Saint Dog – “Funky Soul” review

This is the 4th & final solo LP from Chisholm, Minnesota emcee Saint Dog. Coming up as a member of the trio P.T.B. with D-Loc & Johnny Richter, all 3 of whom would later form the Kottonmouth Kings with Daddy X in 1996 & departed 3 years later. He nonetheless remained on Suburban Noize Records & made his solo debut with Ghetto Guide that celebrated its 20 year anniversary in February. This would be followed up with U.S.A. (Unconformable Social Amputees) & Bozo, the latter being in tandem with Force 5 Records. In commemoration of what would’ve been the O.G. King’s 49th birthday, the Funky Soul will always live on.

The title track featuring Chucky Chuck, The DRP & Obnoxious starts with all 4 of them dropping hardcore bars over a funky instrumental whereas “Ms. Demeanor” produced by Fiasco Andretti goes full-blown g-funk with Saint talking about a chick that he considers freak of the year. “Love Affair” works in an acoustic sound thanks to The DRP making it clear that there ain’t no kindness, but then we get treated to a remix of the highlight “1 More” off KMK’s 14th & to date final group album Kingdom Come.

“Rock & Roll Gangsta” resurrects some classics vibes altogether talking about being Heaven sent on a mission leading into “Trap Jaw” featuring Danny Diablo & Son of Saint brings the trio together over a psychedelic g-funk beat making fun of everyone wanting to rap. “Rydaz” gets the whole Force 5 roster together a rap rock label posse cut & after another Kingdom Come standout “Loyalty is Royalty” making it’s way onto the track listing, the song “Backlash” featuring Big Hoss maintains a rap rock sound bringing ruckus & “I Know” ends with another stripped-back acoustic joint.

Capturing the essence of West Coast hip hop that shaped the genre with a blend of gritty g-funk, robust grooves & Saint Dog’s signature hypnotic flow, Funky Soul marks a return to his roots by evoking the spirit of his early days in Placentia, California as a Kottonmouth King in what would eventually become a posthumous musical sendoff that would make him proud knowing that his legacy will always live on. Many of both Subnoize & Force 5’s artists who appear on it were influenced by Saint Vicious & I thought that was a well displayed attribute worth mentioning.

Score: 4/5

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D-Loc – “25 to Life” review

D-Loc is a 43 year old rapper, producer & DJ from Placentia, California known for founding the rip hop outfit Kottonmouth Kings along with his childhood friends Saint Dog & Johnny Richter in 1996. Despite the revolving door of members within the last 25 years, the Kings would release a chockfull of material together. My personal favorites of which being Royal Highness, Hidden Stash, High Society, Hidden Stash II: The Kream of the Krop, Rollin’ Stoned, Fire It Up, Cloud 9, The Green Album & Mile High. However, it wouldn’t be until 2010 when Loc dropped his solo debut Made for Kings under Suburban Noize Records. This was followed up at the tail-end of 2018 with the sophomore effort Ripperside & now just 6-months after Saint Dog’s unexpected passing, we’re getting a new “Kottonmouth Kings” album that only D-Loc has been promoting for the past several months.

The first song following the intro “P.T.B. on the Creep” contains an instrumental kin to Dr. Dre & Scott Storch that I actually like, but it’s funny how D-Loc says anyone who thought the group is done is crazy when he’s actually continuing to bury the name himself by doing it solely. The next track “Orange County” is a short punk rock tribute to the SoCal region that raised him, but then Damn Dad himself is featured with Loc for the next 5 songs starting off with the rap metal-influenced “Fight Music”.

We go back into the punk shit on the fittingly titled “25th Anniversary” before taking a mellow detour on “Dance the Block”, which encourages the listener to be lifted brainlessly. The song “New Day” seems like they’re trying to recapture the spark of “Positive Vibes” except it has a more reggae influenced sound & then before Damn Dad hops back on the boards, he & D-Loc deliver the punky moshpit anthem “Kings of the Underground”.

