had been staying with the U.S. Army.

There, Joseph witnessed firsthand the hatred and open racism directed toward African American citizens, as well as the minorities serving in the Army, and became disgusted and infuriated with the actions that took place.

[18] During a live performance of the song "The Juggla" in 1993, Bruce addressed the audience as Juggalos, and the positive response resulted in the group using the word thereafter.

[26] In the Aqua Teen Hunger Force episode "Juggalo", Bruce and Utsler appear as themselves during a trial after Master Shake commits suicide.

In mid-2017 it was announced that Insane Clown Posse was going to perform the album in its entirety at the "El Club" (which holds 600 people), located in southwest Detroit directly across the street from Clark Park right in the heart of ICP's stomping ground when they were younger.

It was also announced that the performance would only be a one-time event, and tickets would be $250, with all proceeds going directly to the people making the documentary about John Kickjazz titled The Third Clown.