CD Review: La Coka Nostra

Significantly, La Coka Nostra's long-time-coming full-length debut is not billed as a House of Pain reunion, even though the hip-hop supergroup features all three House members — Everlast, Danny Boy and DJ Lethal. Most of the tracks sound more like an unusually fun Cypress Hill album, thanks in part to cameos by Hill MCs B-Real and Sen Dog, who round out a roster that also includes Snoop Dogg, Bun B and full-time members Ill Bill and Slaine. Like any crowded party, it has its share of macho posturing. Most of the cuts are Scarface hellrides, dusted with enough pharmaceuticals to edge an unhinged mind into the paranoid-about-black-helicopters territory. On his big-stage debut, Boston rapper Slaine spits in a nimble cadence, immediately establishing himself as one of the great white rhymers. When they're not blasting Desert Eagles or referencing metal bands, the hustlers sneak in tender moments and positive messages. The rock-country-blues of "Cousin of Death" and rap power-ballad "The Stain" could be Everlast solo tracks. Regardless of which member piques your attention, the album will live up to its name. — D.X. Ferris