Insane Clown Posse announce farewell tour, Violent J's health issues

The extensive touring portion of Insane Clown Posse's ongoing Dark Carnival is coming to a close.

At its annual Gathering of the Juggalos festival in Thornville, Ohio over the weekend, ICP's Violent J announced the group will embark on a farewell tour next year and will scale back its live performance schedule thereafter, due to the frontman's recently diagnosed heart problems. 

"This doesn't mean I'm going to die or anything like that," Violent J, real name Joe Bruce, told the crowd at the ICP panel discussion on Aug. 21, stressing the Detroit rap duo still plans to perform regularly. 

But he does intend on taking on a less strenuous touring schedule going forward. 

"It's very embarrassing and very not cool to have to say that you're taking a step backwards," he said, his partner-in-rhyme Shaggy 2 Dope at his side. "But it comes a time in everybody's life when you have to take your first step backward, and I'm 49, I'm taking my step back sooner than a lot of people. But each and every single person alive, if they're lucky, will one day have to take their step back, because nobody escapes the trials and tribulations of being a human. Nobody."

Elaborating on his heart issues, J discussed his struggles with being winded, and hesitating going to the hospital because of COVID-19. But he ultimately went for treatment and was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, or a-fib, an irregular heartbeat. 

"That scared the (expletive) out of me because we don't have that running in our family," he said, calling the diagnosis "really scary." "I don't feel weaker. Anybody who wants to test me, they can jump up."

J said ICP will do one more world tour, scheduled for 2022, but that it would be "a slow tour, only like 3-4 shows a week." 

"It's going to be a farewell tour," he said. "This is a fact right here: that don't mean we're not playing.

"We’re gonna play every Juggalo weekend, every Hallowicked, every (expletive) (Big Ballers Christmas Party), every event," he said. "And pretty much we’re gonna do a show somewhere every month. One show a month is our plan. It's gonna be somewhere different, so eventually, we'll probably come to your town." 

ICP's recording output is not expected to be affected by J's diagnosis. 

Insane Clown Posse is currently celebrating its 30th anniversary. The group's 16th studio album, "Yum Yum Bedlam," is due out later this year. 

agraham@detroitnews.com

@grahamorama