Kottonmouth Kings

The textbook definition of a stopgap release, the Kottonmouth Kings' Joint Venture rounds up some new tracks, remixes, and tracks by other artists related to the Kings. Besides that, there's the bonus DVD filled with KMK videos, three of them available for the first time. The fun and silly side of the band is represented well by the opening "I'm Hungry," while "Radio Head" flips the bird to radio programmers. When the band dips into ganja-loving reggae-pop, it's believable, and their suburban rebellion has come a long way, sounding more pointed and genuine with each release. Of course, "TGIF" and "MF" are mostly what this rap-rock-reggae crew are about, and Joint Venture would be a perfect way to introduce yourself to them if the packaging wasn't so sloppy. Guest artists are announced mixtape style with ominous voice interludes, but there's no mention of who did what in the liner notes. The Suburban Noize label doesn't seem concerned with grabbing any new fans with the collection, which is a shame because the KMK have evolved a lot more than the like-minded ICP have. Preaching only to the message board-mongering converted will still move plenty of units, but collecting some choice KMK music and disregarding how it's delivered just suggests the band and its handlers don't care to fight that uphill battle of being taken seriously. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide