Kottonmouth Kings

The Green Album - Wildy’s World.com Review

Kottonmouth Kings - The Green Album
2008, Suburban Noize Records

Kottonmouth Kings are revolutionaries in Indie Music. Don’t like the major labels? Start your own! How about your own clothing company. Put out ten albums over a nine year period while producing/releasing albums for as many as 20 other acts. Tour constantly. Is there time enough in the day? The Kottonmouth Kings have made the time. Along the way they’ve continued to make groundbreaking music that fuses rock, hip-hop and classic soul vibes. Their latest, The Green Album, continues in this vein.

Blaze Of Glory lyrically celebrates action and change yet is mired in a depressive and meandering arrangement. The rap celebrates overcoming a difficult start to life and yet is stuck in Sad-Sack Terziak mode. Rock Like Us turns the page with a more upbeat bit of musical trash-talk. The musical wrapping here is more sonic dissonance than support, but works for the dance club set. Trippin’ has something to it that is memorable, capturing some of the energy that Kottonmouth Kings are capable of. Where I’m Goin’ has a bit of a ballad feel to it, sounding much more mainstream than much of the material on The Green Album.

Be sure to check out Stand, which desperately wants to be an Americana tune. The chord progressions and lyrics suggest a much different arrangement lives on in this song with significant commercial potential. Freeworld is another song that wants to cross over into the pop/rock realm. Brother J grabs the mic on Freeworld to good effect, but this is another case where another arrangement suggests itself as a distinct possibility. Other highlights include What U In 4, Rainfall, Grass Is Greener and Plant A Seed.

Kottonmouth Kings have songwriting talent that wants, at times, to break out of the hip-hop pond they play in. Several songs here are potential pop/rock hits with the right arrangement. Stand in particular wants to express itself in a different way and just might make a huge hit for the artist who hears that other arrangement and helps it escape. The Green Album is definitely not recommended for the under-18 set, as most parents would not appreciate the constant drug references, but all in all it’s a pretty decent album. I was pleasantly surprised.

Rating: 3 Stars (Out of 5)

The Green Album - ReadJunk.com Review

Kottonmouth Kings “The Green Album”
Record Label: Suburban Noize Records
Genre: Hip Hop
Band Link: http://www.kottonmouthkings.com
The tenth full-length from the Kottonmouth Kings covers the usual stoner-rap territory.

I have to give them credit for a 20-track album that is chock full of pleasingly catchy and weed-friendly tunes, if embarrassing in its 90s college party vibe. But if I were the living cliche of a Gen X stoner (and there are many of those still out there), I would certainly crank this up while making a bong out of an apple.

FYI - Percentage of proceeds go to a variety of good causes.
RATING & SUMMARY:
Bottom Line: Makes me want a Scooby snack.
Overall Rating:
Reviewer: Adam Coozer
Rating: 3/5

The Green Album - JustPressPlay.net Album Review Response

Kottonmouth Kontroversy The Sequel : Daddy X Speaks Out
Written by Tyler Barlass
Monday, 10 November 2008

kkrownFor all of you faithful readers of our joyous little website, you’re probably already familiar with the exciting Kottonmouth Kings review saga here at JPP. Those of you who aren’t can get caught up by checking out the following prerequisite reading. First I recommend heading over to the review for Kottonmouth Kings’ newest album by clicking here. Next I suggest you read JPP critic Matt Medlock’s blog entry in defense of this review by clicking here. Well I hope every one’s caught up, because the plot has just thickened!

I first would like to make it very clear that our writers are not in the “dirt dishing” business, and that we give our absolute honest opinions on the material that we review for the benefit of our readers. It would not be fair to those who frequent our site if we did not write exactly what or how we felt while listening, playing or viewing the media that we review. With all that being said I present to you a statement from the lead singer of the Kottonmouth Kings themselves, Brad X (aka Daddy X).

Everybody is entitled to their opinion, but if we let negative reviews
effect our work and mission at hand than we would have quit a long time
ago. Its funny when the people dishing out the dirt don’t like it flung
back at them and I would love the writer to send me one of his albums so
we can put it on our website and review it. At the end of the day, music
and art is subjective and I just hope we strike a nerve with people.
Love it or hate it “The Green Album” was the #1 independent record in
the country despite your negative review, so when we step on stage
tonight and see the packed house erupt in complete anarchy and
celebration, I will be reminded why we make music; for the fans not some
uptight critic who hates the fact that do things our way.
13 years and going strong….

-Daddy X

Hopefully this will bring an end to the gripping Kottonmouth Kings review saga. It had its highs and its lows, its heroes and its villains. It had a suspenseful climax and a rewarding resolution.When it was all said and done I think we even learned a lesson or two. So until next time faithful readers, don’t mug yourself.

The Green Album - Skyline.net Review

Whoever said that you couldn’t be productive or successful while smoking an abundant amount of weed, probably hasn’t had the pleasure of meeting the Kottonmouth Kings. For you see they are 7 of the most THC’ed out guys, even more than Cypress Hill (I know it is hard to believe) and they have managed to stay around for more than 14 years and produce ten studio full-lengths to their credit. Of course this could be because they have loads of interesting characters in the band from the lead vocalists Brad “Daddy X”, Dustin “D-Loc,” and Johnny, to the mentally challenged nature of their “mascot” Pakelika, or it could be because the stickiest of the icky gives them special powers.

As with the rest of KmK’s albums, The Green Album continues the trend of many tracks, all of which are stoner hits being filled with references to weed and munchies. For those doubting the magic of a white rapper still, you obviously haven’t heard KmK before, they are like the Wu-Tang Clan if the clan was a hydroponics club. Of course the album is filled with cliché things such as, over abundant gun shots and lyrics that are built for club music (great lyrical skill, but they spend most of their time talking about girls/weed/booze/money/etc etc), but it all seems to fall by the wayside when you let the album spin.

“The Green Album” is simply filled with tons of catchy songs about everyone’s favorite plant, so it’s hard to get mad at it. Mellow rap-fests appear in songs like “Blaze Of Glory,” “Trippin’,” and “Freeworld,” as more complex country/rock beats come up in tracks such as “Pack Your Bowls,” and “Plant A Seed,” and club beats are also aplenty. This record has almost every style that you could want from several vocalists/drums/a turntable (and whatever a “hydro-mechanix” is). So while I believe that many people grew out of the phase bands of the past such as Twisted, Kottonmouth Kings have always been able to represent what they care about most in tales and lyrics that never get old.

Not to mention that Tech N9Ne makes an appearance on the effort and he is amazing. So don’t go on a hatin’ spree. KmK are pretty linear with their love for the cannabis, which causes the lyrics to rarely change. But “The Green Album” has given us over an hour and 17 minutes of music, some of which is pretty addictive and could have you grinding some girls butt in the club, some of which that has deep meanings, and some that are just chill rap jams that let you smoke your weed in peace. But these guys have survived a while for a reason, people love their green leafs and their rap, so a few problems can be over looked while we help plant a seed.

Score: 7.5 (out of 10)

Kottonmouth Kings - Abort Magazine Border Patrol Podcast

BORDER PATROL™: KOTTONMOUTH KINGS
November 6th, 2008 Filed under: Border Patrol, Exclusive! by E.S. Day

Dave “Corvid” McCallum chats with Kottonmouth Kings’ Daddy X about their horrific experiences with the U.S./Canada border and of course…..shrubbery

READ THE FULL INTERVIEW IN ISSUE 9 OF ABORT

The Green Album - FaygoLuvers.net Album Review

Artist Name: KottonMouth Kings
Album Title: The Green Album
Release Date: October 28th, 2008
Record Label: Suburban Noize Records

It’s their tenth full length studio album, their thirteenth year in the industry, and a new chapter to add to the Kottonmouth catalog. It’s been a long strange trip and each year seems to bring in more strange-ness to the scene. It would seem to me that the KMK had found their sound they were going for a long time ago on “Rollin’ Stoned” with how laid back and stony the album felt. Since then they’ve taken many different routes with their music and some have been good ventures while others have not.

Finally, this album and most of its sounds are like a breath of fresh air from the Sub Noize Camp to branch away from their radical sounds of punk fusion with everything they do. I think that this, the Green Album, is a chance that they’ve taken to handle their music like they used to, with the laid back, mellow feel as opposed to the rip-hop sound they’ve been putting down. To me their rip-hop just doesn’t do it, I think that they’re better songwriters than that. For as much as those RH songs can be politically charged I just feel that if they were to take their time and sit down in their studio and write a connected track with the times at hand it comes out way better.

On this album what I like about it so much is how they not only took it back to a time of yesteryear, but they also kept the featured artists to a minimum which could display the Kings’ abilities that much more on the microphone. And in my personal opinion I feel that the group has grown over the years like a bud plant that’s been carefully crafted and well kept. Even though I like this album so much for the lacking on the rip-hop tracks they still snuck a couple in there: “Super Hero” and “So Cal.” If not your taste like myself thank god for the skip button. But then there are the tracks that are like the lyrical buds that I crave and want to hear with tracks like: “Pack your bowl”, “ Freeworld”, and “Where I’m Going.”

It’s an addition to make to your Kottonmouth Collection for sure if you like the group. If not a fan then roll up a dutch and burn that bitch while the disc turns in your friends system.
Websites:

KottonMouthKings.com
Myspace.com/KottonMouthKings

Reviewer: Whipstick
Favorite Track(s): Pack Your bowl
Overall Rating: 7 / 10

Kottonmouth Kings - The Monitor Feature

Kottonmouth Kings playing tonight
Comments 0 | Recommend 1
November 6, 2008 - 5:47PM
Zack Quaintance
The Monitor

Kottonmouth Kings just dropped its 10th studio album, dubbed The Green Album. And they didn’t name it that in honor of environmental awareness.

No, the Southern California based group named the album after its favorite color to smoke. And that’s no secret. These guys make music about corruption in the war of drugs and legalizing marijuana. It’s controversial subject matter, and one of the reason’s the group has kept its blend of hip hop and punk rock away from major labels, said Brad “Daddy” X, the six-member collective’s front man.

LIVE TONIGHT: KOTTONMOUTH KINGS

* With: (HED)p.e., The Subnoize Souljaz and more
* When: 7 p.m. tongith Cine El Rey
* Tickets: At the door, at Melhart’s Music in McAllen, all Wireless Toyz locations and online at www.ez-tixx.com.
* Online: www.myspace.com/kottonmouthkings or www.kottonmouthkings.com

But the band has stayed successful, touring and making original music since 1994. Tonight, the Kottonmouth Kings play McAllen’s historic Cine El Rey Venue.

Daddy X called from California just before the tour started to share some thoughts in the most recent Festiva interview. Here are a few clips.

Daddy X on blending hip hop with punk rock….”We all grew up surfing, skating and living the Southern California lifestyle. Living in Southern California is like a melting pop of cultures. A lot of people I grew up with liked punk rock and hip hop. Nowadays everybody listens to everything. It wasn’t always like that. I think those walls started coming down through the ‘90s and into the 2000s.”

Daddy X on The Green Album….[Fans] can expect 20 songs of peace, truth and freedom. Some good party songs. Some good hip hop songs. Some acoustic, mellow songs. I think it has all the elements of the Kottonmouth Kings.

Daddy X on his dream collaborations….we’ve had a chance to collaborate with so many great artists. I’d still like to work with the Beastie Boys, and I’d like to do something with Snoop Dogg.

Daddy X on the band’s influences…TSOL, the Vandals, Minor Threat and then of course hip hop. NWA, Public Enemy, Cypress Hill and the Beastie Boys.

Daddy X on what to expect from a Kottonmouth Kings show….if you can’t have fun at a Kottonmouth Kings show, I guess you don’t want to have fun. And bring a change of clothes because you’re going to sweat your ass off.”