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
______________________________________________________________________________________________
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.
Certified Bomb
Cypress Hill Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Call me the serial rhyme killer
Mic-cord strangling, mangling, tangling, you in the web nigga
Your head is dangling off of your shoulders
Cause my mic told me to do it cause you wasn't a true soldier
Fake busters get hit with the clusterbomb
You're a hotdog with no mustard, you're flusterd, I'm calm
Spit heat like a fucking dragon, bagging you up
Clipping you up, mic-cord tripping you up
You're in the dark with no light
And wishing a nigga had lit you up
So much for wishful thinking, you're body's stinking
You're sinking into the hole and I'm at the top winking at ya
[Chorus: Sen-Dog]
Don't play me too close I'm a certified bomb
Designed to designate all over the tape
Got my Cuban Puerto Ricans all up in the place
Gonna smash you in the face with tapes check it out
[B-Real]
Call me imperial beatslayer
All prayers try to be advisory to rivalry in the battle player
Bitches who lie to me and cry to me use bribery
I'm taking the torch and burn Puffy-music for canivalry
That'll teach you I beat you on every plain
Ain't no other way to reach you, I reach you with pain
Shred you into pieces using the tigerclaw
I'm a cold nigga you need more than a lighter to thaw
Me and my lyrical Iceberg suckers are panic
Fuck what you head I brought down the Titanic
So can it and shut it, I wrote it and bust it
Because it never gonna be safe for wack niggas I don't trust 'em
[Chorus]
[Sen-Dog]
Call me superior showstopper, your hiphop legacy
Claim us to remember we break you off proper
Oh you got a short memory? You want to render me?
Harmless and surrender me for the fucking enemy?
I won't let ya I bet ya I reign supreme
Make your fans forget ya search ya in front of your team
Make a nigga smoke a ounce and bounce over the rhythm
And hit em and get another suck and hit em with venom
Nigga my name is Sen and I'm real while you're pretending
Suckers with no style I hope you get offended
So I can lock your ass up with my jawclutches
Then my rhymes will catch you cause they're sharp like Tony Touch's
[Chorus]
[Sen-Dog]
Yeah, that's right y'all
Gonna smash you in the face
Who be coming on touching me, getting around me
I'm a bomb you know what I'm saying
I'm ready to go off you know what I'm saying
So many motherfuckers out there talking shit, doing their little thing
It's cool you know what I'm saying, go ahead make you money
But don't you be coming around me perplexing playing like a bitch
You know what I'm saying
Cause I can see your ass right through you know what I'm saying
You're glass homeyboy, you're glass you know what I'm saying
Don't play me too close y'all
I don't think I like you too much you know what I'm saying
Always kicking it, doing what we do
Trying to act like us, trying to sound like us
You're playing me too close motherfucker
You need too step the fuck on back
Take your ass on back to wherever the fuck you come from
You're playing me way way too close you know what I'm saying
The Cypress Hill song "Certified Bomb" is a bravado-heavy track that features the group's two main MCs, B-Real and Sen Dog, trading verses boasting about their skills and threatening their enemies with violence. B-Real introduces himself as the "serial rhyme killer" and boasts about how he's willing to strangle his opponents with his mic cord, while Sen Dog calls himself the "superior showstopper" and promises to make his rivals "smoke a ounce and bounce over the rhythm" before hitting them with venomous rhymes. The chorus warns listeners not to "play [Cypress Hill] too close," as they are a "certified bomb" that is designed to detonate all over the track.
The song's aggressive, confrontational lyrics are matched by its hard-hitting beat, which is built around a propulsive, syncopated rhythm that is driven by a pounding bassline and syncopated drum patterns. The track also features a number of ear-catching sonic details, such as scratchy vinyl samples, reversed vocal snippets, and distorted guitar riffs that help to give the song a gritty, street-level vibe.
"Certified Bomb" is one of the standout tracks on Cypress Hill's self-titled debut album, which was released in 1991 and helped to establish the group as one of the leading voices in the burgeoning West Coast hip-hop scene. The album was a commercial and critical success, and helped to pave the way for the group's subsequent chart-topping albums, such as 1993's "Black Sunday" and 1995's "III (Temples of Boom)." Today, Cypress Hill is widely regarded as one of the most influential and innovative hip-hop groups of all time, thanks to their unique blend of catchy hooks, hard-hitting beats, and socially conscious lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
Call me the serial rhyme killer
I am very talented at rapping and can destroy any competition
Mic-cord strangling, mangling, tangling, you in the web nigga
My vocals are so strong and powerful that they can cause harm and confusion to my opponents
Your head is dangling off of your shoulders
I have defeated you so soundly that you can no longer hold your head up high
Cause my mic told me to do it cause you wasn't a true soldier
I have been inspired to destroy you by the power of my microphone because you are not a worthy opponent
Fake busters get hit with the clusterbomb
If you pretend to be something you're not, you will face the consequences of my wrath
You're a hotdog with no mustard, you're flusterd, I'm calm
You are unprepared and out of your depth, while I remain calm and collected
Spit heat like a fucking dragon, bagging you up
My rapping is so hot and powerful that I could be compared to a dragon breathing fire. I am defeating you thoroughly
Tagging you toe, zipping you up
I am metaphorically tagging your dead body (as if in a funeral home) and zipping you up in a bag, as you have been defeated and embarrassed
Clipping you up, mic-cord tripping you up
I am metaphorically clipping your wings - stopping your capabilities - and tripping you up with my microphone cord
You're in the dark with no light
You are lost and directionless, with no sense of hope or success
And wishing a nigga had lit you up
You wish that someone had killed you and put you out of your misery, as life appears to be hopeless for you
So much for wishful thinking, you're body's stinking
Your hopes and dreams are useless now, as you are lying dead with a decaying body
You're sinking into the hole and I'm at the top winking at ya
You are going to a dark place, while I am at the top of my game, victorious and confident
Don't play me too close I'm a certified bomb
Don't underestimate me, as I am highly skilled and powerful
Designed to designate all over the tape
My rapping style is highly sought after and I have influence over the music industry
Got my Cuban Puerto Ricans all up in the place
My crew and I are highly respected and we have loyal followers present
Gonna smash you in the face with tapes check it out
I am going to impress my win over you onto everyone around, through my music
Call me imperial beatslayer
I am so skilled at rapping that I am known to conquer and utterly defeat anyone who competes against me
All prayers try to be advisory to rivalry in the battle player
Many have attempted to compete with me, but none have been successful, even when seeking help or advice from others
Bitches who lie to me and cry to me use bribery
I am so talented and in-demand that some label executives try to deceive me and bribe me to change my style
I'm taking the torch and burn Puffy-music for canivalry
I am starting a new movement, defeating the popular style of music that Puff Daddy is responsible for creating
That'll teach you I beat you on every plain
My victory over you will set an example to anyone who tries to compete with me in the future
Ain't no other way to reach you, I reach you with pain
I am going to defeat and humiliate you so badly that it will hurt you mentally and emotionally
Shred you into pieces using the tigerclaw
I am going to defeat you exhaustively and intimately, just as a tiger's claws would shred its prey into tiny pieces
I'm a cold nigga you need more than a lighter to thaw
I am cold-hearted and indifferent; it would take more than a small act of kindness or benevolence to melt my demeanor
Me and my lyrical Iceberg suckers are panic
My rapping crew and I are so powerful and influential that it strikes fear into the hearts of others
Fuck what you head I brought down the Titanic
I am so powerful that I can bring down anything and anyone, even legendary failures like the Titanic
So can it and shut it, I wrote it and bust it
Stop talking trash, I am the one in control and I'm going to prove it through my music
Because it never gonna be safe for wack niggas I don't trust 'em
I cannot stand people who are not genuine and talented in the music industry, as they bring everyone down
Call me superior showstopper, your hiphop legacy
I am the best and most memorable rapper in your music legacy
Claim us to remember we break you off proper
Your claim to fame will always be that I defeated you as a rapper, leading to my own success
Oh you got a short memory? You want to render me?
You have forgotten the power that I hold, but now you want to attempt to compete with me once again
Harmless and surrender me for the fucking enemy?
You think I won't put up a fight? You clearly have not learned your lesson from our previous encounter
I won't let ya I bet ya I reign supreme
I will not let you win this time either, I will prove to be the superior rapper
Make your fans forget ya search ya in front of your team
My victory over you will be so thorough that your own team and fans will forget you ever existed
Make a nigga smoke a ounce and bounce over the rhythm
My rapping is so smooth and powerful that it would even make someone want to smoke marijuana and enjoy the rhythm
And hit em and get another sucker and hit em with venom
I am confident in my abilities; I could easily defeat another opponent right after demolishing you, if necessary
Nigga my name is Sen and I'm real while you're pretending
I am authentic and genuine, while you are only pretending to be something that you are not
Suckers with no style I hope you get offended
I despise people who don't have their own unique style of rapping, and I hope that they get offended by my words
So I can lock your ass up with my jawclutches
I am so powerful that I could hold an opponent down with my jaws like a crocodile
Then my rhymes will catch you cause they're sharp like Tony Touch's
My lyrics are going to cut through my opponent like a knife, just like the sharp style of Tony Touch's scratching technique
Yeah, that's right y'all
Yes, everything I have said up until now is true
Who be coming on touching me, getting around me
People are trying to get close to me and copy my style
I'm a bomb you know what I'm saying
I am a powerful and explosive presence in the music industry
I'm ready to go off you know what I'm saying
I am ready to explode with greatness and power
So many motherfuckers out there talking shit, doing their little thing
So many people in the music industry are talking trash about their own skills and trying to make a name for themselves
It's cool you know what I'm saying, go ahead make you money
It doesn't matter to me if people are trying to make a name for themselves, as long as they are willing to pay me for my services
But don't you be coming around me perplexing playing like a bitch
Don't try to compete with me while acting confused and indecisive like a coward
Cause I can see your ass right through you know what I'm saying
I can see right through your facade and recognize your lack of skill
You're glass homeyboy, you're glass you know what I'm saying
You are fragile and easily breakable, like glass, and you will not survive my rap skills
Don't play me too close y'all
Don't attempt to get too close to me or mimic my style too closely, as I am unbeatable by anyone else
I don't think I like you too much you know what I'm saying
I am not pleased with your attempt to compete with me, as you are not talented enough to be worthy of the challenge
Always kicking it, doing what we do
I am constantly making great music and defeating my opponents with my rapping skills
Trying to act like us, trying to sound like us
People in the music industry are trying to mimic my style and copy my powerful rapping abilities
You're playing me too close motherfucker
You are attempting to get too close to my style and mimic my every move, which is not going to work in your favor
You need too step the fuck on back
You need to back off and stop trying to compete with me, as you are not worthy of the challenge
Take your ass on back to wherever the fuck you come from
Leave and go back to your own corner of the music industry, as you are not prepared to handle the great power of my talents
You're playing me way way too close you know what I'm saying
You are attempting to get too close to my style and mimic my every move, which is not going to work in your favor
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: LARRY MUGGERUD, LOUIS M. FREEZE, SENEN REYES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind