G. Love’s "rag-mop" fusion of
hip-hop and blues ends up creating
a musical collaboration that
continues to this day

Garrett Dutton and Jack Johnson have each other's backs.

Ever since Dutton, aka G. Love, had Johnson guest on his 1999 "Philadelphonic" album, it's been an exclusive mutual admiration society of two, the hip-hop bluesman and the quiet, self-effacing surf buff turned major music star.

Along with fellow label artist Donavon Frankenreiter, they toured together last year. As Johnson's star ascended, G. Love has come along for the ride, with Dutton's latest album, "The Hustle," picked up by Johnson's imprint Brushfire Records for release last August. Dutton even backed up Johnson on his friend's career-making appearance on "Saturday Night Live" several weeks ago.

Now G. Love and his backup Special Sauce will be part of Saturday's bill at Johnson's Kokua Festival at the Waikiki Shell.

Ever since breaking out back in 1994 with the college hit "Cold Beverage," G. Love and company have specialized in dishing out their brand of music playfully called "ragmop."

Speaking from his room at the posh-sounding Swiss Grand Resort and Spa in Sydney, Australia, some weeks ago, Dutton fessed up to his hip-hop roots in the City of Brotherly Love before he found the blues.

"While I grew up as a kid in Philly, the city was becoming one of the emerging epicenters of hip-hop. I was hearing a lot of it on the radio, and getting into break dance a little myself, plus graffiti, as well as an aspiring deejay. All the while, I was playing acoustic guitar, and while in high school, I got heavy into the blues. So part of the time I was sitting in my room play guitar, and on the outside, getting in trouble doing hip-hop."

It was while G. Love was busking on the street that he would meet up with his future bandmates Jim "Jazz" Prescott and Jeffrey "Houseman" Clemens.

THE BAND was riding a small but steady wave of success when, in 1999, they found out that a surf filmmaker based out of Hawaii was using their music as part of his documentaries' soundtracks.

"A friend of mine, who's a surf/skate photographer, was also working with Jack's Moonshine Conspiracy camp on their films, and he told me that they were starting to use some of our music -- without our permission. But when I approached Jack about this he said, 'OK, well, here are some leashes and grip tape for your surfboard as payment,' and I went, 'Cool, thanks.'

"I later went with Jack surfing in Topanga, Calif., and he told me then that one of my songs that he liked was 'Rainbow' (a song they later re-recorded together for Johnson's "Thicker Than Water" soundtrack -- Ed.)."

Meanwhile, Johnson was ready to make his debut album "Brushfire Fairytales" and played an early version of his "Rodeo Clown" for Dutton, which so impressed him that he asked Johnson if he could include it on his "Philadelphonic" album, with Johnson as a guest.

AS FOR G. Love's "The Hustle," Dutton says the album represents the second part of his career in music. "It's me 10 years down the road," he said. "I'm cognizant of the fact that I want something of mine's to play on the radio, and this album sort of reintroduces me to the world on Jack's label. I wanted to come up with something a little more raw and acoustic."

One of the highlights of the album is the simply titled "Love," a happy, uptempo song.

"I first wrote in high school when I was 16," Dutton said. "It was one of the first songs I wrote, and we kind of pulled it out while we were in the studio, and got it down in one take."

Other songs G. Love and the band have done live from the album while on tour, besides "Love," have been "Don't Drop It," "Booty Call" and "Give It to You," a reggae groove that they recorded with Johnson.

While Dutton says he's planning to do a solo record sometime in the future, he said that in his guise as G. Love, people at Saturday's concert can expect that "funky hip-hop blues party music" he and the band are well-known for.