Cypress Hill | |
|---|---|
 Sen Dog, Eric Bobo, and B-Real of Cypress Hill | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | DVX (1988) |
| Origin | South Gate, California, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1988–present[6] |
| Labels | |
| Spinoffs | |
| Members | |
| Past members | |
| Website | cypresshill |
Cypress Hill is an Americanhip hop group formed inSouth Gate, California in 1988. They have sold over 20 million albums worldwide, and they have obtained multi-platinum andplatinum certifications. The group has been critically acclaimed for their first five albums.[8] They are considered to be among the mainprogenitors ofWest Coast hip hop and 1990s hip hop. All of the group members advocate formedical andrecreational use ofcannabis in the United States.[9] In 2019, Cypress Hill became the first hip hop group to have a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame.[10]
Senen Reyes (also known asSen Dog) and Ulpiano Sergio Reyes (also known asMellow Man Ace) are brothers born inPinar del Río,Cuba. In 1971, their family immigrated to the United States and initially lived inSouth Gate, California. In 1988, the two brothers teamed up withNew York City native Lawrence Muggerud (also known asDJ Muggs, previously in a rap group named7A3) and Louis Freese (also known asB-Real) to form a hip-hop group namedDVX (Devastating Vocal Excellence). The band soon lost Mellow Man Ace to a solo career, and changed their name toCypress Hill, after a street in South Gate.[11]
After recording a demo in 1989, Cypress Hill signed a record deal withRuffhouse Records. Theirself-titled first album was released in August 1991. The lead single was the doubleA-side "The Phuncky Feel One"/"How I Could Just Kill a Man" which received heavyairplay on urban and college radio, most notably peaking at No. 1 onBillboard'sHot Rap Tracks chart and at No. 77 on theBillboard Hot 100. The other two singles released from the album were "Hand on the Pump" and "Latin Lingo", the latter of which combined English and Spanish lyrics, a trait that was continued throughout their career. The success of these singles ledCypress Hill to sell two million copies in the U.S. alone, and it peaked at No. 31 on theBillboard 200 and was certified double platinum by theRIAA. In 1992, Cypress Hill's first contribution to asoundtrack was the song "Shoot 'Em Up" for the filmJuice. Cypress Hill's songs started to appear more frequently in major Hollywood films, such asLethal Weapon 3 ("Latin Lingo") andWhite Men Can't Jump ("A to the K") also from 1992. The group made their first appearance atLollapalooza on the side stage in 1992. It was the festival's second year of touring, and featured a diverse lineup of acts such asRed Hot Chili Peppers,Ice Cube,Lush,Tool,Stone Temple Pilots, among others. The trio also supported theCypress Hill album by touring with theBeastie Boys, who were touring behind their third albumCheck Your Head.
Black Sunday, the group's second album, debuted at No. 1 on theBillboard 200 in 1993, recording the highestSoundscan for a rap group up until that time. "Insane in the Brain" became acrossover hit, peaking at No. 19 on theBillboard Hot 100, at No. 16 on theDance Club Songs chart, and at No. 1 on the Hot Rap Tracks chart. "Insane in the Brain" also garnered the group their firstGrammy nomination.Black Sunday went triple platinum in the U.S. and sold about 3.26 million copies.[10] Cypress Hill headlined the Soul Assassins tour withHouse of Pain,Funkdoobiest, andThe Whooliganz as support, then performed on a college tour withRage Against the Machine andSeven Year Bitch. Also in 1993, Cypress Hill had two tracks on theJudgment Nightsoundtrack, teaming up withPearl Jam (without vocalistEddie Vedder) on the track "Real Thing" andSonic Youth on "I Love You Mary Jane". The soundtrack was notable for intentionally creating collaborations between the rap/hip-hop and rock/metal genres, and as a result the soundtrack peaked at No. 17 on theBillboard 200 and was certified gold by the RIAA.[12] On October 2, 1993, Cypress Hill performed on the comedy showSaturday Night Live, broadcast byNBC. Prior to their performances, studio executives, label representatives, and the group's own associates constantly asked the trio to not smoke marijuana on-stage. DJ Muggs became irritated due to the constant inquisitions, and he subsequently lit a joint during the group's second song. Up until that point, it was extremely uncommon to see marijuana usage on a live televised broadcast. The incident prompted NBC to ban the group from returning on the show, a distinction shared only by six other artists.[13]
The group later played atWoodstock 94, officially makingpercussionistEric Bobo a member of the group during the performance. Eric Bobo was known as the son ofWillie Bobo and as a touring member of the Beastie Boys, who Cypress Hill previously toured with in 1992. That same year,Rolling Stone named the group as the Best Rap Group in their music awards voted by critics and readers.[14] Cypress Hill then played at Lollapalooza for two successive years, topping the bill in 1995. They also appeared on the "Homerpalooza" episode ofThe Simpsons. The group received their second Grammy nomination in 1995 for "I Ain't Goin' Out Like That".[10]
Cypress Hill's third albumIII: Temples of Boom was released in 1995, peaking at No. 3 on theBillboard 200 and at No. 3 on theCanadian Albums Chart. The album was certified platinum by the RIAA.[15] "Throw Your Set in the Air" was the most successful single off the album, peaking at No. 45 on theBillboard Hot 100 and No. 11 on the Hot Rap Tracks chart. The single also earned Cypress Hill's third Grammy nomination.[10] Shortly after the release ofIII: Temples of Boom, Sen Dog became frustrated due to the rigorous touring schedule. Just prior to an overseas tour, he departed from the group unexpectedly. Cypress Hill continued their tours throughout 1995 and 1996, with Eric Bobo and also various guest vocalists covering Sen Dog's verses. Sen Dog later formed the rock bandSX-10 to explore other musical genres.[16][17] Later on in 1996, Cypress Hill appeared on the first Smokin' Grooves tour, featuringZiggy Marley, theFugees,Busta Rhymes, andA Tribe Called Quest. The group also released a nine track EP,Unreleased and Revamped with rare mixes.
In 1997, the members focused on their solo careers. DJ Muggs releasedSoul Assassins: Chapter 1, with features fromDr. Dre,KRS-One,Wyclef Jean, andMobb Deep. B-Real appeared with Busta Rhymes,Coolio,LL Cool J, andMethod Man on "Hit 'Em High" from the multi-platinumSpace Jam Soundtrack. He also appeared withRBX,Nas, and KRS-One on "East Coast Killer, West Coast Killer" from Dr. Dre'sDr. Dre Presents the Aftermath album, and contributed to an album entitledThe Psycho Realm withthe group of the same name. Sen Dog also released theGet Wood sampler as part of SX-10 on the labelFlip Records. In addition, Eric Bobo contributed drums to various rock bands on their albums, such as311 andSoulfly.
In early 1998, Sen Dog returned to Cypress Hill. He cited his therapist and also his creative collaborations with the band SX-10 as catalysts for his rejoining. The quartet then embarked on the third annual Smokin' Grooves tour withPublic Enemy, Wyclef Jean, Busta Rhymes, andGang Starr.[16] Cypress Hill releasedIV in October 1998 which went gold in the U.S. and peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard 200. The lead single off the album was "Dr. Greenthumb", as it peaked at No. 11 on the Hot Rap Tracks chart. It also peaked at No. 70 on the Billboard Hot 100, their last appearance on the chart to date.
In 1999, Cypress Hill composed the soundtrack for thePC first-person shooter video gameKingpin: Life of Crime, three of the band's songs from the 1998IV album were in the game; "16 Men Till There's No Men Left", "Checkmate", and "Lightning Strikes".[18] The group also did voice work for some of the game's characters. Also in 1999, the band released a greatest hits album in Spanish,Los Grandes Éxitos en Español.
In 2000, Cypress Hill fused genres with their fifth album,Skull & Bones, which consisted of two discs. The first discSkull was composed of rap tracks whileBones explored further the group's forays into rock. The album peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 and at No. 3 on the Canadian Albums Chart, and the album was eventually certified platinum by the RIAA. The first two singles were "(Rock) Superstar" for rock radio and "(Rap) Superstar" for urban radio. Both singles received heavy airplay on both rock and urban radio, enabling Cypress Hill to crossover again. "(Rock) Superstar" peaked at No. 18 on theModern Rock Tracks chart and "(Rap) Superstar" peaked at No. 43 on the Hot Rap Tracks chart.
Due to the rock genre's prominent appearance onSkull & Bones, Cypress Hill employed the members of Sen Dog's band SX-10 as backing musicians for the live shows. Cypress Hill supportedSkull & Bones by initially playing a summer tour withLimp Bizkit andCold called the Back 2 Basics Tour. The tour was controversial as it was sponsored by thefile sharing serviceNapster. In addition, Napster enabled each show of the tour to be free to the fans, and no security guards were employed during the performances. After the tour's conclusion, the acts had not reported any disturbances.[19] Towards the end of 2000, Cypress Hill andMxPx landed a slot opening forThe Offspring on theConspiracy of One Tour. The group also releasedLive at the Fillmore, a concert disc recorded at San Francisco'sThe Fillmore in 2000. Cypress Hill continued their experimentation with rock on theStoned Raiders album in 2001; however, its sales were a disappointment. The album peaked at No. 64 on the Billboard 200, the group's lowest position to that point. Also in 2001, the group made a cameo appearance as themselves in the filmHow High. Cypress Hill then recorded the track "Just Another Victim" forWWF as a theme song forTazz, borrowing elements from the 2000 single "(Rock) Superstar". The song would later be featured on the compilationWWF Forceable Entry in March 2002, which peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and was certified gold by the RIAA.
Cypress Hill releasedTill Death Do Us Part in March 2004 as it peaked at No. 21 on the Billboard 200. It featured appearances byBob Marley's sonDamian Marley,Prodigy ofMobb Deep, and producersThe Alchemist andFredwreck. The album represented a further departure from the group's signature sound.Reggae was a strong influence on its sound, especially on the lead single "What's Your Number?". The track featuredTim Armstrong ofRancid on guitar and backup vocals. It was based on the classic song "The Guns of Brixton" fromThe Clash's albumLondon Calling. "What's Your Number?" saw Cypress Hill crossover into the rock charts again, as the single peaked at No. 23 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart.
Afterwards, DJ Muggs took a hiatus from the group to focus on other projects, such asSoul Assassins and hisDJ Muggs vs. collaboration albums. In December 2005 anothercompilation album titledGreatest Hits From the Bong was released. It included nine hits from previous albums and two new tracks. In the summer of 2006, B-Real appeared onSnoop Dogg's single "Vato", which was produced byPharrell Williams. The group's next album was tentatively scheduled for an early 2007 release, but it was pushed back numerous times. In 2007 Cypress Hill toured as a part of theRock the Bells tour. They headlined with Public Enemy,Wu-Tang Clan, Nas, and a reunited Rage Against the Machine.
On July 25, 2008, Cypress Hill performed at a benefit concert at theHouse of Blues Chicago, where a majority of the proceeds went to the Chicago Alliance to End Homelessness.[20] In August 2009, a new song by Cypress Hill titled "Get 'Em Up" was made available oniTunes. The song was also featured in theMadden NFL 2010 video game. It was the first sampling of the group's then-upcoming album.[21]
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Cypress Hill's eighth studio albumRise Up featured contributions fromEverlast,Tom Morello,Daron Malakian,Pitbull,Marc Anthony, andMike Shinoda. Previously, the vast majority of the group's albums were produced by DJ Muggs; however,Rise Up instead featured a large array of guest features and producers, with DJ Muggs only appearing on two tracks.[22] The album was released onPriority Records/EMI Entertainment, as the group was signed to the label by new creative chairman Snoop Dogg.Rise Up was released on April 20, 2010, and it peaked at No. 19 on the Billboard 200.[23] The single "Rise Up" was featured at WWE's pay-per-viewElimination Chamber as the official theme song for the event. It also appeared in the trailer for the movieThe Green Hornet. "Rise Up" managed to peak at No. 20 on both the Modern Rock Tracks andMainstream Rock Tracks charts. "Armada Latina", which featured Pitbull and Marc Anthony, was Cypress Hill's last song to chart in the U.S. to date, peaking at No. 25 on the Hot Rap Tracks chart.[24]
Cypress Hill commenced its Rise Up tour in Philadelphia on April 10, 2010. In one particular instance, the group was supposed to stop in Tucson, Arizona but canceled the show in protest of the recent immigration legislation. At theRock en Seine festival in Paris on August 27, 2010, they had said in an interview that they would anticipate the outcome of the legislation before returning.[25] Also in 2010, Cypress Hill performed at theReading and Leeds Festivals on August 28 at Leeds and August 29 at Reading. On June 5, 2012, Cypress Hill and dubstep artistRusko released a collaborative EP entitledCypress X Rusko. DJ Muggs, who was still on a hiatus, and Eric Bobo were absent on the release. Also in 2012, Cypress Hill collaborated withDeadmau5 on his sixth studio albumAlbum Title Goes Here, lending vocals on "Failbait".[26]
During the interval between Cypress Hill albums, the four members commenced work on various projects. B-Real formed the bandProphets of Rage alongside three members of Rage Against the Machine and two members of Public Enemy. He also releasedThe Prescription EP under his Dr. Greenthumb persona. Sen Dog formed the bandPowerflo alongside members ofFear Factory,downset., andBiohazard. DJ Muggs revived his Soul Assassins project as its main producer. Eric Bobo formed a duo named Ritmo Machine. He also contributed to an unreleased album by his father Willie Bobo.[27]
On September 28, 2018, Cypress Hill released the albumElephants on Acid, which saw the return of DJ Muggs as main composer and producer (DJ Muggs subsequently stayed in the group but very rarely played any live shows). It peaked at No. 120 on the Billboard 200 and at No. 6 on theTop Independent Albums chart. Overall, four different singles were released to promote the album.[27] In April 2019 Cypress Hill received a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame. Although various solo hip hop artists had received stars, Cypress Hill became the first collective hip hop group to receive a star. The entire lineup of B-Real, Sen Dog, Eric Bobo, and DJ Muggs had all attended the ceremony.[10]
In January 2022, the group announced their 10th studio album entitledBack in Black.[28] In addition, Cypress Hill planned to support the album by joiningSlipknot alongsideHo99o9 for the second half of the 2022Knotfest Roadshow. They had previously invited Slipknot to join their Great Smoke-Out festival back in 2009.[29]Back in Black was released on March 18, 2022. It was the group's first album to not feature DJ Muggs on any of the tracks, as producing duties were handled byBlack Milk.Back in Black was the lowest charting album of the group's career, and the first to not reach the Billboard 200 chart; however, it peaked at No. 69 on theTop Current Album Sales chart.[24]
A documentary about the group, entitledCypress Hill: Insane in the Brain, was released on theShowtime service in April 2022.Estevan Oriol, Cypress Hill's former tour manager and close associate, directed the film. It had mainly chronicled the group's formation and their first decade of existence.[30] In relation to theCypress Hill: Insane in the Brain documentary, Cypress Hill digitally released the single "Crossroads" in September 2022. The single featured the return of DJ Muggs on production.[31]
In an interview, Sen Dog claimed that the group will fully reunite with DJ Muggs for an 11th album; however, he stated that it will be the group's final album of their career.[32]
The group performed at various festivals in 2023 such as theFestival d'été de Québec, and in celebrating the 30th anniversary of their second studio albumBlack Sunday, they also announced several standalone concerts in North America and Europe. They also performed alongsideThe Pharcyde andSouls of Mischief in May 2024.[33] They also played in Italy, Austria, and Germany throughout July.[34] In a callback to Cypress Hill's appearance in the 1996 "Homerpalooza" episode ofThe Simpsons (which contained a skit of the group realizing they must have ordered theLondon Symphony Orchestra while high to perform with), it was announced that the group would actually perform with the London Symphony Orchestra at London'sRoyal Albert Hall in July 2024.[35] The band was joined by long-time collaboratorChristian Olde Wolbers ondouble bass.[36]
One of the band's most striking aspects is B-Real's exaggeratedly high-pitched nasal vocals.[11] In the bookCheck the Technique, B-Real described his nasal style, saying his rapping voice is "high and annoying...the nasal style I have was just something that I developed...my more natural style wasn't so pleasing to DJ Muggs and Sen Dog's ears"[37] and talking about the nasal style in the bookHow to Rap, B-Real said "you want to stand out from the others and just be distinct...when you got something that can separate you from everybody else, you gotta use it to your advantage."[8] In the filmArt of Rap, B-Real credited theBeastie Boys as an influence when developing his rapping style. Sen Dog's voice is deeper, more violent, and often shouted alongside the rapping; his vocals are often emphasized by adding another background/choir voice to say them. Sen Dog's style is in contrast to B-Real's, who said "Sen's voice is so strong" and "it all blends together" when they are both on the same track.[37]
Both B-Real and Sen Dog started writing lyrics in both Spanish and English. Initially, B-Real was inspired to start writing raps from watching Sen Dog and Mellow Man Ace writing their lyrics,[37] and originally B-Real was going to just be the writer for the group rather than a rapper.[37] Their lyrics are noted for bringing a "cartoonish" approach to violence byPeter Shapiro and Allmusic.[11][38]
The sound and groove of their music, mostly produced by DJ Muggs, has spooky sounds and a stoned aesthetic; with its bass-heavy rhythms and odd sample loops ("Insane in the Brain" has a blues guitar pitched looped in its chorus), it carries a psychedelic value, which is lessened in their rock-oriented albums.[11][38] The double albumSkull & Bones consists of a pure rap disc (Skull) and a separate rock disc (Bones). In the live albumLive at The Fillmore, some of the old classics were played in a rock/metal version, with Eric Bobo playing the drums and Sen Dog's band SX-10 as the other instrumentalists. 2010'sRise Up was the most radically different album in regards to production. DJ Muggs had produced the majority of each prior Cypress Hill album, but he only appeared onRise Up twice. The remaining songs were handled by various other guests.[39] 2018'sElephants on Acid marked the return of DJ Muggs, and the album featured a more psychedelic and hip-hop approach.[27][40]
Cypress Hill are often credited for being one of the few Latin American hip hop groups to break through with their own stylistic impact on rap music, in addition to finding a crossover audience among the rock community. Cypress Hill have been cited as an influence by artists such asEminem,[41]Baby Bash,[42]Paul Wall,[43]Post Malone,[44]Luniz,[45] andFat Joe.[46] Cypress Hill have also been cited as a strong influence onnu metal bands such asDeftones,[47]Limp Bizkit,[48]System of a Down,[49]Linkin Park,[50]Rage Against the Machine[51] andKorn.[52][53] Famously, the bassline during the outro of Korn's 1994 single "Blind" was a direct tribute to Cypress Hill's 1993 track "Lick a Shot".[54]
Current
Current touring | Former
Former touring
|
| Year | Nominated work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | "The Phuncky Feel One" | Top Rap Song | Won |
| Year | Nominated work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | "Insane in the Brain" | Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group | Nominated |
| 1995 | "I Ain't Goin' Out Like That" | Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group | Nominated |
| 1996 | "Throw Your Set in the Air" | Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group | Nominated |
| Year | Nominated work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | "Insane in the Brain" | Best Rap Video | Nominated |
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Cypress Hill | Star | Won |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| Other | |
