Southern California's rap-rock group the Kottonmouth Kings have been purveying an eclectic mix of punk rock and hip-hop – dubbed rip-hop – for over a decade in the underground music scene. The Kings themselves are most noted, or perhaps infamous, for their provocative visual and lyrical emphasis on the decriminalization of marijuana, but co-vocalist Brad "Daddy X" Xavier said their stance on marijuana law reform is only one dimension of the music and message. By Christian Cipollini.
"It's music. Of course, the themes of marijuana are a part of the music lyrically because that's what the people who write it are really doing," he admitted. "But we have so many fans who can't or don't smoke. [Marijuana] is just one dimension of it. I think there are huge layers to our music.”
In releasing their 10th studio record – The Green Album – Xavier, who also co-founded the band’s record label, Surburban Noize, noted the effort as both a career milestone and a chance to raise awareness for a few charitable causes the band members feel a personal connection to.
"We wanted to make a statement with this record – musically and physically," he explained. "We named it The Green Album for the obvious reasons. “Yes, we champion the causes of legalizing marijuana freedom but that's not the only thing I hope people get out of our shows and music."
In an effort to raise awareness for some of the other causes, particularly on the subjects of environment and people with disabilities, the Kottonmouth King members collectively decided to donate a percentage of the profits earned from sales of The Green Album, to three select non-profit advocacy groups. For environmental awareness, the group chose the Surfrider Foundation, a grassroots activist organisation addressing ocean and beach conservation. "We all grew up in Southern California, but I used to live like a block from the beach, and I would say at least twice a month the ocean access would be shut down because of contamination, sewage spills – the beaches would stink, and this happens on a regular basis here."
The Kottonmouth Kings also chose Life Rolls On, which was founded by one of group's close friends, professional surfer Jesse Billauer. This organisation (named after a Kottonmouth song) serves to motivate and assist young people with spinal chord injuries. "Jesse was fifteen years old when he had a surfing accident and wound up paralysed and in a wheelchair," Xavier recalled. "Once he got past the initial survival mode of his injury, he started this organisation about living in a wheelchair."
And the final choice is sometimes known as the "Amputee Ward". Officially, it's the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, or Ward 57 for short, located in Washington D.C., and is often the first stop for severely injured servicepersons returning from Afghanistan and Iraq.
"A small gesture, but we have so many friends and fans that are in the military and again, it's just a small gesture for those who put their lives on the line and came back not the way they went over there."
