Celebrity Cocktails: The Knux vanilla lager

The Knux: Krispy Kream (left) and Rah Almillio

Funny how New Orleans is so ingrained into American culture. The city deserves a lot more credit than it is often given. Following last week’s Sadist’s Sazerac from native writer Poppy Z. Brite, here comes the story of two brothers from Nola who left after Hurricane Katrina destroyed their home, stayed in Houston for as long as they could stand it, and who were pulled out of the lonely Lone Star state by the lifeline of a demo tape recorded with their uncle shortly before the storm hit.

They’re the Knux (short for the Knuckle Heads), and their debut Remind Me in 3 Days… on Interscope Records is, according to Spin magazine, one of the best hip-hop albums of 2008.

Frequently compared to OutKast, Krispy Kream (aka Kintrell Lindsey) and his younger brother Rah Almillio (aka Alvin Lindsey) play all their instruments and have toured with Chicago’s Common as well as Q-Tip and Nas. The poppin’ track “Bang Bang” was used in HBO’s Hollywood star-life series Entourage, and “Cappuccino” cranks up the Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay movie soundtrack.

They mix up big beats, synth hooks and guitar riffs like an Olvera Street gumbo of kimchi, Cretan staka (Greek roux), and toro tuna. Lyrically, they rhyme parental advisory argot with references to Dungeons & Dragons and mocha twists. Like musical mixologists, the Knux tweaks the familiar into the fresh.

The cocktail companion to their sound is sweet and simple, a marriage of Jamaican beer and sweetened Russian vodka.

Vanilla Lager: Red Stripe beer, shot of Vanil Stoli

You could either take it as a shot and chaser, or try bomb-dropping it. If the first doesn’t work, try again. Like Krispy says, “If you feel it, you feel it, and if you don’t, we’ll make you feel it.”

 For more info: The Knux homepage, video for "Bang Bang' (explicit) or clean, Olvera Street

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