The g-funk influenced “OG King” is pretty much Loc proclaiming himself as such, but then “Anarchy” is the definition of fake woke as the beat fuses together elements of trap & metal. After an interlude, the track “Away We Go” incorporates as a jangly guitar & some whistling with lyrics obviously being about smoking weed whereas “Time Flies” reminisces on his career over a hyphy instrumental.

“Paisley Grey” is a sincerely endearing tribute to D-Loc’s youngest daughter while the song “Home” goes into a more psychedelic trap sound as he details his family life. Damn Dad is featured 1-last time on “Web of Lies”, which is a garish punk/trap crossover about how KMK will never die. The track “Watch It Grow” is a stripped back anthem about weed being legalized nationwide & then “Legends Never Die” is a wavy tribute to Saint Dog. But before the outro, the final song “Don’t Forget Me” expresses his desire to be remembered over some acoustics & live drumming.

I don’t wanna sound like a hater at all because to this day, I still enjoy all of those past KMK albums I mentioned at the top of the review. However, this is nothing more than solo D-Loc album being marketed as a new Kottonmouth Kings group effort to make a quick buck. It’s like if the Fugees continued with just Wyclef as the only member. Obviously that won’t ever happen, but you get the idea. Even though I genuinely appreciate the fact that Damn Dad brought back the rip hop sound Kingdom Come was lacking, the performances & songwriting are both subpar for a good portion of the hour. I really hope Loc makes things right with Richter & the rest of the fans down the road.

Score: 1.5/5

Saint Dog – “Bozo” review

Saint Dog is a 43 year old rapper from Chisholm, Minnesota that came up as a member of the trio P.T.B. with D-Loc & Johnny Richter, all 3 of whom would later form the Kottonmouth Kings with Daddy X in 1996. He would eventually leave KMK in 1999, but would remain on Suburban Noize Records & make his solo debut 5 years later with Ghetto Guide. This would be followed up in 2006 with U.S.A. (Unconformable Social Amputees) but after rejoining Kottonmouth recently, he’s coming back with his 3rd full-length album.

The album kicks off with “Sounds of the Underground”, where Saint Dog talks about the things people say about him over a instrumental that’s perfect for the clubs. The title track sings about the things he sees in this person over a laidback instrumental while the song “I’m Living Life (Right Now)” with Danny Diablo & Syniister sees the 3 talking down to their competition over an instrumental that sounds like something Dr. Dre & Scott Storch would’ve made together in the 2000s.

The track ”West Side” with Kung Fu Vampire & Mars of course details the gritty life in California over an eerie beat while the song “Bar Door Sign” with The DRP & Prolifik is of course an alcohol banger with a thumping beat. The track “Same Ol’ Screaming” charismatically brags over an electronic beat with some live drumming while the song “She Be Wifey” talks about how fine this woman is over a trap beat with some plinky keys.

The track “Pixie Girl” is a stripper anthem with an unexpected EDM influenced beat from UnderRated while the song “Gangsta Ways” needs no further explanation over an acoustic instrumental. The track “Bang Bang” with Skribbal sees the 2 getting vicious over an instrumental with a prominent piano & some g-funk synthesizers that pop up during the hook while the song “Already Dude” gets reflective over another instrumental that kinda has a Dr. Dre/Scott Storch influence to it.

The track “Love (Is What I Got)” is a clumsily delivered romance tune with some great acoustic guitar passages while the song “Lay Low” with Big Hoss & Jaysin Logik sends a warning to those who oppose them over some keyboards. The penultimate track “Where I Stay” with Lil Jerry is a dedication to California with a summery beat & then the album ends with “Stir It Up”, which is a killer rap rock cut.

Overall, this was a pretty solid comeback. The production is decent as were most of the features, but Saint Dog sounds very focused & passionate to be back on the mic.

Score: 3.5/5