About

The crossover success of Cypress Hill has always been fascinating. The Southern California-based group is hardly the portrait of a collective whose music sounds like it was crafted to sell millions of units. It’s dark and dusty “gangsta” rap, featuring tales of blood-soaked revenge and anti-police screeds, juxtaposed with hymns to consuming copious amounts of marijuana.

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Cypress Hill became fairly unlikely stars after the release of their self-titled debut album in 1991. It featured the nasal vocal tones of Louis “B-Real” Freese paired with the gruff, husky rhymes and ad-libs of Senen “Sen Dog” Reyes. Lawrence “DJ Muggs” Muggergud handled the production, crafting a gritty soundscape made up of samples from late ’60s soul and rock, often paired with vocals from the film Wild Style.

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Based on the success of songs like “How I Could Just Kill a Man,” “Hand On the Pump,” and “Latin Lingo,” the album went double platinum and gained crossover acceptance. The group appeared during the second Lollapalooza summer tour in 1992, and their songs and videos received play on MTV and commercial radio, often alternative rock-based stations. Maybe it was the references to weed, or maybe it was because sometimes great music gains acceptance across all boundaries. - Albumism