Kottonmouth Kings - Kotori Magazine Feature
By Darren Duque
Daddy X talks about the makings of the new album as well as the current mind states of the King Klick.
From the backyard to the main stage, it’s about time to give these guys their hard earned props!
With twelve years of hustling behind their backs, ten full-length albums released, over two million records sold and an uncountable amount of marijuana consumed, the Kottonmouth Kings are still smoking strong. Comprised of Daddy X, D-Loc, Johnny Richter, Lou Dog, DJ Bobby B, and Pakalika the Visual Assassin, this Orange County- based group of radical thinkers have left more than a lasting impression on the masses of open-minded individuals across the globe. The Kings have rocked stages all over America and have even ventured as far as Amsterdam and Japan. If you love their music or hate it, there’s no denying that the Kings have accomplished something that most groups can only wish for: independent success.
However, the success of the Kings is very far from an over-night sensation. They’re more of an over-decade sensation. They officially forged the King Klick in 1994 and started out playing backyard party-type gigs across southern California, basically whatever they could get. It was definitely a hard road for the guys for several years. However, since the moment they began writing and performing songs, they knew collectively that they had something special and unique. Eventually, they were able to put out their first album titled Royal Highness in 1997 on Capitol Records. Shortly later, they separated from the label to pursue their own plan of creating a full-fledged and independent Suburban Noize Records.
Over the course of several years, the Kings went to work, building their kingdom brick by brick. What started out as some dingy no-name label transformed into a fierce army of independent musicians. With their own label at their fingertips, the Kings were then able to sign their own artists, which currently include bands like Hed PE, Unwritten Law, and Sen Dog from Cypress Hill. Aside from putting out the music, the Kottonmouth Kings have attained a level of respect in the streets that they didn’t possess before.
These guys literally epitomize the SoCal punk scene. If you’ve ever taken a trip to the Southern end of Southern California, you know exactly what I mean, from the “Bro Trucks” with the banging system and signature SRH decal configuration to the KMK tattoos and Hart & Huntington t-shirts to all the things that the Kottonmouth Kings and their music have propelled over the years. The whole mentality of the music has definitely evolved into a culture filled with ideals of high times, fly rhymes, and really hot stoner chicks.
But I’d be lying if I told you these guys don’t get their share of hatred and criticism. They’ve been labeled everything from “wannabe white rappers from the O.C.” to “punk rock potheads” to “anarchist hooligans.” You can say that all they ever seem to talk about is smoking weed. However, I think that the majority of the critics don’t really get what the Kottonmouth Kings stand for. It’s neither about making hip-hop music nor about making punk rock music. It’s not about smoking weed and it’s not about reeking havoc.
Their music is conceptualized solely around the basis of being free!
Each of the members in the group came from different backgrounds and musical heritages. Daddy X and Lou Dog were in a punk band called “Humble Gods” while D-Loc and Richter were dropping freestyle on the basketball court. Meanwhile, Pakalika was pop-locking on the streets of Hollywood. However, it’s when all these different perspectives come together and mesh musically that this group becomes interesting and unique.
The Kottonmouth Kings have recently released their tenth studio full-length album titled The Green Album. The album features Tech Nyne on the track “Sex Toys,” Brother J from X-Clan on “Free World,” as well as fellow SubNoize artist Dirt Ball on “Green Gas.”
The album showcases everything from club bangers to really mellow acoustic songs. “The record has a lot of songs about personal freedom and enjoying life,” says Daddy X. With singles like “Where I’m Going,” it becomes obvious that the Kings have definitely become way more retrospective over the years.
“Obviously,” Daddy X continues, “everyone understands the crisis that we’re in, both with the environment and financially, so I thought ‘The Green Album’ was an appropriate title.”
Notably, the Kottonmouth Kings have agreed to donate a portion of the proceeds from the album to charities which include the Surf Rider Foundation, Life Rolls On, and Ward 57, which is a hospital in Virginia that helps injured soldiers from the war. “We feel that this record, being the tenth full length, is really a milestone for us. We’ve been playing as a band for thirteen years and so we all wanted to really make a statement not just musically, but physically as well.”
For a band that’s notorious for smoking weed all day everyday, you really have to tip your hat to these guys for their work ethic. It seems like they’re on tour eleven months out of the year. Not even a week after their latest release, the Kottonmouth Kings have already hit the road to promote The Green Album in Tempe, Arizona. “We do it for the fans. I know it sounds cliché but we probably wouldn’t be here if we didn’t have such a radical fan base,” says X.
Kottonmouth King fans are sincerely some of the craziest and dedicated out there. The die-hard fans seem to make it out to every show. They sing along, line for line, like it was the first time seeing one of their shows. From getting tatted with “KMK” to being buried in KMK clothing, the dedication these fans have for the Kings stands out. “We were probably most surprised when we went to Japan and saw dudes tatted with KMK and singing along line for line. That a mind blower for us!” The fans’ unconditional support is the real key element to their success. I mean, you don’t really see guys with Metallica tattoos or even Wu-Tang Clan tattoos, do you?
When most thought that the group would flop like a one-hit wonder band, they kept pushing and even more importantly, kept putting out albums. These guys are a true testament to the backyard band trying to make it big. It wasn’t pretty and it sure as hell wasn’t easy but these guys made it, you can’t deny that. On top of everything, these guys haven’t even reached their full potential yet. For a band that comes out with an album every year, I envision many more albums to be released in the years to come. So as they said before and continue to say to this very day, “Kottonmouth Kings…still blowing smoke rings!”
