Potluck was blindsided. As then-recording artists for Suburban Noize Records, 1Ton and UnderRated were dragged into a feud between Brad X of Kottonmouth Kings and Kevin Zinger, partners in the record label who were going through a business divorce in 2013. By January of that year, Brad X and Zinger began supplying their sides of the story, which Potluck found out about online.
Soon thereafter, Potluck started hearing from Suburban Noize employees.
“Former employees started coming up, calling me, texting me, seeing me at shows and different things and basically having confessionals,” 1Ton says during an exclusive interview with HipHopDX. “Like, ‘Hey man, I just want to apologize. Remember like three years ago when this thing happened with your website that we were supposed to be working on and I had to not do it and all the sudden your record came out and there was no updates on the website? Really, what happened was that Brad came to me and said, “Do this other work instead of your guys’ work” and I just couldn’t get it done. He was the boss and he owned the label, so I had to listen to what he said and I never really felt right about that because you guys were always really cool to me.’
“That happened and I’m not talking about one person, two people, five people,” 1Ton continues. “I’m talking about double digits, 10, 15 people.”
Kottonmouth Kings Attacks Potluck
Soon thereafter, Potluck became the target of Kottonmouth Kings’ venom.
In April 2013, Kottonmouth Kings posted a series of comments to its social media.
“Nothing worse than slaves on the plantation sucking the slave masters Dicks-Free the Kings” was one post. Another read, “Potluck Sucks-horrible posers-We will never mention their Name again-Fuck those guys and their Manager.”
The Kottonmouth Kings’ posts have since been deleted, but screen shots are available below.
The comments were particularly bothersome to Potluck given that 1Ton is Black.Potluck was co-managed by Zinger, who is White, at the time.
“To call a Black person a slave, especially coming from a White kid from the suburbs, is something you should never do,” 1Ton says. “However you meant it to sound, after you say that, you can get slammed by all your fans. You can take as many pictures as you want with Brother J from X Clan because he doesn’t know that you said that. You can go and do everything you want, but at the end of the day, you’re out here doing shows and you’re preaching all this hippie love on stage, then you’re going home and kicking it with convicted felons of hate crimes who are out there, straight open about being racist. It’s like you’re living a double life. You’re getting out there writing comments about us, calling me a slave and shit like that. To me, in my mind, it’s straight-up racist.”
Brad X did not respond to HipHopDX’s request for an interview.
UnderRated, who is White, says that he and 1Ton actually began making music, in part, to help bring people from races together.
“It means a lot to us to help change way different people feel about different races being able to get along and kick it,” UnderRated says during an exclusive interview with HipHopDX. “That’s always been a big part of doing music for me, that I could actually be part of that movement and make that kind of thing work.”
Potluck Says Kottonmouth Kings’ Brad X Is “Phony”
Beyond the racial component, Potluck believes that Brad X had another reason to be uncomfortable with it. Potluck hails from Humboldt County California, which is the “Mecca of Marijuana,” as 1Ton calls it.
But despite being the frontman of Kottonmouth Kings, Brad X did not live the lifestyle he projected, Potluck says.
“We’re out there on the road with him for three months in a row and he doesn’t smoke no weed at all, which is fine if you don’t want to smoke weed,” 1Ton says. “But don’t call yourself a Kottonmouth King and then you go three months on tour talking about you’re getting high everyday and partying and you don’t even smoke weed one time. He felt threatened that we were coming from the legitimate place and what we were talking about was real and what they were putting out was phony. I felt like he always felt threatened by that, whereas me and UnderRated, we never felt threatened from them. We felt like, ‘Yo, you guys must be amazing at doing business because look at what were able to accomplish and you guys aren’t really about any of the shit you’re talking about.’”
Potluck Releases “Down with the Krown” Kottonmouth Kings Diss
Although Potluck had not addressed its rift with Kottonmouth Kings, it felt that it finally should tackle the topic.
“It’s like this cloud that’s hovering over our head,” 1Ton says. “All the fans want to know. They want to ask us. Every interview that we do, we got tired of saying, ‘Yo, we’re not talking about Kottonmouth,’ so we were just like, ‘Fuck it. Let’s make the song, do an interview and just be done with it so it can be in the past and we can just go about our way.’”
So Potluck recorded “Down with the Krown,” a diss track that is premiering on HipHopDX that is also included on the duo’s #StonerProblems album, which is set to be released tomorrow (May 26).
1Ton says he wanted to take Suburban Noize’s motto and flip it.
“You’re not the kings of anything,” he says. “Down with you guys now and all these years of crooked industry bullshit that you put us through that we’ve just been quiet about for all these years.”
