Album Review: Afroman - Afroholic (The Even Better Times)

Afroman - Afroholic (The Even Better Times)

Afroman is one of those under-rated rappers that doesn't get the credit he deserves. Many people know (and now hate) the much over-played (like any good song on the radio) Because I Got High. However, many people don't realize that song wasn't even one of the best ones on that album (entitled The Good Times). I thought it was a great album and it still gets rotation in my cd player. However, I had decided that while unfortunate, Afroman would be labeled a "One Hit Wonder" and disappear into obscurity. However, while browsing the Hip Hop section in Tower Records, I came across a new album by Afroman entitled Afroholic (The Even Better Times). I thought, "Will this album be as good as the last one, or will he try to remake Because I Got High over and over and throw out all creativity shown in The Good Times in an attempt to recapture success?" I swear, I thought it just like that, with bold letters and everything. I looked at the back cover and saw the album was jam packed with songs on not just one, but two cds. I decided that a double album with that many songs has to have one or two good ones (and these days, that seems to be all you can expect from most albums). So I bought it and as it turns out, I wasn't disappointed.

On the contrary, I think this album is better than the last one. While listening to this album, I've learned a few things. Afroman is more than just a rapper, he's a musician (no really, he even plays one of those double neck guitars and even has a band). This love for the music shines through on several songs that just seem to keep going long after you'd expect it to be over. Where an ordinary rapper would just let the outro music finish up the song, Afroman will sing along often creating a second song by the time he is finished. His style hasn't changed much, but he manages to make all of his songs sound different. He still does all the singing himself (he calls it a "quarter piece quartet" and even states "all the voices are Afroman" in case somebody out there thought he had a group of singers that sounded just like him) and he still does that chicken noise. More importantly though, he is still having fun with the music.

After the success of Because I Got High, Universal Records apparently also thought Afroman was a one hit wonder and promptly dropped him from their label. Afroman was unable to find a distribution label for his music, but instead of fading away, he created http://www.afromanmusic.com where he was able to sell his music world wide without needing a distributor. Afroman was able to make money and keep his fan base until the release of this last album on his home-grown Hungry Hustler Records label. On his new album, he fiercely promotes his website. I haven't decided if I think that is a good thing or not. I guess as long as his website never goes down, it sits okay with me.

His hate for Universal Records and the corporate world in general is also a major theme on his album. At the same time, so is his new found Christian way of life. It can be somewhat strange to go from a song where he praises God to one where he is praising Colt 45, but Afroman makes it work. And he makes it fun.

I highly recommend Afroman - Afroholic (The Even Better Times) and if you don't already have it, pick up his first album The Good Times. I can only imagine Afroman will not make it back into top 40 rotation, but I hope that doesn't stop him from having fun in life and making more music like only Afroman can.