Citizen King was an American music group from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, whose style was a mix of hip-hop, soul, and punk. They are best known for their top 40 hit "Better Days (And the Bottom Drops Out)", which peaked at on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1999.

History

The band formed in 1993 after the breakup of their previous band, Wild Kingdom.

A remix of "Better Days (And The Bottom Drops Out)" was used in the 2000 movie Gone in 60 Seconds, and the original version was used in the video game Street Sk8er 2, along with "Under the Influence". "Salt Bag Spill" was featured on The Animal soundtrack in 2001. The non-album track "Gangsters" appeared on the Mystery Men soundtrack in 1999. The band was managed by Milwaukee native Jeff Castelaz, who later founded Dangerbird Records, and continues to manage keyboardist Dave Cooley in his work as a producer and mixer.

Castelaz stated in a 2006 interview with onmilwaukee.com that the band had completed 85% of a third album before they suddenly broke up in the early 2000s. Though neither he nor anyone else associated with Citizen King have ever disclosed the reason for the split, he said “it had to happen, based on the reality of the time”. It was rumored, but never confirmed, that the catalyst for the break-up was unscrupulous personal behavior on the part of Sims.

Cooley continued his career as a producer and has produced records for such artists as Silversun Pickups, Local Natives, Eulogies, Darker My Love and The Polyphonic Spree. Cooley also became a mastering engineer for Stones Throw Records, overseeing most of the albums by J Dilla and the label's founder Peanut Butter Wolf.

Personnel

  • Mount Sims – lead vocals (1993–2002), bass (1997–2002)
  • Kristian Riley – guitar (1993–2002)
  • Dave Cooley – keyboards (1993–2002)
  • Malcolm Michiles – turntables (1993–2002)
  • Gintas Janusonis – drums (1993–1994)
  • DJ Brooks – drums (1994–2002)
  • Sage Schwarm – bass (1993–1995)
  • John Dominguez – bass (1995)
  • Cory Coleman – bass (1995–1997)

Discography

Albums

  • Brown Bag LP (1995)
  • Mobile Estates (March 9, 1999), peaked on Billboard's Heatseekers chart at

Extended plays

  • Sydney Hih (1997) (collection of demos and B-sides from 1993 to 1996)
  • Count The Days (April 2, 1996)

Singles

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

|+ List of singles, with selected chart positions and certifications, showing year released and album name

! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:20em;"| Title

! scope="col" rowspan="2" | Year

! scope="col" colspan="6" | Peak chart positions

! scope="col" rowspan="2" | Album

|-

! scope="col" style="width:2.5em;font-size:90%;" | US<br>

! scope="col" style="width:2.5em;font-size:90%;" | US<br>Alt.<br>

! scope="col" style="width:2.5em;font-size:90%;" | US<br />Pop<br />

! scope="col" style="width:2.5em;font-size:90%;" | AUS<br>

! scope="col" style="width:2.5em;font-size:90%;" | CAN<br>

! scope="col" style="width:2.5em;font-size:90%;" | GER<br />

|-

! scope="row" | "Better Days (And the Bottom Drops Out)"

| rowspan="2" | 1999

| 25 || 3 || 11 || 86 || 20 || 95

| rowspan="3" | Mobile Estates

|-

! scope="row" | "Under The Influence"

| — || — || — || — || — || —

|-

! scope="row" | "Long Walk Home"

| 2000

| — || — || — || — || — || —

|-

| colspan="9" style="font-size:90%" | "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

|}

References

  • VH1 article
  • Burst Collective article