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.
Illusions
Cypress Hill Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Some people can fuck off and go to hell
God damn, why they criticize me
Now shit is on the rise so my family despise me
Fuck em! And feed em cause I don't need em
I won't join em if I can beat em
They don't understand my logic
To my gat to my money and I'm hooked on chronic
Unless ya come flexing that trigga, I dig ya
That grave on the east side of town
Lay ya six feet underground
From man, to the dust to the ashes
All I remember tell me where the cash is
Clic Cloc barrel at my dome
Give all your loot or you ain't going home
But I ain't going out wit the pain
I'm having illusions I'm having illusions driving me mad inside
I'm having illusions I'm having illusions fucking me up in my mind
I'm having illusions I'm having illusions driving me mad inside
I'm having illusions I'm having illusions fucking me up in my mind
Motherfuckers be driving me up the walls
Hoping that I fall but they can suck my balls
Straight jacket, strap it
In a padded room when some punk niggas can't hack it
Distracted from our reality
Now I'm let out on a minor technicality
They all fucked up now
Cause they let a nigga back on the street somehow
I'm looking for someone like me
Living in my own world to my own degree
On the loose in the city looking at the ho wit the big titties
Looking at me and I feel shitty
A little tensed up getting hot
Cause she looks like my girl who just smoked at the crack spot
I'm trying to find ways to cope
But I ain't fucking round wit the gauge or a rope
I'm having illusions I'm having illusions driving me mad inside
I'm having illusions I'm having illusions fucking me up in my mind
I'm having illusions I'm having illusions driving me mad inside
I'm having illusions I'm having illusions fucking me up in my mind
I'm having illusions
In Cypress Hill's song Illusions, the lyrics speak about the difficulties and critiques that the artist is experiencing from those around him. The song opens with the artist speaking directly to those who criticize him, stating that he doesn't need them and won't join them. He highlights that he is misunderstood, and the only things he finds value in are his money, his gat (slang for gun), and his addiction to chronic (marijuana). The artist delves into his personal experiences, indicating that he has never wanted to hurt anyone unless they "flex that trigga." He goes on to describe life on the streets, including the east side of town where someone who messes with him will end up six feet underground. The feeling of being misunderstood and misjudged, as well as the daily struggles that come with living in a dangerous environment, leads the artist to confront his inner demons and having illusions that are driving him mad.
Throughout the song, the artist seems to be grappling with the frustration, anger, and confusion that come with daily life. The chorus, “I'm having illusions, I'm having illusions driving me mad inside, I'm having illusions, I'm having illusions fucking me up in my mind” describes the internal turmoil that he is experiencing. The second verse indicates that the artist has a disregard for those who judge and criticize him. He further specifies that he is unable to adapt to the society he finds himself in and is trying to find a like-minded person. The artist talks about being on the lookout for something or someone to help him escape his reality. He admits to feeling tense while looking at the "ho wit the big titties" but wouldn't act on it or harm himself. In summary, the song provides a unique perspective on the challenges of urban life and how some individuals cope with the struggles they face daily.
Line by Line Meaning
Some people tell me that I need help
Some people try to intervene in my life and suggest that I require some kind of assistance or therapy.
Some people can fuck off and go to hell
I don't care for those who meddle in my life and they can go to hell.
God damn, why they criticize me
I feel frustrated and annoyed that other people seem to constantly judge and criticize me.
Now shit is on the rise so my family despise me
Now that I'm becoming more successful, my family become resentful towards me.
Fuck em! And feed em cause I don't need em
I don't need their approval or support, so they can all go to hell and starve.
I won't join em if I can beat em
I refuse to conform to their expectations, and I will succeed on my own terms.
They don't understand my logic
They can't comprehend my way of thinking or the decisions that I make.
To my gat to my money and I'm hooked on chronic
My priorities are my gun and my money, and I'm addicted to smoking marijuana.
I never wanted to hurt a nigga
I don't have any malicious intentions towards anyone.
Unless ya come flexing that trigga, I dig ya
Unless someone threatens me with a gun, I won't respond with violence.
That grave on the east side of town
If someone does threaten me, they might end up dead and buried on the east side of town.
Lay ya six feet underground
I will bury someone who crosses me six feet deep.
From man, to the dust to the ashes
The person I bury will decompose and turn to ashes.
All I remember tell me where the cash is
The only thing I care about is getting my hands on some cash, so tell me where it is.
Clic Cloc barrel at my dome
Someone might threaten me with a gun and put me in a dangerous situation.
Give all your loot or you ain't going home
If someone does threaten me, they better be willing to give me all their money or they won't leave alive.
But I ain't going out wit the pain
I won't allow myself to be killed or hurt in any way.
Motherfuckers be driving me up the walls
Some people make me extremely angry and frustrated.
Hoping that I fall but they can suck my balls
They want me to fail, but I won't give them the satisfaction and they can all go to hell.
Straight jacket, strap it
I feel so overwhelmed that I might need to be restrained.
In a padded room when some punk niggas can't hack it
I might need to be placed in a mental institution, surrounded by people who are unable to cope with reality.
Distracted from our reality
I feel disconnected from the real world.
Now I'm let out on a minor technicality
I've been released from confinement due to a minor legal loophole.
They all fucked up now
They made a mistake by allowing me to return to society.
Cause they let a nigga back on the street somehow
They shouldn't have let me out, and now they will have to deal with the consequences.
I'm looking for someone like me
I'm hoping to find someone who shares my unconventional perspective on life.
Living in my own world to my own degree
I live in a world of my own creation, to my own standards.
On the loose in the city looking at the ho wit the big titties
I'm walking around the city, admiring the physical beauty of women.
Looking at me and I feel shitty
When women look at me, I feel unattractive and self-conscious.
A little tensed up getting hot
I feel nervous and agitated.
Cause she looks like my girl who just smoked at the crack spot
The woman I'm looking at looks like my girlfriend, who has a drug addiction.
I'm trying to find ways to cope
I'm attempting to find healthy coping mechanisms for my stress and anxiety.
But I ain't fucking round wit the gauge or a rope
I won't resort to violence or suicide, despite my struggles with my mental health.
I'm having illusions I'm having illusions driving me mad inside
I'm experiencing distorted thoughts and perceptions that are affecting my mental health.
I'm having illusions I'm having illusions fucking me up in my mind
My illusions are causing distress and confusion inside my head.
I'm having illusions I'm having illusions driving me mad inside
My delusions are causing me to feel insane.
I'm having illusions I'm having illusions fucking me up in my mind
My distorted thoughts are causing me distress and impairing my ability to think coherently.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Gil Evans, Louis Freese, Larry Muggerud
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@BFagan
"Some people tell me that I need help...some people can fuck off and go to hell" One of their best songs on this album, chill beat.
@1xgg174
he says step off And go to hell
@brooksie693
@@1xgg174 It's 'cause it's the clean version. In the explicit version he says that. :)
@Theory52
@@1xgg174 awww man smh 🤦🏻♂️ I really hope you listened to the album
@Pink_Dizazter
Maybe I'm just trippin but tell me why I feel like ive heard this exact line in another song before🥴🥴
@Theory52
@@Pink_Dizazter before 1995? What song?
@fiatvoluntastua9183
These guys have no idea how much I depended on this song in my late teens. Plenty nights, faded, smoked out, this shit playing in my car. Trying to grasp the the gravity of life's conflicts. Thank You Cypress Hill.
@bbeniyo
Offend In Every Way that was some deep shit right there.
@Jaktado
I'm 17 I have anxiety and I smoke all day man this shit is helping me out I'm happy my dad introduced me to Cypress hill when I was younger
@godhash
get a vape and do micro dosing, i had anxiety because i was smoking alot, you can do all day but try to put just a little pinch for each session (doing it with my Crafty by S&B)