The FBI have officially categorised the fans of rappers Insane Clown Posse, known as Juggalos, as a criminal gang.

The hip-hop duo coined the term for their fans in the mid ’90s, with the name stemming from their track ‘The Juggla’. Those in the movement became known for wearing face paint, consuming the American soft drink Faygo and their support for artists on Insane Clown Posse‘s record label Psychopathic Records. They also meet each year for their ‘Gathering Of The Juggalos’ celebration.

However, according to Wired, the FBI 2011’s National Gang Threat Assessment Report has now identified them as a “concern to law enforcement” after becoming alarmed by their “general destructive and violent nature”.


The report says: “Most crimes committed by Juggalos are sporadic, disorganised, individualistic and often involve a simple assault, personal drug use and possession, petty theft, and vandalism.

“However, open source reporting suggests that a small number of Juggalos are forming more organized subsets and engaging in more gang-like criminal activity, such as felony assaults, thefts, robberies, and drug sales.”

Over 200 Juggalos have now signed an online petition protesting the classification and asking the FBI to reverse their decision.

Earlier this year, former White Stripes singer Jack White teamed up with the Insane Clown Posse to produce their single ‘Leck Mich Im Arse’ and releasing it on his Third Man Records label.

Speaking about the collaboration, Insane Clown Posse‘s Violent J said: “White told us that nobody got the kind of reaction he got from his friends in the industry when he told them he was going to do a song with us. His exact quote was, ‘We could’ve done a song with Megadeth and it wouldn’t be as talked-about as us working with you guys.’ That’s crazy awesome.”