Californian weed-obsessed rock-influenced white hip-hop outfit Kottonmouth Kings have been dropping dope (in more ways than one) rhymes for more than a decade, and have released at least one album (often two) every year since their 1998 debut Royal Highness, plus several EPs. With 13 full length CDs (including rarities collections and a live album) to pick and choose from, thereā€™s plenty of source material for this Greatest Highs (the title Greatest Hits From The Bong already having been taken), so much so that some releases are overlooked entirely.

This two-CD package includes 37 career-spanning tracks ā€“ ranging from their first hit Suburban Life (as featured on the Scream 2 soundtrack) to collaborations with Cypress Hill (Put It Down) and Insane Clown Posse (Think 4 Yourself) ā€“ drawn from ten of their albums (their debut and 2002ā€™s Rollinā€™ Stoned are the most represented, with six and seven tracks respectively, while Hidden Stash III and Joint Venture provide only one song each), plus two brand new joints (Can Anybody Hear Me? and No Future).

Their straight-up rap and hip-hop tracks like King Klick and Whereā€™s The Weed At? are decent, but itā€™s when they incorporate influences from other genres like punk (Outcast, Sub-Noize Rats), reggae (Peace Of Mind, Dogā€™s Life), thrash (Full Throttle), alternative rock (Positive Vibes), melodic stoner pop (Tangerine Sky, Rest Of My Life) or dance-rock (Day Dreaminā€™ Fazes, Peace Not Greed) that the groupā€™s unique crossover appeal really kicks in. Light it up.

Owen Heitmann