Insane Clown Posse - Hokus Pokus

What this video is

Released in 1998 as part of Island Records' European push for ICP's The Great Milenko, 'Hokus Pokus' represents a pivotal commercial crossover attempt for Detroit's horrorcore underground. The video captures ICP at the apex of their late-1990s mainstream visibility — a moment when Juggalo culture was transitioning from regional Detroit phenomenon to a nationally recognized (and often controversial) subculture. The…

Why it matters

A key artifact of the horrorcore subgenre's late-1990s peak, 'Hokus Pokus' demonstrates how carnival and horror iconography could be adapted to hip-hop performance video. Its production by Mike E. Clark and international release via Island Records marks a rare institutional endorsement of…

The director

Steve Hanft (born May 1966, Ventura, California) is an American music video and film director with an MFA in Experimental Narrative Film from CalArts. He is best known for directing Beck's 'Loser' (3 MTV VMA nominations, 1994) and 'Where It's At' (MTV VMA…