Potluck also says that the lawsuit between Brad X and Zinger has been resolved, though HipHopDX was not able to find out the results of the lawsuit. Potluck says now that the lawsuit has concluded, the Kottonmouth Kings are again allowed to release music, which would enable it to respond to “Down with the Krown” if it were so inclined.
Despite the issues it has with Brad X and select members of Kottonmouth Kings, Potluck does not have problems with former managers Ivory Daniel and Kevin Zinger.
“I know there’s things that’s been said in the media about Zinger fucking people over and not paying them,” 1Ton says. “I’ll just say, when it comes to Potluck, because that’s all I can speak on and I handle Potluck business, any issue I’ve ever had in my life with money with Suburban Noize records that I brought up to Kevin Zinger, he made sure he addressed it and he made sure I got paid. And even if he made a mistake, he would fix his mistake and we would still get paid, which is way more than I can say about 99 percent of the music industry.”
Potluck Releasing “#StonerProblems” & Touring With Wrekonize
In addition to #StonerProblems, Potluck is set embark upon its co-headlining “The Pre Hangover Tour” with Wrekonize and Prevail of Swollen Members.
It is also looking forward to moving past its Kottonmouth Kings issues now that “Down with the Krown” has been released.
“I didn’t event want to write a song like this or even open up anything more, but it just got to that point now where it’s different people asking us all the time, so it just makes sense to do it,” UnderRated says. “It frees up your mind. You don’t have to worry about the bullshit. You just make music everyday.”
Adds 1Ton: “People can hear it and judge it however they want to judge it. They can take from it [whatever] they want to take from it, believe who they want to believe.”
Wow Potluck is tight! KMK got shit on. Fake fuckers
black ppl always crying lol..what he said was dumb.
U right and so honest and real I wish it was more people like you so I can shit on all of ya dumbasses “lol”
The white-skinned albino guy a friend of yourz?
I have to say….i have wondered aboit kmk and what the fuck was going on with them over the years and watching richters video on youtube basically explaining his side of shit about pakalika and how he was blamed for a lot of shit….i have now more respect than ever for johnny richter and potluck! I love u guys and will never stop listening to ur music! Im glad that potluck did this song i hope more people understand and take it in instead of push it away. I personally havent liked any of kmks new shit anyway…it seems like they have fallen off and just let the ocean swallow them…what happened to positive vibes and tangerine skies…. much respect underrated and one ton….and of course johnny richter and zinger.
Naw, what happened to Dogs Life, Bump, Peace Not Greed, Dying Daze…your right positive vibes was on their last good album
Taking that comment all the way out of context and accusing the guy of racism is pathetic on their part. Anybody with a brain knows what he meant when he made that slave comment. Either these guys smoked all their brain cells away and are too stupid to understand that, or their looking for sypathy and just threw the “Racist” title out there to get people on their side. Either way, it’s some loser shit.
That said, Potluck is a much better group than KMK ever were and this song is dope.
Real Talk! Much respect!
Kind of funny how potluck throws x under the bus. Hey ton remember that show in Midwest where you guys were trading your merch for any kind of weed you get your hands on if you true stoners from humbolt you would never run out on tour a true stoner anit scared of any charge. And don’t say it was because of kmk because they weren’t on that’ tour. Like you guys say money makes the world go round you guys have talent but Not any different you push play. And underrated make sure you got your 4 min flow memorized because I still remeber the night you told me you couldn’t donthe 3 minute miracle because you didn’t have it memorized. You can’t remeber the shit you wright?
Um kmk got tossed off opening spot on a full U.S tour trading spots on list for weed..
So how many day one members of kmk take a stage these days anywho?
At least lynyrd skynyrd requires 3 original members to tour.. and then there were none rip pakelika
That’s to funny kmk got kicked off there first tour with icp for trading backstage passes for weed.true stoners don’t run out haha kmk was always hmu for bud when on tour.rip big pak
So normally I don’t get on people over grammar, but in this case it bears mentioning; you can’t criticize someone’s writing while using the [ridiculously] wrong form of the word ‘write’ and still expect to be taken seriously. Grab yourself a fuckin’ dictionary before you go criticizing a real lyricist you simpleton. Start by looking up “wright” which is someone who builds something then work your way backwards past “rite” (a trial or passage usually religious). And then finish with the word “right” which is something that you’re probably not used to being, you dumb fuck.
Did they forget the part where Potluck dissed KMK on a 420 mix before KMK called them losers? Try to get ALL the facts….
