Potluck's James Kerri, aka 1 Ton, was once quoted as saying: "Humboldt to marijuana is like Compton is to gangsta rap or what the Middle East is to terrorism." To be sure, Humboldt County, California is infamous for growing huge amounts of very potent marijuana; if California ever decided to legalize the production and sale of marijuana and impose a sales tax on the growers and sellers in Humboldt County, the state could easily bring in an abundance of tax revenue. And given Humboldt County's reputation for marijuana production, it isn't surprising that Humboldt County rappers
Potluck have spent so much time rapping about the chronic, which, as you'd expect, is a prominent topic on
Rhymes & Resin. This 2011 release never ventures into gangsta rap, but it is full of recognizably West Coast beats and rowdy, in-your-face party music. And quite often,
Potluck's hedonistic odes to marijuana, sex, and alcohol (especially marijuana) are genuinely funny. But
Rhymes & Resin isn't all party grooves; the 71-minute CD has its more introspective tracks as well, most notably, "I'm Different," "Runaway 2 Getaway," and "Show the World." Meanwhile, "Forbidden Love" is a romantic rap ballad with a silky soul groove, and its melancholy tone is quite a contrast to "Light That Shit Up," "Smoke Session," "Strains," and all the other boisterous marijuana rhymes on this album. Of course,
Potluck are hardly the only West Coast rappers who have rhymed about weed; a long list of California gangsta rappers ranging from
Dr. Dre and
Snoop Dogg have been famous for marijuana rhymes. But while the beats on
Rhymes & Resin clearly owe a lot to
Dre and the whole California G-funk sound,
Potluck do it without the gangsta-isms.
Potluck make West Coast hip-hop for stoners, not West Coast hip-hop for gangstas. Although
Rhymes & Resin on the whole is quite predictable, there is nonetheless a fair amount of diversity on this likable outing. ~ Alex Henderson