Line-up

Headliner
Kottonmouth Kings Last time in Springfield: 13 years ago

Venue

The Webster Underground

31 Webster St., 06114, Hartford, CT, US

thewebsterct.com/venue/the-webster-underground/

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Additional details

Doors open: 20:00

Concert in your area for Hip-Hop and Rock.

Find out more about Hip-Hop and Rock.

Kottonmouth Kings biography

Kottonmouth Kings is an American hip hop group originally from Orange County, California formed in 1994 and currently consists of Dustin Miller, Brad Xavier, The Dirtball, DJ Bobby B, Lou Dog.

The band originally formed in 1994 and their unique psychedelic hip-hop punk rock sound has gained them attention from fans and critics alike since. Their varied sound could be down to the mix in influence, they have cited Fishbone, Rage Against the Machine, The Notorious B.I.G, Tupac, N.W.A, 311, Cypress Hill, Ice-T, Snoop Dogg, The Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Beastie Boys and Public Enemy as major inspirations. They received a commercial break of sorts when the track 'Suburban Life' was chosen to appear on the soundtrack to the film Scream 2.

Their debut album 'Royal Highness' was released in 1998 on Capitol Records and although it missed commercial success, the foundations were set for the band to become an established name in US hip hop.

The next album 'High Society' charted at #65 on the US Billboard 200, a huge improvement for the band and their record label.

They achieved their peak chart positions following the release of 'Long Live The Kings' in 2010 which reached #26 on the Billboard chart and #3 on the US Rap chart. All but one of their albums have debuted within the top 50 on the Billboard and the top 20 on the US Rap chart. Their next album titled 'Krown Power' is currently set for release in 2015.

Live reviews

The Kottonmouth Kings blossomed from a mix of 1990s Southern California skate-punk and a mix of underground hip-hop cultivated by the controversial Insane Clown Posse (ICP). The group gained popularity while riding the coattails of ICP in their early gigs. This helped them gain some fans from the direhard Faygo soaked Juggalos that worship the rapping clowns.

Like many great hip-hop collectives the Kottonmouth Kings take the stage with an array of weapons. The face of the group is the punk rock bleached blonde Daddy X who commands the stage with the boldness of Henry Rollins mixed with Jay-Z’s swagger. D-Loc assists the KmK crew with his smooth rapping style, while Johnny Richter can come in and pump the crowd up like a classic hip-hop hype man should.

One of the more exciting aspects of a Kottonmouth Kings live show that helps differentiate it from a normal rap concert is the use of live drums. The drummer, Lou Dog rolls onto the stage with his giant afro and a custom drum kit built on top of a BMX bicycle. The live percussion coincides well with the groups mix man, DJ Bobby B. Bobby B’s beats are smooth and mellow, with a hint of punk rock attitude that’ll pump up any crowd one moment, then have them grooving and dancing the next moment.

It should be noted that the Kottonmouth Kings are heavily influenced by marijuana culture from their lyrics to logos to merchandise. Almost every live show the group, along with the crowd will be smoking marijuana.

Anonymous