That justifies calling a black man a slave? “Diss” me all you want, you take it to another level when you wanna drop the race card.
Kmk 4 life ufm 4 life! True kmk fans down since day 1 all no the krown cant be fucked with. Spitting K.I.N.G 4 L.I.F.E krown power kings up spades down
What the hell are you talking about?
Worst dis song I’ve ever heard sounds like it was made in middle school kids basement like all potlucks music. Quit crying and trying to get recognition You guys will never be a stoner band like kottonmouth. Go home!
Haha Hines custom is just d-loc’s little butt buddy. Cute that you’re sticking up for your friend but I’m sure deep down inside you realize dloc is whack right?? Haha fuckin losers..always takin selfies like a bitch
KMK should thank yall for the promotion…”New LP Krown Power-2015″ bitches
No punches pulled,
No FUCs given….
Fire
Wow sounds like some KMK trolls got upset because the truth was told! On top of that looks like D-Loc and Bobby B are posting under some fake ass names. Look at how D-Loc spells the word “right” as “wright” all the time and then look at the comments here. D-Loc is definitely trolling.
Hell ya u suck cock
Heard there stuff.. fake clown posse. .. lol.. lames keep your racist ass in the place you feel safe..L.A. won’t be on your schedule? ?? We hope to see k.M.k. very soon.. bet you won’t dis ya boi & call him slave on stage.but for real I hope you do.. be brave. Stand up for your team”kkk”” would love to catch you guys anywhere. . Make you eat those words.. hope black people in America boot your guest ass out of hip hop or at least beat Dat ass
The fact that there are so many long paragraphs comments on this article about white, underground, nobodies, tells me there are too many white people on this site. Maybe I should go to allhiphop.
Maybe you should eat a dick
The fact the people punctuate and can convey a point longer than a sentence, makes them white, underground, nobodies to you, is hilarious to me and probably anybody else that reads this. Go to you’re new hip hop website, one less bigoted moron here.
Bwahahaha how cute G is for Gangster. You’re obviously trolling…or you’re such a weak-ass individual that white people being somewhere makes you feel inadequate. Literacy, as Splatttttt mentioned, is not a racial issue. Nor is fucktardedness.
I’m guessing your a young, white, angst-filled (or hilariously sarcastic) teen from somewhere like Greenfield, Mount Pleasant, or Des Moines. Your trolling is supreme or your intellect is supremely trollish.
“Potluck says now that the lawsuit is resolved, Kottonmouth Kings are again allowed to release music…” Who cares, those lames have always been T-R-A-S-H. Saint Dog & Big B were the only dudes ever affiliated with that group that were worth as shit. Brad Xavier and his boyfriend have forever been lyrically deficient fucktards. I will say this though, their label had been putting out some amazing acts projects from about 06-09. La Coka Nostra’s first LP, X-Clan, Sen Dog’s solo joint, Swollen Member’s Armed to the Teeth LP & Potluck’s stuff. Still, that doesn’t detract from the stark reality of KMK being utter garbaggio.
Truth always come out even if it takes time
HipHopDX should publish an investigative piece on how Daddy Long Legs (Mike Bowe) abuses juggalos and preys on underage girls — and yet is still allowed to host ICP’s radio show at the Gathering of the Juggalos. There’s a real piece of shit who needs to be exposed.
LOL, those guys are definitely on the right record label that’s for sure, haha… been callin KMK trash since the get-go… AND I’m from the 9 >:P
So whys isn’t anyone remember hed pe or is he not black either , by the way Hed pe on tour , Family Reunion Tour, Sacramento , K o t t o n m o u t h K I n g s ,
Well, D.X…. Say goodbye to your money-green rise, say hello to ‘hey bro, can I borrow’
Song was ridiculous, just using this to get some publicity. And seriously, the whole slaves comment being racist? Funniest shit I’ve read in a long ass time.
It’s sad that people who used to be family and started a dynasty together have become so greedy and lose focus of where they came from and what they had start tearing their very foundation to pieces because they felt as if their slice of the pie wasn’t big enough getting jealous of what everyone else was receiving instead of taking care of the one’s they once considered family and sharing in their success and standing by each other instead turned into whiney little girl’s and pushing away the best talent they had stop being fucktards and put that shit behind you and be a family again that cared about making good music that the fan’s once loved stop all the petty bullshit and grow the fuck up
even if they arent what they sing about, the ones that are still can relate. i love their flow. i love both artists! its about the music! the music rocks! im sure daddy x used to party like that and has slowed down, who knows? they still rock and i can still relate! i love how real potluck is with it though, much respect! both rock!