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.
Hole in the Head
Cypress Hill Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's a Tribe thing
Madman gonna get cha, quick with the cuente
See a gang, no there ain't no jugete
Rollin like a pyscho with the windows rolled down
Who you looking at, you trying to fade me clown?
Plato, si mon, you want static
(Boo-yaa!) Spitting out buckshots
Homey say bloodclat, so you can call a pig
'Cause no one could handle, I wind up, and loco
Insane in the brain, you get the bullet and
A hole in your head
A hole in your fucking head
A hole in the head, a hole in the head
You get a hole in your head, in your motherfuckin' head
A hole in the head, a hole in the head
Eight barrel pumping, system thumping
See a fine heina, c'mon baby jump in
I stop to cop, here let me tell you something
Me and you, bruca, we should be humping
If honey likes the mack, homey's got her in the bag
But there's vato's rolling out, and they're sticking up the flag
He jumps out with the sag, "hey where ya from homes?"
It's on, he sees him reaching for his chrome
Buckshot to the dome, jumps in the Brome
Honey's in the back but she just wants to go home
But he trips to the store homeboy needs a forty
White boy at the counter's thinking oh lordy lordy!
Pushing on the button, panicking for nothing
Pigs on the way, ayyo I smells bacon
Dips out the store, one-time hits the corner
And he hits the fucking alley like if homes was Pop Warner
Still had the forty, coming out the alley
Seen the chief's son, pig Officer O'Malley, oink
In the black and white thinking he's gonna check him right
Wrong, haha, it's gonna be on
That pig better suck a la chrome (P.D. 187)
A to the motherfucking K! (You know what's up Sen)
Shoot your ass down! And by the way, you get
A hole in your head
A fuckin' hole in your head (In your head!)
A hole in your head, a hole in your head
You get a hole in your head, in your motherfuckin' head
A hole in the head, a hole in the head
A Scooby Doo y'all, a Scooby Doo y'all (Scooby Doo!)
A Scooby Doo y'all, a doobie doobie doo y'all (Doobie doo!)
A Scooby Doo y'all, Scooby Doo y'all! (Scooby Doo!)
A Scooby Doo y'all, a Scooby doobie Doo y'all
Six rollin' up and now he's really baffled
Brother's thinkin' "Damn I never got this gaffled" (To' up)
Beat down (down) on the way to the station
Gaffled up from a false accusation
On to the pen, you know homes the one that's where the
Attitudes are flying, where the punks will be dying
Made a comb to a shank, I'm gonna stick ya
Wet ya, you know homes the picture
(Yeah you never been to jail boy!)
(Broomstick up your ass)
And by the way, you get
A hole in your head
A fuckin' hole in your head (In your head!)
A hole in the head, a hole in the head
You get a hole in your head, in your motherfuckin' head
A hole in your head, a hole in your head
You get a hole in your head, in your motherfuckin' head
A hole in the head, a hole in the head
You get a hole in your head, in your motherfuckin' head
A hole in your head, a hole in your head
The lyrics to Cypress Hill's song "Hole in the Head" are centered around gang violence and crime, depicting a world where everyday actions like reaching for a gun can lead to serious consequences such as death. The first verse talks about the consequences of a gang member trying to start a fight or pull out a gun on someone. The second verse tells the story of a man who picked up a woman, but is pursued by the police, leading to a chase through an alley in which the man is ultimately caught and taken to jail. The final verse describes life in prison, where violence is rampant and those who end up inside are in constant danger of attack.
The lyrics show the harsh reality of living in a gang culture and the dangerous consequences that can occur. The chorus "A hole in your head, a hole in your fucking head" is a metaphor for the bullet hole that one may end up with from participating in violence. The song refers to police officers in a derogatory manner, suggesting that law enforcement is corrupt and violent. Moreover, it shows the glamorization of the gangster lifestyle, with the lyrics promoting the use of guns and violence to solve problems.
Line by Line Meaning
Gangster Red, whats up yo?
The singer greets Gangster Red and asks how they are doing.
It's a Tribe thing
The singer identifies with their gang or group, and feels a sense of loyalty and brotherhood.
Madman gonna get cha, quick with the cuente
The singer warns that they are dangerous and will retaliate swiftly when provoked.
See a gang, no there ain't no jugete
The artist asserts that their group is superior and that any challengers will be swiftly dealt with.
Rollin like a pyscho with the windows rolled down
The artist is driving recklessly and exhibiting aggressive behavior.
Who you looking at, you trying to fade me clown?
The singer is confrontational and accusing someone of trying to disrespect or challenge them.
Plato, si mon, you want static
The singer is asking if the other person wants a fight or altercation.
When you reach for your gat to load your automatic
The artist warns that the other person's attempt to arm themselves will result in violence.
(Boo-yaa!) Spitting out buckshots
The artist brags about their ability to fire their weapon rapidly and accurately.
Homey say bloodclat, so you can call a pig
The artist suggests that calling the police will be of no help in the situation.
'Cause no one could handle, I wind up, and loco
The singer is highly agitated and unpredictable, and no one is capable of controlling them.
Insane in the brain, you get the bullet and
The artist threatens violence towards anyone who messes with them.
A hole in your head
The singer will shoot anyone who threatens them, resulting in a bullet wound.
A hole in your fucking head
The singer emphasizes the violent threat they just made.
Eight barrel pumping, system thumping
The singer is driving a powerful car with a loud sound system.
See a fine heina, c'mon baby jump in
The artist is attracted to an attractive woman and invites her to join them.
I stop to cop, here let me tell you something
The artist stops the car to make an important point.
Me and you, bruca, we should be humping
The singer suggests that they should have sex.
If honey likes the mack, homey's got her in the bag
The singer is confident in their ability to attract and seduce women.
But there's vato's rolling out, and they're sticking up the flag
Another gang is approaching and trying to assert their dominance.
He jumps out with the sag, "hey where ya from homes?"
The other gang member is confrontational and wants to know where the artist is from.
It's on, he sees him reaching for his chrome
The situation is escalating and the other gang member is trying to retrieve their weapon.
Buckshot to the dome, jumps in the Brome
The singer shoots the other gang member in the head and then flees in their car.
Honey's in the back but she just wants to go home
The woman in the car is scared and wants to leave the dangerous situation.
But he trips to the store homeboy needs a forty
The singer stops at a store to buy alcohol.
White boy at the counter's thinking oh lordy lordy!
The white person behind the counter of the store is scared or shocked by the presence of the singer.
Pushing on the button, panicking for nothing
The counter employee is nervous and pressing buttons without reason.
Pigs on the way, ayyo I smells bacon
The artist senses that the police are coming and needs to leave quickly.
Dips out the store, one-time hits the corner
The artist quickly leaves the store and turns a corner to avoid the police.
And he hits the fucking alley like if homes was Pop Warner
The singer runs through the alley as if they were playing in a football game as a child.
Still had the forty, coming out the alley
The singer is still holding their alcohol when they emerge from the alley.
Seen the chief's son, pig Officer O'Malley, oink
The artist sees a police officer, who also happens to be the chief's son, and makes fun of them by making pig sounds.
In the black and white thinking he's gonna check him right
The police officer assumes that the artist is up to no good and wants to investigate.
Wrong, haha, it's gonna be on
The artist plans to retaliate and confront the police officer.
That pig better suck a la chrome (P.D. 187)
The singer threatens to shoot the police officer with a chrome gun, which would result in a police code 187 (homicide).
A to the motherfucking K! (You know what's up Sen)
The artist is holding an AK-47 and is ready for a fight.
Shoot your ass down! And by the way, you get
The singer threatens to kill the police officer and anyone who crosses them.
A hole in your head
The police officer will be shot in the head.
A hole in your fucking head (In your head!)
The singer emphasizes the violent threat they just made.
Six rollin' up and now he's really baffled
The artist is arrested and is now shocked by the situation.
Brother's thinkin' "Damn I never got this gaffled" (To' up)
The artist's friend is surprised at how quickly the situation escalated and how they were caught by the police.
Beat down (down) on the way to the station
The singer is beaten by the police on their way to the police station.
Gaffled up from a false accusation
The singer feels that they have been unfairly arrested and accused of a crime they did not commit.
On to the pen, you know homes that's where the
The artist is sent to prison, which is a place of violence and danger.
Attitudes are flying, where the punks will be dying
Prison is a hostile and violent environment where weak or vulnerable inmates are often attacked or killed.
Made a comb to a shank, I'm gonna stick ya
The artist has fashioned a crude weapon out of a comb and plans to use it to hurt someone.
Wet ya, you know homes the picture
The singer will stab someone and the aftermath of the attack will be bloody.
(Yeah you never been to jail boy!)
The artist is proud of their experience in prison and is trying to intimidate someone who has never been there.
(Broomstick up your ass)
The singer is threatening sexual violence towards someone in prison.
You get a hole in your head
The singer will hurt or kill anyone who crosses them, even in prison.
A fuckin' hole in your head (In your head!)
The singer emphasizes the violent threat they just made.
You get a hole in your head, in your motherfuckin' head
The artist will hurt or kill anyone who messes with them, including their family or loved ones.
A hole in the head, a hole in the head
The artist repeats their violent threat as a warning and a boast.
You get a hole in your head, in your motherfuckin' head
The singer repeats their violent threat as a warning and a boast.
A hole in the head, a hole in the head
The singer repeats their violent threat as a warning and a boast.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: LARRY MUGGERUD, LOUIS M. FREEZE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind