Joseph Bruce aka Violent J Net Worth
What is Violent J’s net worth?
Joseph Bruce, also known as Violent J, is an American rapper, producer and professional wrestler who has a net worth of $13 million. Joseph Bruce and Joseph Utsler, also known as Shaggy 2 Dope, are members of the hip-hop duo Insane Clown Posse. They also co-founded the record label Psychopathic Records. There’s also Juggalo Championship Wrestling, an independent professional wrestling promotion.
Early life and career
Joseph Bruce was born in Berkeley, Michigan in 1972 to parents Linda and Richard. He has two older siblings, Robert and Theresa. When Bruce was two years old, his father absconded with the family’s money. Later, after moving to Oak Park, Bruce met John Utzler and his younger brother Joey, who would later help form the Mad Clowns. The three boys became addicted to rap music together and released the single “Party at the Top of the Hill” in 1989 under the name JJ Boys. After dropping out of ninth grade, Bruce moved in with his friend Rudy, who lived in Red River. There, he formed a gang called the Inner City Posse to terrorize people with tear gas. After he and his mother were attacked by rival gangs, they fled to Bonnie Doon, North Carolina, where Bruce’s brother was stationed with the U.S. Army.
Bruce returned to Michigan at the age of 17 and spent a short career in professional wrestling. He then formed the music group Inner City Posse with Joey and John Utsler and released the EP “Bass-Ment Cuts”. In 1991, the group established its own record label, Psychopathic Records, with record store owner Alex Abbiss.
crazy clowns
Sometime in late 1991, Inner City Posse decided to change its name to Insane Clown Posse. The following year, the group released their debut album, Carnival of Carnage. John Utsler left the band just before that, making Insane Clown Posse a duo of Bruce named Violent J and Joey Utsler named Shaggy 2 Dope. Throughout the ’90s, the duo released albums “Ringmaster”, “Riddle Box”, “The Great Milenko” and “The Amazing Jeckel Brothers”. Later albums include “Bizaar”, “The Tempest”, “The Marvelous Missing Link: Lost” and “Fearless Fred Fury”.
Over the years, Insane Clown Posse has had two platinum albums and five gold albums. It has built a loyal following, and its members are known as Juggalos. The duo’s supernatural theme song revolves around a concept known as a dark carnival, a fringe state of trial for the dead. Insane Clown Posse is notorious for its violent lyrics and outrageously bombastic live performances.
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In addition to Insane Clown Posse, Bruce is a member of various other projects and musical groups. Among them is the Golden Goldies, a hilarious group that writes lyrics specifically for gold. Later, in 1998, Bruce became a member of Dark Lotus and in 1999 helped form the hip-hop group Psychopathic Rydas. The latter group reused popular hip-hop beats without paying to license the original songs, effectively making their albums pirated copies. Finally, from 2002 to 2005, Bruce was a member of the supergroup Soopa Villainz, which released its only album “Furious” in 2005.
The beginning of a professional wrestling career
In the early ’90s, after deciding to distance himself from gang life, Bruce began his professional wrestling career on the independent circuit. In 1994, he returned to wrestling under the name Hector Hatchet and competed in the Midwest Championship wrestling while recording. Over the next few years, Bruce continued to participate in independent promotions, including NWA Central American Wrestling and IWA South Central. In 1997, Bruce and Utzler participated in the extreme championship wrestling show Hardcore Heaven, during which they performed songs.
WWF and WCW
In 1998, Insane Clown Posse was invited by the World Wrestling Federation to perform the entrance theme song for the wrestling group The Oddities; in addition, Bruce and Utzler would appear and rap live on WWF’s SummerSlam show. They were then invited back to the Monday Night Raw live broadcast, during which they asked if they could wrestle. The Mad Joker team got into a feud with the wrestling tag team Headbangers after sponsor Vincent McMahon agreed. However, McMahon was forced to part ways when their first game became too intense. Bruce and Utzler were then scheduled for other matches, including one against Steve Austin.
Bruce went on to wrestle at the World Championships with Utsler after a poor 80-city tour with his own promotion. The pair formed two stables and made Nitro’s debut in a six-man doubles match on Monday 1999. Insane Clown Posse continued to wrestle with the Nitro on Monday, beating the likes of Public Enemy, Lenny Lane, Lodi and 3 Count.
Bruce and Utsler created their own wrestling promotion, Juggalo Championshit Wrestling, in December 1999. After defeating Doink the Clowns, they became the first-ever JCW Tag Team Champions, a title they defended in 2003. Bruce continues to wrestle for the JCW and has appeared as Violent J in various promotions on the Indie Tour.
Personal life and legal issues
In 2013, Bruce married Michelle Rapp; they had two children, Joseph II and Ruby, and separated in 2016. Afterwards, Bruce briefly dated artist Blahzay Rose.
Bruce had too many conflicts with the law in his life. From 1989 to 1990, he was jailed for 90 days for robbery, death threats, and probation violations. He was charged with aggravated battery in the late 1990s for allegedly hitting the audience with a microphone multiple times during a concert. Bruce has also been charged with misdemeanor disorderly conduct and misdemeanor assault on various other occasions.
