AFROMAN

Straight out of Hattiesburg, Mississippi comes Afroman, (AKA Joseph Foreman), a guitar-playing hip-hop fiend whose sing-songy anti-drug anthem "Because I Got High" quickly became the summer anthem of 2001. The fusion of doo-wop harmonies and a good-time, laid-back delivery (featuring his buddies laughing it up in the background) found Afroman's breakout hit championed by Howard Stern, filmmaker Kevin Smith (who featured it on the soundtrack to JAY & SILENT BOB STRIKE BACK), and eventually MTV. The rest of GOOD TIMES is in the same vein--good-time rap dealing with hijinks that bring to mind Ice Cube's escapades in his "Friday" flicks. When Afroman isn't boasting of randy conquests ("Crazy Rap") or giving it up to those who'd rather booze it up ("Let's All Get Drunk"), he's recycling the "Because I Got High" groove for a tongue-in-cheek autobiographical message of hope ("The American Dream"). Other notable cuts include the chicken-scratch guitar-driven ode to sexual frustration "She Won't Let Meà" and a slice of childhood nostalgia that merges beat-box rhythms with an old-school spiritual ("Hush"). GOOD TIMES is all smoke and no mirrors.

Estimated despatch 5-10 days after ordering.