Phunk Junkeez :: Phunk Junkeez :: Naked Language/Ichiban Records
** RapReviews "Back to the Lab" series **
as reviewed by Steve 'Flash' Juon
Discovering this album by accident forced me to immerse myself in the extensive,
and apparently at times controversial, history of the band Phunk Junkeez.
The first thing to know is that it's almost impossible to pigeonhole them into
one genre. They've been branded rap, rap metal, punk rock, alternative and
rap rock among many other descriptors. The second thing to know is that the
line-up of the band has changed numerous times over the last 25+ years, with
some members quitting over fights (which has been documented in song by fellow
hard to classify band 311), some leaving to pursue their Holllywood dreams,
and some just plain getting burnt out. The third thing to know is they've
earned a reputation for both rocking crowds and simultaneously pissing off
promoters. When they do play shows they play until after curfew and get the
plug pulled on their set. When they DON'T play shows it's because they
joined a new label and a new tour without informing the venues (or their fans)
they won't be making previously announced dates. Despite all the turmoil they
seem to have a sizeable cult following and a few crossover hits including
1995's "I Love It Loud" from the "Tommy Boy" soundtrack.
This self-titled debut album comes a few years before that point though,
first issued on their own Naked Language imprint and eventually being picked up
for distribution a decade later by Ichiban Records. The members of the band
who were with them in 1992 and still are today in 2018 are Soulman (vocals),
Jim Woodling (bass guitar) and DJ Roachclip (on the turntables obviously).
Additional members who round out this first album including K-Tel Disco (vocals),
Jeff Holmes (multiple roles), Mike Kramer (guitar) and "Disko" Danny D (drums).
The copy I found is the Ichiban re-release but I have no way of knowing if they
remastered it. I certainly can't find any additional material on it - the track
listing is exactly the same as the original - 14 songs and all in the same order.
As for the group the first and most obvious comparison I can reference when
listening to them is pre-"Licensed to Ill" Beastie
Boys from their pre-rap days mixed with the aforementioned 311 and a little dash
of Linkin Park - but only so far as rapping and the occasional turntable scratch go.
Linkin Park fits more into the "nu metal" mode of merging hip-hop and loud screaming
metal together, while Phunk Junkeez are definitely closer to merging hip-hop with
punk rock. In many ways it's the opposite approach to the Beasties, who started out
as strictly punk rock, turned into a rap act along the way, and then managed to
incorporate a jam band sound in the process. If anything the Phunk Junkeez would
be going in the opposite direction, screaming headlong from hip-hop into punk rock
over loud guitars and drums like heard on their cover of Devo's "Uncontrollable Urge."
Their hip-hop roots show through though on songs like the lead single "I Am a Junkee."
I think I actually liked the song a little bit more before I saw the video.
While "Uncontrollable Urge" would be their intersection with "Fight For Your
Right to Party" and something you could picture Wayne Campbell and Garth Algar
headbanging to, "I Am a Junkee" feels like some white boys from Arizona (although
two of the members are originally from a trailer park in Alaska) who just want
to make rap jams and have fun. Unfortunately the video makes the song as dated
as it actually is, with some fashion choices that were questionable even back
then along with some dancing that seems uncomfortably like it's parodying b-boys
instead of paying tribute to the original break boys and girls the styles come from.
The rhymes on the album tend to be a little on the simplistic side, such as "Second
verse! Not the first!" on the high octane "Pump It Up Some." While I'm impressed they
can flow as fast as they do over this 1:33 track (another nod to punk rock - short song
length), it's not like they say anything of significance (while a lot of punk at least
had an anti-establishment anti-fascist viewpoint). In fact if 2 Live Crew were a rap
rock band, they'd probably be making songs like the Phunk Junkeez, with "Thick Like
Mornin' Dick" being a perfect example. The funny thing is that just when I'm about
ready to write off this accidental discovery, I stumble onto "Hip Hop Rock'N'Roll"
where they talk about their origins as a group called "BumRap" and their evolution into
the Phunk Junkeez. This live performance will give you a little idea of what it's like
and also why they've maintained a small but dedicated following over the decades.
So here's the thing - I know that these Junkeez have at least eight studio albums in
total, recorded for every label from Interscope to (no surprise) Suburban Noize. I can't
say their self-titled debut makes me interested enough to listen to them seven more times,
but I ALSO can't say I don't see a little potential here. If this is just a
starting point and they continued to evolve from here, they could be comparable to someone
like the Kottonmouth Kings, at which point I'd
give them their due props for being among the progenitors of what is now a widely recognized
style. The rough thing here is that by being on the cutting edge you sometimes get sliced,
which means that I can't recommend their P.J. debut to the fullest, I can at least
acknowledge what they were going for and perhaps see how it compares to one of their
more recent albums later on down the road.
Music Vibes: 5 of 10
Lyric Vibes: 5 of 10TOTAL Vibes: 5 of 10
![[Phunk Junkeez]](../coverart/PhunkJunkeez.jpg)
Discovering this album by accident forced me to immerse myself in the extensive,
and apparently at times controversial, history of the band Phunk Junkeez.
The first thing to know is that it's almost impossible to pigeonhole them into
one genre. They've been branded rap, rap metal, punk rock, alternative and
rap rock among many other descriptors. The second thing to know is that the
line-up of the band has changed numerous times over the last 25+ years, with
some members quitting over fights (which has been documented in song by fellow
hard to classify band 311), some leaving to pursue their Holllywood dreams,
and some just plain getting burnt out. The third thing to know is they've
earned a reputation for both rocking crowds and simultaneously pissing off
promoters. When they do play shows they play until after curfew and get the
plug pulled on their set. When they DON'T play shows it's because they
joined a new label and a new tour without informing the venues (or their fans)
they won't be making previously announced dates. Despite all the turmoil they
seem to have a sizeable cult following and a few crossover hits including
1995's "I Love It Loud" from the "Tommy Boy" soundtrack.