The Kottonmouth Kings are a Placentia, California rip hop outfit now consisting of D-Loc, Chucky Chuck, Judge D & The Taxman. The original marquee act of Suburban Noize Records, their full-length debut Royal Highness distributed by Capitol Records was easily the rawest entry of their discography & the sophomore effort High Society embraced a more futuristic sound preceding Hidden Stash II: The Kream of the Krop & Rollin’ Stoned stylistically bringing KMK to their own. The last time we heard these guys as a group was when the late Saint Dog & Johnny Richter got with Loc for their 14th album Kingdom Come on 4/20 2018, excluding 25 to Life which is essentially D-Loc’s 3rd solo album. To celebrate 3 decades since their formation however, they’re signing to Virgin Music for a brand new extended play of material.
“Red Eye” produced by Mike Kumagai thunderously begins talking about people everywhere knowing the Kings got the best flow whereas the title track goes for more of a reggae vibe to discuss Americans struggling these past 16 months. “Break the Chains” shifts towards punkier territory talking about rebelling against the system & once “Move Along” encourages all to overcome the odds, “Raise Up” finishes off with a celebratory heater.
I recently got to see the Kottonmouth Kings live the day before Mother’s Day earlier this month since both Motown Rage & Kung Fu Vampire opened for them, but this new lineup’s inaugural collection of music was what 25 to Life should’ve been & makes me more optimistic of where things will go for them hereon out. It’ll be a delightful surprise for fans to hear Kumagai reuniting behind the boards & taking it back to the rip hop sound he helped perfect almost a quarter of a century earlier, mixing political rebellion & stoner raps they’ve become synonymous with.
Score: 8/10