Every Friday on my drive to work I listen to an album from my past; Flashback Friday. The selection criteria is as follows:

1. The album must have been on steady repeat at some point in my life
2. The album must be over 10 years old
3. No skipping tracks.

Artist: Sublime
Album: 40oz. to Freedom

I went to college in Long Beach (Go Beach!), and when you live in Long Beach people ask you two dumb questions: “Have you met Snoop”, and “Do you know Sublime”. First- Snoop lives in Chino Hills so I haven’t met him, and second- no, I don’t know Sublime, although I did hear from a very credible repo man that they used to play house parties down the street.

Even though I may not be friends with Sublime, I enjoy their music. “40oz. to Freedom” is not as big of a commercial success as the self titled album was, and 40oz.’s best songs can’t compete with the best tracks on “Robbin’ the Hood”, but top to bottom- this is the best Sublime album. From the hits that made it to the radio, to the deep cuts that stay with you all day, 40oz. is a good time.

Hearing a DJ scratch a record followed by the lyrics “punk rock changed our life” with a dog bark in the background, I know I’m home. Describing Sublime as a fusion of rap, rock, reggae and punk makes them sound way too Poochie, but they effortlessly blend all the genres. Sublime functions as a great entry point to so much different music.

The album is full of influences from many genres and artists like KRS-One or Bad Brains, and even straight covers of artists like The Grateful Dead and Toots and the Maytals. The first few times I heard the Toots song I didn’t know it was a cover. OK full disclosure … I didn’t know the song was a cover until I heard it in a Chipotle two years ago.

As I work through the album the tracks are all very cohesive. Each song blends nicely into the next, creating a chill, party-vibe. Singing along takes me right back to giant house parties, cheap beer and good times. Just before the mellow vibes get monotonous, a faster punk-inspired song cuts through, mixing things up for a moment before bringing you right back to a chill status quo.

Everyone knows Badfish. It’s a great song. It’s also in the pantheon of party songs. No, not a song that is great to play at party; a song that sounds like it was recorded at a party. A great example of this type of song is Weezer’s “Sweater Song”. Badfish starts with a “shut up” over incoherent background party chatter and it makes me smile every single time I hear it.

“Smoke Two Joints” is not my favorite song, but you know the rules- no skipping. “Smoke Two Joints” reminds me of kids in college trying way too hard. We get it; drugs are edgy and cool, but this is just too on the nose. I got through it; don’t worry.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t at least mention “Date Rape”. It’s a stupid song that would never be released today, but stupid things can be fun. This was Sublime’s first LA radio hit on KROQ. If memory serves me correctly, Matt “Money” Smith is the person who brought Sublime to the attention of the radio higher ups. Nice work, Money.

Sublime wasn’t the first band of white guys to showcase their roots in hip hop, and they surely won’t be the last, but somehow an acoustic track about the virtues of KRS-One seems extremely believable when Bradley and the boys perform it. The image of the band hanging out in Long Beach garages and listening to mix tapes of various rappers seems highly likely. Even the use of a 40 in the title of the album is something that was reserved for rap groups like NWA prior to Sublime.

The idea behind Flashback Friday is to remind me not only of music I have forgotten, but the people and places that went with that music. Not many albums can bring to mind as much nostalgia as “40oz. to Freedom”. 40oz. puts me right back in the LBC, with bad facial hair, a backwards hat and all my old buddies.