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B-Real | |
|---|---|
 B-Real performing in 2016 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Louis Mario Freese[1] |
| Also known as | Dr. Greenthumb |
| Born | (1970-06-02)June 2, 1970 (age 54) Los Angeles,California, U.S. |
| Origin | South Gate, California, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1988–present[2] |
| Labels | |
| Member of | |
| Formerly of | |
| Website | cypresshill |
Louis Mario Freese (born June 2, 1970),[3] known by his stage nameB-Real, is an American rapper. Since 1991, he has been one of two lead rappers in thehip hop groupCypress Hill, along withSen Dog. He has also been a part of therap metal bandKush (2000–2002), the hip hop supergroupSerial Killers (2013–present) and therap rock supergroupProphets of Rage (2016–2019). He has released a variety of solomixtapes, as well as two solo albums:Smoke n Mirrors (2009) andTell You Something (2020).
Born inLos Angeles to a Mexican father and a Cuban mother, B-Real moved with his sister and mother out of his father's home toSouth Gate at the age of five. He later lived inBell, California. Before dropping out ofBell High School, he befriended futureCypress Hill membersSen Dog andMellow Man Ace (who later left the group to go solo) and became an active member of the Family SwanBloods, known as the Neighborhood Family Bloods at that time. At the age of 17, Freese was shot in a gang-related shooting with a hollow-point .22 caliber bullet, which punctured his lung.[4][5]
B-Real was married to his long time girlfriend in August 2008 in Los Angeles, California. They have one daughter together (born in 2010). He also has an adult son, from a previous relationship. He is the cousin of Professional BoxerMichael Carbajal.
After being introduced toDJ Muggs byJulio G theKDAY Mixmaster, B-Real and Sen gained interest in Muggs's concept of an album based on experiences from Cypress Ave in South Gate. The group was signed with Ruffhouse/Columbia records in 1991 and released their influential debut album,Cypress Hill, that year. B-Real would use fictional stories telling of life-threatening experiences as material for the group's debut album, and subsequent releases.
While working on their first album, B-Real developed his distinctive high-pitched, nasal rap style. Previously, he had rapped with something like his normal voice, but DJ Muggs told him that his rap delivery was boring and warned him that, unless he changed it, he would be overshadowed by Sen Dog. B-Real took inspiration from hip hop pioneerRammellzee, who had occasionally rapped in a high-pitched voice. B-Real initially saw the high voice as a silly gimmick, but was surprised at the positive feedback he got for his new style and decided to keep going with it.[6]
Cypress Hill's self-titled debut album was a critical and commercial hit, selling 2 million copies, and their follow-up album, 1993'sBlack Sunday, was an even bigger hit, debuting at #1 on theBillboard 200 and eventually selling 3.4 million copies. They became the first Latino rap group to have platinum and multi-platinum albums, and remain the best-selling Latino rap group of all time.[7] In a 2010 interview, B-Real stated: "Fortunately I guess the fact we were able to achieve what we achieved, being Latino but without really exploiting that side of it, showed like a whole generation behind us how you could have that success without being labeled as just one thing. Because back in the day, when you were labeled 'a Latino rapper', the record companies would only try to market you to that Latin fan-base which didn't really exist yet!... So yeah, it feels good to see people recognizing us as some of the pioneers that opened the doors for a lot of these other Latino rappers to come through."[8]
Aside from Cypress Hill, B-Real has been involved in several other musical projects. In 1996, he contributed to the soundtrack for the movieSpace Jam. In 2002, he teamed up with Mellow Man Ace andSon Doobie for the short-lived Serial Rhyme Killas, which released one 12" single in 2002.[9] The group recorded a full-length debut album, entitledDeluxe Rapture, but it was never released. B-Real formed arap metal group,Kush, withDeftones guitaristStephen Carpenter andFear Factory membersChristian Olde Wolbers andRaymond Herrera.[10][11] According to B-Real, Kush is more aggressive than other bands in the genre.[11] He was also previously a member of the groupThe Psycho Realm,[12] and in 2007 announced that he would collaborate with Sick Jacken once again on a new album.[2] He revealed in an interview that he plans on recording a "vs." album with Cypress Hill memberDJ Muggs.[13]
From 2005 to 2007, B-Real released threemixtapes as a solo artist:The Gunslinger,The Gunslinger Part II: Fist Full of Dollars andThe Gunslinger Part III: For a Few Dollars More.[14] He released his first solo album, entitledSmoke N Mirrors, in 2009. He was a guest artist on theSnoop Dogg single "Vato", from Snoop Dogg's 2006 albumTha Blue Carpet Treatment. In 2017, he was featured on theHollywood Undead song "Black Cadillac" from the band's fifth albumFive.
From 2016 to 2019, he was part of the groupProphets of Rage, along withChuck D and former members ofRage Against the Machine.
In addition to his career as an MC, B-Real has worked as amusic producer for six years, with clients ranging fromProof ofD12 to theWWE.[2] He intentionally kept his production for Cypress Hill down to a minimum, as not to interfere with DJ Muggs' involvement in the group, but has produced several tracks for his own solo projects. B-Real also manages a team of music producers known as the 'Audio Hustlaz'.[2] B-Real produced three of the tracks on his solo albumSmoke N Mirrors: "Don't Ya Dare Laugh", "Fire" and "Dr. Hyphenstein". B-Real and his production worked alongside DJ Muggs and others on the 2010 Cypress Hill albumRise Up.[15]
In 1998, B-Real voiced the part of a newborn baby for the song "This World Is Something New to Me" inThe Rugrats Movie.
In the early 2000s B-Real andDJ Muggs co-founded and co-captained a professionalpaintball team, the Stoned Assassins. They competed regionally, nationally, and internationally, usually in the second-level divisions. B-Real and the Assassins also appeared in the console gameGreg Hastings Tournament Paintball.[16]
His live streaming site Breal.tv[17] features live interactive programming over the internet. He is the host of the videopodcastsThe Dr. Greenthumb Show,The Smokebox andMeditation.
In 2018, B-Real partnered with marijuana subscription box company Daily High Club to craft a B-Real-themed smoking supply box for the month of March.[18]
| Year | Album | Title | Director | Other featured artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Space Jam : Music from and inspired by the Motion Picture | Hit 'Em High (The Monstars Anthem) | Hype Williams | Busta Rhymes,Coolio, |
| 2006 | — | Sliding in the Whip | Hugo Velazco | O. Brown |
| 2008 | Smoke N Mirrors | Don't You Dare Laugh | Matt Alonzo | Young De |
| 2009 | Psycho Realm Revolution | Sick Jacken | ||
| Fire | Todd Angkasuwan Matt Alonzo | Damian Marley | ||
| 2014 | Prohibition | Shatter | David Camarena | Berner (rapper) |
| 2015 | Faded | n/c | Berner,Snoop Dogg, Vital | |
| The Prescription | Mile High | Echo's World | ||
| Prohibition Part 2 | Kings | Julian Edwards David Camarena | Berner | |
| The Prescription | Dabs | n/c | Dizzy Wright | |
| 2016 | Prohibition 3 | FTB | David Camarena | Berner |
| 2018 | The Prescription | Stix N Stones | Shadow Council Animation | Ab-Soul |
| 2021 | — | Grandes Ligas | Edgar Nito | Lupillo Rivera,Alemán Santa Fe Klan, Snoop Dogg |
| Tell Ya Somethin' | Number 9 | Jason Goldwatch | Berner | |
| Real G | Maxx & Madison | Ty Dolla Sign, Berner, | ||
| 2022 | data-sort-value="" | — | I Got What She Like | Jace Elliott Garrett Whittingham | Demrick, Marty Grimes |
| 2023 | Ciudad de Campeones (LAFC) | Massimo Legittimo | Alemàn, DJ Flict, Bobby Castro |
| Year | Artist | Title | Director | Other featured artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Dr. Dre | East Coast/West Coast Killaz | n/c | Nas, RBX, KRS-One |
| 1997 | DJ Muggs | Puppet Master | Dean Karr | Dr. Dre |
| Shaquille O'Neal | Men of Steel | Nick Quested | Ice Cube,KRS-One,Peter Gunz | |
| 2005 | Tony Touch | Play That Song | n/c | Nina Sky |
| Warren G | Get U Down (Remix) | Kevin Hunter | Ice Cube,Snoop Dogg | |
| 2006 | Snoop Dogg | Vato | Philip G. Atwell | |
| 2009 | La Coka Nostra | I'm an American | Danny Boy (rapper) | |
| 2010 | Akalmy | American Dream | Marc Renou Sébastien Marqué | Young De |
| Ill Bill | KIll Devil Hills | n/c | ||
| 2012 | Larusso | Untouchable | Matthieu Tribes | |
| 2014 | Cecy B | Bout That | Echosworld | |
| 2016 | Berner | Best Thang Smokin' | David Camarena | Wiz Khalifa, Snoop Dogg |
| 2017 | Everlast | WarPorn Industry | n/c | Sick Jacken, Divine Styler |
| Snoop Dogg | Mount Kushmore | Method Man & Redman | ||
| Berner,Styles P | Turkey Bag | Farid | ||
| Hollywood Undead | Black Cadillac | Brian Cox | ||
| 2023 | Mr. Criminal | Dreams Come True | n/c | |
| 2024 | Craig G | Dumb Down |
Media related toB-Real at Wikimedia Commons
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