Long Live the Kings

Album Review

“15 years and goin’ strong/Still rippin’ the bong” these rap-rock Kings declare right out of the gate, and there’s no denying the excitement level and suburban-spawned snottiness is as strong as ever on the herb-friendly group’s eleventh official album. Long Live the Kings is the first Kings album to have the honor of being released on the stoner’s holiday of 4/20, and as expected, almost every track here is “something to smoke to,” although this time there’s also something to ingest with the silly psychedelia of “Mushrooms.” All the trash-rap planets align when the Insane Clown Posse show up for a very un-N.W.A. “F*ck the Police,” which offers no great social commentary other then that getting pulled over is a real bummer. It’s hard not to smile at the track’s great opening exchange (Cop: “Any drugs or any weapons in the vehicle?” Perp: “Kinda”), and while the mainstream hip-hop scene has no reason to check the album, the cheap thrills are piled high with fun punk-pop-rap (“Rampage”) and maybe even power pop-rap (“Take It to the Top”) keeping the cul de sac-dwelling Kings from sounding like hood rat posers. The latter tune asks “Why does everyone gotta act like a big Mac?/Just kick-back, chill, and drink a six pack,” and for a taste-free, guilty pleasure moment, it sounds like a fantastic idea.