Kottonmouth Kings

9 years of touring under their belts, over 1 million records sold, over 1 million tickets purchased, 675,000 miles traveled, over 1,500 quality shows delivered, over 100 pounds of marijuana consumed in the form of 272 strain, 250,000 cases of beer drank, 25 trips to the emergency room, arrested and or banned in Virginia Beach, VA…Huntington Beach, CA…Tucson, AZ…Springfield, MO…New Orleans, LA…Las Vegas, NV...Los Angeles, CA…Orlando FL…Cleveland, OH…West Virginia…Salt Lake City, UT…Redondo Beach, CA…Orange County, CA…San Diego, CA… and Mojave Desert…One Cannabis Cup victory, one High Times Magazine Band of the Year… KOTTONMOUTH KINGS 10 YEARS IN THE GAME AND STILL REEKING HAVOC THE GUILTY PARTIES: D-Loc vocals Johnny Richter vocals Brad “Daddy” X vocals DJ Bobby B turntables Pakelika dancing visual assassin Lou Dog drums Taxman anti hero For most hip-hop acts, being in the game for a decade is reason enough to feel content. But for Southern California’s own Kottonmouth Kings, blending rap and punk rock styles is only the beginning of the story. Releasing eight albums over the past eight years, the Kottonmouth Kings are more than a seven-man hip-hop crew. FIRE IT UP, the 6th studio full-length release, is due out April 20 on Suburban Noize Records. KMK is at the epicenter of a constantly growing movement – a subculture of sorts – that brings thousands of fans from all walks of life together for exciting live shows and incredible music that extends further to albums by the 10 to 15 other artists on their highly successful independent label, Suburban Noize Records. “It’s an open-minded, loyal fan base,” said emcee-producer Brad “Daddy” X, who founded the Kottonmouth Kings in 1994. “They range from people who love hip-hop to punk rock to stoners to hippies to young kids to old kids to girls. It’s a diverse, eclectic mix of people, which is what’s so beautiful about it. That’s further proof that the Kottonmouth Kings break down barriers between people. There’s all types of people at a Kottonmouth Kings show. There’s hippies, punkers, hip-hoppers. That’s what’s great about it. You can’t really stereotype it. They’re just free-thinking individuals.” 2-2-2-2 The FIRE IT UP album is sure to add to the Kings’ already thrilling live show — from the party song “In Da House” to “Rip the Night Away,” which would work great as a closer with fans holding up their lighters. The album title and the song “Fire It Up” were inspired by the fans, who began chanting “Kottonmouth Kings, fire it up, fire it up, fire it up!” at concert venues across the country. Meanwhile, on another poignant song, the band questions “Who’s The Criminal?” — those who smoke marijuana illegally or those who carry guns legally. “It just once again goes to show that in this society the use of force and violence always seems to have the upper hand and is the answer and the accepted norm,” Brad X said. “I think, as a human being, that personally doesn’t make any sense to me. I don’t see how anyone can outlaw a plant, yet a gun is legal. That’s just so backwards to me.” The song “Bad Habits” is about addictions, which range from drugs and alcohol to caffeine and sugar. The song “Let’s Fuck” focuses on sex. “It’s about the ultimate human connection of two people coming together, two worlds colliding,” Brad X said. “We cut to the chase with ‘Let’s Fuck.’ We get directly to the point. There’s no beating around the bush.” Meanwhile, singer Casey Royer of the veteran Southern California punk rock band D.I. lends his vocals to a cover of his band’s song “Johnny’s Got A Problem.” In addition to Royer being a longtime friend of Brad X, the song works well because it makes reference to Kottonmouth Kings emcee Johnny Richter’s substance abuse problems. “Between Johnny Richter’s drinking and weed smoking and pill popping and womanizing, the guy lives a very extreme and somewhat dangerous lifestyle,” said Brad X. Another song, “Bring It On,” includes the line “So many years in this game and we’re still strong. So many haters that we had to prove dead wrong.” The Kottonmouth Kings have been spreading awareness regarding the need to legalize marijuana and promoting personal freedom for roughly 10 years. “Kottonmouth Kings and Suburban Noize, even still what we do to this day I think largely is ignored by the mainstream press — the Rolling Stones, the Spin magazines, the Source magazines. This is the sixth full-length chapter in the story that is the Kottonmouth Kings. It’s become an institution, an underground subculture in America. It’s definitely an underground thing that exists without mainstream radio and MTV and all the mainstream press. It completely thrives in the underground.” In addition to 20 new tracks by the Kottonmouth Kings, FIRE IT UP includes bonus tracks by D-Loc and Richter’s King Spade project and from Brad X’s Organic Soul project. Fans who preorder the album from www.kottonmouthkings.com, the band’s official Web site, will also get access to five previously unreleased tracks. And the album will come with the band’s fourth DVD, “Down 4 Tha Krown,” which features interviews with fans and videos from a variety of Suburban Noize artists. 3-3-3-3 Following a tour of Japan in early April and a CD release party April 20, the Kings will kick off their FIRE IT UP tour of the United States on May 20. The tour will run through August. “Every time we do a new album, it’s fun to go on tour,” Brad X said. “We add new songs to the set and try to take the show to another level. What excites me about it is getting back to the people and bringing the music live to the people that support it and love it and keep us doing this. Kottonmouth Kings is a different breed than everyone else. That’s what makes it unique and special. It’s a new beginning in a lot of ways and it’s a liberating time for our camp. We’re able to work at our own pace, make our own decisions and just run with it. It’s been an amazing experience cultivating this following. And when this is all said and done, the Kottonmouth Kings will live on in the underground for years and years and years to come. So fans who like us now, their kids will be listening to us someday.”