Violent J, one half of Detroit hip hop duo Insane Clown Posse, has been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, a debilitating type of arrhythmia. In light of the diagnosis, he and Shaggy 2 Dope will be conducting a farewell tour in 2022.
J broke the news on stage at last weekend’s Gathering of the Juggalos, the festival that ICP co-founded in 2000. J had missed the previous night’s performance.
“We’ve got some highly personal news to share,” said J. “I just want to say that I’m sorry for missing the show last night.”
He then launched into the story of his recent diagnosis. “During the time of COVID, for those of you that haven’t been to my house, the studio is probably, you know, 40 yards from my front door. So, I noticed walking out to the studio every day, by the time I got to the fucking studio, I was, like, winded,” he said.
Shaggy 2 Dope watched on from the other side of the stage as J continued: “So finally my brother took me to the hospital to see what was going on. They did what they call an ultrasound. You know when they check for a baby? They did the same fucking thing – they put some gel over my heart.”
And the news was not good. “Basically they just came out and told me, man, I had heart failure,” said J. He went on to explain that has a serious case of atrial fibrillation. The early treatment has been effective, but it’s too early to forecast what lies ahead.
ICP isn’t coming to an end, but J’s heart failure means they can’t perform at the rate they have been for the past 25 years. “It’s not a very wise move to get out and play six nights a week,” said J. But they will be hitting the road for a major farewell tour in 2022.
“We’re gonna do all the major markets in the United States, and the b-markets, and then we’re gonna go to Europe, Canada and Australia. It’s gonna be a slow tour. It’s only gonna be like three or four shows a week.”
Beyond that, their live engagements will be more sparing. “We’re gonna play every Juggalo weekend, every Halloween weekend,” said J. “Pretty much we’re gonna do a show somewhere every month, all right?”
