Citizen King

Citizen King emerged from Milwaukee in 1993, when guitarist Kristian Riley, vocalist Matt Sims, pianist Dave Cooley, and turntable expert Malcolm Michiles regrouped after the dissolution of their prior band Wild Kingdom. Their fusion of hip-hop, soul, and punk echoes Fishbone, a group they later joined on tour, and took shape on the 1995 debut album Brown Bag. Local enthusiasm for the quartet’s concerts reached Arrested Development’s Speech, who produced several tracks on that release. After issuing the five-song EP Count the Days and performing additional shows with Fishbone, the band appeared at Austin’s South by Southwest festival. Executives at the major-label subsidiary 510 responded favorably and offered a contract; Count the Days arrived in 1996, followed by Mobile Estates in 1999.