Potluck – Straight Outta Humboldt
Suburban Noize (released Sept. 19, 2006)
Hip Hop
“This is straight reality rap (Potluck)
Straight Outta Humboldt County
We ain’t all of that bling-bling”¦ doin’ all that”¦ flashiness”¦
We just some stoners”¦ who keep it real”¦”
Underground, independent rap is often automatically embraced for the simple fact that it can’t be found on your FM dial. The implication, from the streets to the suburbs, is that “commercial = bad” and “anonymity = good”¦ and hungry”¦ and real”¦ and our lord & saviors, etc. etc.”
Potluck, comprised of San Diego’s “1 Ton” and Humboldt’s own “Underrated”, are almost a stereotypically perfect fit for the independent Hip Hop scene. 1 Ton is African-American, while Underrated is Jewish. They’d be the original Odd Couple if acts like Northern State hadn’t taken the “wacky, seemingly unmatched rap staffing” schtick a few steps further.
Straight Outta Humboldt is Potluck’s fourth album since their 2000 debut Humboldt County High. That joint can be found online and is mostly a hilarious and over-the-top love letter to cannabis. That would be the sticky kind, not the bitter kind.
Since then, Potluck hasn’t exactly expanded their source material, if you know what I mean. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
“Rock the World” is as accessible a track as an underground group is capable of. Lyrically, it implies a little something for everyone, but the quietly majestic Underrated beat bears no resemblance to the dreck on FM today.
And, now we enter “the weed song” portion of our review.
“Dank Alumni”, produced by Pharmacist Chris, is a throwback to the mid-90s G-Funk sound that Dr. Dre first brought to the mainstream, with a heavy baseline and bare-bones approach. There are a few too many people on the mic (six!) and the disparity in skill set is, umm”¦wide.
The Kottonmouth Kings pop up on “Roll Big” and do just enough to make you think that the whole rap-rock thang might still”¦OK, OK, but it’s still a tight little track. “Marijuana 101” uses each verse to peel back the curtain on the life of (respectively) the grower, the middle man and the dealer. Meanwhile, that really is the omnipresent E-40 on the ridiculous (in a good way) “U Ain’t That Fine”, which sounds an awful lot like one of DJ Quik’s Roger Trautman-inspired efforts.
As you might expect, the pro-pot material gets way repetitive after awhile. When you’re naming one of your songs “Mary Jane”, that just might be overkill, if not unoriginality. A few of the non-weed themes are a little tired and overdone”¦ “Money Makes the World Go Round”, I’m looking at you. And, the skits are almost all awful.
Still, the boardwork here is a refreshing departure from the BET beats that rap fans have had to suffer through in recent years, almost from beginning to end. Lyrically, Potluck is better than you might think, without ever reinventing the weed”¦ er, “wheel”.
Rating:
