Their first album, which was self-titled, was released in August 1991. Its single was "Phuncky Feel One", but it was the B-side "How I Could Just Kill A Man" (formerly "Trigga Happy Nigga") that attracted more airplay on urban radio and college radio. Based on the success of the single and other tracks such as bilingual track "Latin Lingo" and X-rated Spanish track "Tres Equis", the album sold two million copies in the US alone. Subsequently, DJ Muggs produced the first House of Pain album, then worked on other projects like Funkdoobiest. The band made their first appearance at Lollapalooza on the side stage in 1992.
Black Sunday, the group's second album, debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 in 1993, recording the highest Soundscan for a rap group up until that time. Also with their debut still on the charts they became the first rap artists to have 2 albums in the top 10 of the Billboard 200 at the same time. With "Insane in the Brain" becoming a crossover hit, the album went triple platinum in the U.S. and sold about 3.25 million copies.
Cypress Hill was banned from Saturday Night Live after Muggs smoked cannabis on-air and the band trashed their instruments while playing their second single "I Ain't Goin' Out Like That". The band headlined the "Soul Assassins" tour with House of Pain and Funkdoobiest as support, then performed on a college tour with Rage Against the Machine and Seven Year Bitch. In 1993, Cypress Hill also had two tracks on the Judgment Night soundtrack, teamed up with Pearl Jam and Sonic Youth.
The band played at the 1994 Woodstock Festival introducing their new member Eric Bobo, formerly a percussionist with the Beastie Boys. Bobo is the son of salsa musician Willie Bobo. Rolling Stone magazine named the band as the best rap group in their music awards voted by critics and readers. Cypress Hill played at Lollapalooza for two successive years, topping the bill in 1995. They appeared on the The Simpsons episode "Homerpalooza".
Their third album Cypress Hill III: Temples of Boom was released in 1995 selling 1.5 million copies and reaching number 3 on the Billboard 200 on the strength of the hit single "Throw Your Set in the Air". Cypress Hill also contributed a track "I Wanna Get High" to the High Times sponsored Hempilation album to support NORML.
Feud With Ice Cube
Ice Cube asked to put "Throw Your Set in the Air" on his Friday soundtrack, but B-Real refused, prompting Cube to record a new song "Friday" with a similar chorus; Cypress Hill responded with the track "No Rest For The Wicked." Westside Connection replied with the diss track "King Of The Hill" and "Cross Em Out & Put a K", to which Cypress Hill replied with "Ice Cube Killa," which uses the same beat as "King Of The Hill" and disses Ice Cube and Mack 10. "Ice Cube Killa" has never been released officially. In 1997 B-Real of Cypress Hill and Ice Cube were invited to a late night talk show in order to reconcile their differences for the benefit of the hip hop community, and the feud thus ended. Cube And B-Real would work together later that year as guest features on the track "Men of Steel" for the soundtrack of Shaquille O'Neal's film Steel. B-Real and Cube did even feature as guests in Warren G's single "Get U Down" which also featured Snoop Dogg.
Continued career
Sen Dog took a break from the band to form a Los Angeles based punk-rap band SX-10. Meanwhile in 1996, Cypress Hill appeared on the first 'Smokin' Grooves' tour, featuring Ziggy Marley, The Fugees, Busta Rhymes and A Tribe Called Quest. The band also released a nine track EP Unreleased and Revamped with rare mixes. In 1997, band members focused on their solo careers. Muggs released Muggs Presents ... the Soul Assassins featuring contributions from Wu-Tang Clan members, Dr. Dre, KRS-One, Wyclef Jean and Mobb Deep. B-Real appeared with Busta Rhymes, Coolio, LL Cool J and Method Man on "Hit Em High" from the multi-platinum Space Jam Soundtrack. He also appeared with RBX, Nas and KRS-One on "East Coast Killer, West Coast Killer" on Dr. Dre's Dr. Dre Presents the Aftermath album, and released an album entitled "The Psycho Realm" from his side project of the same name. Though the focus that year was not on Cypress Hill, the band played Smokin' Grooves with George Clinton and Erykah Badu.
Cypress Hill released IV in 1998 which went gold in the U.S., even though the reviews were somewhat negative,[citation needed] on the backs of hit singles "Tequila Sunrise" and another tribute to smoking cannabis "Dr. Greenthumb." Sen Dog also released the Get Wood sampler as part of SX-10 on the label Flip. In 1999, Cypress Hill helped with the PC crime/very mature video game Kingpin: Life of Crime. Three of their songs from the 1998 IV album were in the game ( "16 Men Till There's No Men Left", "Checkmate" and "Lightning Strikes"). B-Real also did some of the voices of the people in the game. Also in 1999, the band released a greatest-hits album in Spanish, Los grandes éxitos en español. Cypress Hill then fused genres with their two-disc release, Skull & Bones, in 2000. The first disc, "Skull" was comprised of rap tracks while "Bones" explored further the group's forays into rock. The album reached the Top 5 on the Billboard 200 and number 3 in Canada. The first single was "Rock Superstar" for rock radio and "Rap Superstar" for urban radio. The band also released Live at the Fillmore, a concert disc recorded at the Fillmore (in San Fransico) in 2000. Cypress Hill continued their experimentation with rock on the Stoned Raiders album in 2001. However, its sales were a disappointment, as the disc did not even reach the top 50 of the U.S. album charts. In 2001, the group appeared in the film How High.
Cypress Hill recorded "Just Another Victim" for the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) as a theme song for Tazz. At the time, WWE was using original music for almost all of the wrestlers, so this was an unusual step for the company to take, but it remains one of the more memorable songs to emerge from the wrestling organization. The band released Till Death Do Us Part on March 23, 2004. The album saw the band experiment with reggae especially on the lead single "What's Your Number". The track features Tim Armstrong of Rancid on guitar and Rob Aston of The Transplants on backup vocals. It is based on the classic song "Guns of Brixton" on The Clash's London Calling and has proven to be a success on the modern rock charts. However, the album represented a further departure from the signature sound of their first four albums. The album also features appearances by Damian Marley, son of Bob Marley, Prodigy and Twin of Mobb Deep and producer the Alchemist.
In 2004, the song How I Could Just Kill A Man was included in the popular videogame Grand Theft Auto San Andreas created by Rockstar Games, playing on West Coast hip hop radio station Radio Los Santos. In December of 2005 a best of compilation album titled Greatest Hits From the Bong was released including 9 hits from previous albums and 2 new tracks. The group's next album was tentatively scheduled for an early 2007 release. In the summer of 2006, B-Real appeared on Snoop Dogg's single "Vato". Pharrell Williams produced the track, and originally sang the hook, but because of the video idea, B-Real was asked to sing the hook. Sen Dog is now currently touring with the Kottonmouth Kings, Kingspade and Dogboy on the Joint is on Fire Tour
In 2007 Cypress Hill toured with their full line up as a part of the Rock the Bells tour, held by Guerilla Union, and headlined with Public Enemy, Wu-Tang Clan, Nas, and a reunited Rage Against the Machine. Other acts included Immortal Technique, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, The Roots, EPMD, Pharoae Monch, Jedi Mind Tricks, Erykah Badu, MF Doom, Sage Francis, Brother Ali, The Coup, Blue Print, Lucky I Am, Living Legends, Felt, Cage, Mr. Lif, Grouch & Eligh, and Hangar 18.
Departure from Sony
Having fulfilled their contractual obligations with Sony Music, Cypress Hill will release an as-yet untitled album through a different record label in 2008.
Recently, it was announced that Cypress Hill will be members of the Kannabis Kartel along with the Kottonmouth Kings and Potluck. Their album will be released on Suburban Noize Records.
STYLE
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Production
One of the band's most striking aspects is B-Real's exaggeratedly high-pitched nasal vocals, which fits and emphasizes the lyrics' concentration on parodied gangster stories.
Sen Dog's lyrics are progressively more violent and tend to involve fewer rhyme schemes compared with B-Real's. In addition, as the style is today, some words are emphasized by adding a background voice to say them, however, Sen Dog's emphases are always more prominent, mostly shouted alongside with the rapping.
The sound and groove of their music, produced by Muggs, is also notable for its influence and stoned aesthetic; with its bass-heavy rhythms and odd sample loops ("Insane in the Brain" is notable for having a horse neigh looped in its chorus), it carries a psychedelic value, which lessened in the later albums.
The band is also known for involving rock instruments in their songs. This has caused the band to sometimes be classified as a rapcore group. In IV, there is Lightning Strikes which doesn't truly use electric guitars, but a synthesized version of it. Skull & Bones has an entire disc using such instruments, labeled Bones. As for their later works, their involvement in rock ended with the album Stoned Raiders (the tracks Trouble (also the first single of the album), Amplified and Catastrophe being the songs).
The band's music is constantly subject to change; while the first album follows a more minimalistic and funky sound, Black Sunday, the successor, has a slightly darker side to it. III (Temples of Boom) and IV are mostly influenced by psychedelic music. The band abandoned that on Skull & Bones and got closer to the modern rap as it is today. Stoned Raiders has a more authentic sound than the rest, and Till Death Do Us Part carries reggae influences.
The band is also known to involve horns in their songs, and often have guitar and horns together in the instrumentals. What's Your Number?, Trouble, Tequila Sunrise, and (Rock) Superstar have become some of the bands most popular songs featuring these elements. Cypress Hill's experimenting in different genres of music even includes reggaeton in their track "Latin Thugs" which features Tego Calderon.
Some fans feel that the band has drifted somewhat from the values of their earlier albums. For example in "Strictly Hip Hop" from Temples of Boom, the band complain about hip hop artists who have an album of hardcore tracks but have one or two pop songs which just so happen to be the singles. Cypress have arguably fallen into this trap with the single "What's You Number?"
The sound contribitions of DJ Muggs seems to be clearly influenced by marijuana consumption. Since one of the effects of a cannabis high is an altered audio sensual perception, the often slow paced and deep bass can be better appreciated. Furthermore, psychedelic sequences underly some parts of certain tracks such as "I Wanna Get High" for example. This is an interesting feature of their music, that had also been used before, especially during the 60's and 70's (e.g. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles).
Lyrics
The lyrics of tracks like "How I Could Just Kill A Man" offer an insight into the cultural expression of social stratification in L.A. at that point in history. Many other songs have cited topics such as police brutality, racial profiling, gang violence and anecdotes about invasion of privacy by police.
Furthermore the celebration of marijuana consumption is what they are often associated with in songs like "I Wanna Get High", "Stoned Is The Way Of The Walk" or "Hits From The Bong", the themes of recreational use of marijuana are prevalent.
Many of their songs also protest the current marijuana laws and voice their opinions on the hypocrisy of drug enforcement institutions.
Their lyrics often reflect the hip hop culture of Los Angeles in their earlier work such as their self-titled album and Black Sunday, which were very influential not only to Latino hip hop of the time but to many other hip hop groups around the world as well.
Throughout their career they have commonly incorporated Spanish into their lyrics as well as slang used by some Latinos in Los Angeles on songs like "Latin Lingo". Their album "Los Grandes Exitos En Espanol" features Spanish translations of many of their hit songs.
Years active 1987 - present.
How I Could Just Kill a Man
Cypress Hill Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You know what I'm sayin?
And it goes like this
Hey don't miss out on what you're passin'
You're missin' the hoota of the funky Buddha
Eluder or the fucked up styles to get wicked
So come on as Cypress starts to kick it
'Cause we're like the outlaw stridin' while suckers are hidin'
Jump behind the bush when they see me (us) driving
By, hangin' out the window
With my Magnum, takin' out some puto's
Actin' kinda loco, I'm just another local
Kid from the street gettin' paid for my vocals
Here is somethin' you can't understand
(How I could just kill a man)
Here is somethin' you can't understand
(How I could just kill a man)
Here is somethin' you can't understand
(How I could just kill a man)
Here is somethin' you can't understand
(How I could just kill a man)
Here is somethin' you can't understand
I'm ignoring all the dumb shit
Yo, because nothin' is comin' from it
I'm not gonna waste no time
Fuckin' around, my gat straight hummin'
Hummin', comin' at cha
And you know I had to gat ya
Time for some action, just a fraction of friction
I got the clearance to run the interference
Into your satellite, shinin' a battle light
Swing out the gat, and I know that will gat ya right
Here's an example, just a little sample
How I could just kill a man
One-time tried to come in my home
Take my chrome, I said, "Yo, it's on
Take cover son, or you're ass-out
How you like my chrome?", then I watched the rookie pass out
Didn't have to blast out, but I did anyway
That young punk had to pay
So I just killed a man
Here is something you can't understand
(How I could just kill a man)
Here is something you can't understand
(How I could just kill a man)
Here is something you can't understand
(How I could just kill a man)
Here is something you can't understand
(How I could just kill a man)
It's gonna be a long time before I finish
One of the many missions that I have to establish
To light my spliff, ignite ya with insights
And if you ain't down, bullshit
Say some punk try to get you for your auto
Would you call the one-time, play the role model?
No, I think you play like a thug
Next, hear the shot of a Magnum slug
Hummin', comin' at cha
Yeah ya know I'm gonna gat ya
How do you know where I'm at when you haven't been where I've been
Understand where I'm comin' from
When you're up on the hill, in your big home
I'm out here, riskin' my dome
Just for a bucket, or a fast Ducat
Just to stay alive, aiyyo I gotta say, "Fuck it"
Here is somethin' you can't understand
(How I could just kill a man)
Here is somethin' you can't understand
(How I could just kill a man)
Here is somethin' you can't understand
(How I could just kill a man)
Here is somethin' you can't understand
(How I could just kill a man)
Here is somethin' you can't understand
(All I wanted was a Pepsi)
The song "How I Could Just Kill a Man" by Cypress Hill is a classic hip-hop track that explores themes of street violence, rebellion, and self-assertion. The song begins with a funky and catchy instrumental that sets the tone for the rest of the track. The opening lines urge the listener not to miss out on the experience of listening to the song before segueing into a narrative about street life and the hardships of living in tough neighborhoods.
The lines "Cause we're like the outlaw stridin' while suckers are hidin'/Jump behind the bush when they see me (us) driving/By, hangin' out the window/With my Magnum, takin' out some puto's" illustrate a sense of bravado and defiance that runs through the song. The singer is driven by a desire to assert his power in the face of adversity and to demonstrate his willingness to take on anyone who challenges him.
The chorus, "Here is somethin' you can't understand (How I could just kill a man)" serves to amplify the sense of tension and danger that permeates the track. The singer is not afraid to use violence to get what he wants, and the repeated refrain of the chorus reinforces this idea.
Overall, "How I Could Just Kill a Man" is a poignant reflection on life in the ghetto and the struggles that come with it. The song touches on themes of poverty, rebellion, and the desire for self-assertion, making it a timeless classic in the hip-hop canon.
Line by Line Meaning
It's another one of them ol' funky Cypress Hill things
This is just another typical, unique song from Cypress Hill.
Hey don't miss out on what you're passin'
Don't miss out on the opportunity to hear this music.
You're missin' the hoota of the funky Buddha
You're missing out on the excitement and pleasure of this music.
Eluder or the fucked up styles to get wicked
Our music has some unconventional and sometimes aggressive elements that make it stand out.
So come on as Cypress starts to kick it
Join in and enjoy this song as Cypress Hill begins playing.
'Cause we're like the outlaw stridin' while suckers are hidin'
We are confident and brazen while others cower in fear.
Jump behind the bush when they see me (us) driving
People try to hide from us when they see us coming.
By, hangin' out the window
We're driving around and hanging out of the car window.
With my Magnum, takin' out some puto's
I'm wielding a Magnum gun and attacking our enemies.
Actin' kinda loco, I'm just another local
I'm acting crazy or wild, but I'm just another guy from the area.
Kid from the street gettin' paid for my vocals
I come from the streets, but I'm making money from my singing.
Here is somethin' you can't understand
I'm going to share something that may be difficult for you to comprehend.
(How I could just kill a man)
I have thoughts of violence and may be capable of killing someone.
I'm ignoring all the dumb shit
I'm not paying attention to any nonsense.
Yo, because nothin' is comin' from it
There's no benefit or value in wasting time on pointless things.
I'm not gonna waste no time
I don't have time to waste.
Fuckin' around, my gat straight hummin'
I'm not messing around, my gun is ready and active.
Hummin', comin' at cha
The gun is making a humming sound and is aimed at you.
And you know I had to gat ya
I'm going to shoot you with my gun.
Time for some action, just a fraction of friction
It's time to take action and create some tension.
I got the clearance to run the interference
I have permission and authority to interfere or intervene.
Into your satellite, shinin' a battle light
I'm invading your personal space and bringing attention to myself with a strong, aggressive presence.
Swing out the gat, and I know that will gat ya right
I'm going to shoot you and I know it will be effective.
Here's an example, just a little sample
Let me give you an example to illustrate my point.
How I could just kill a man
I'm considering taking violent action against someone.
One-time tried to come in my home
The police tried to enter my house.
Take my chrome, I said, "Yo, it's on
The police tried to take my gun, and I warned them that I would retaliate.
Take cover son, or you're ass-out
You better hide, or you'll be exposed and in trouble.
How you like my chrome?", then I watched the rookie pass out
I showed the police my gun and the young officer was scared and fainted.
Didn't have to blast out, but I did anyway
I didn't have to fire my gun, but I chose to do so.
That young punk had to pay
The inexperienced officer had to learn a lesson.
So I just killed a man
I took the ultimate action and killed someone.
It's gonna be a long time before I finish
I have a lot of work to do, and it will take a while to complete.
One of the many missions that I have to establish
I have many important tasks to complete.
To light my spliff, ignite ya with insights
I'm going to smoke marijuana and share some deep thoughts and ideas with you.
And if you ain't down, bullshit
If you're not interested, that's your loss.
Say some punk try to get you for your auto
If someone tries to steal your car,
Would you call the one-time, play the role model?
Would you call the police and follow the rules?
No, I think you play like a thug
No, I think you would act tough and aggressive.
Next, hear the shot of a Magnum slug
Next, you'll hear the sound of a powerful gun being fired.
Yeah ya know I'm gonna gat ya
You know I'm going to shoot you.
How do you know where I'm at when you haven't been where I've been
You can't understand my experiences or perspective without having lived them yourself.
Understand where I'm comin' from
Try to relate to my point of view or background.
When you're up on the hill, in your big home
When you're in a privileged position with a nice house.
I'm out here, riskin' my dome
I'm out here on the streets, putting myself in danger.
Just for a bucket, or a fast Ducat
Just for some money or other material gain.
Just to stay alive, aiyyo I gotta say, "Fuck it"
I have to take risks just to survive, so I don't care about the consequences.
(All I wanted was a Pepsi)
This line is unrelated to the song and seems to be a reference to a previous track or personal preference of the singer.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Rudy Archuleta, Lowell Fulsom, Lamont Holbdy, Hugh McCracken, Larry E Muggerud, Rod Navarro, Morris J Taft
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind