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.
Make A Move
Cypress Hill Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Dejando ceniza, tu no quieres ser la
Victima de un ciclón
Simón, tu sabes que soy el chingón
Sácalos y muévelos ya
Juras que soy el mejor
Tu quedaras igual que los demás
Está alegándome, no lo trates
Has lo que te digo yo, si no
(Pinche puto, vengo en control)
Balas, ay! No les importa quien muera
Cuando están en guerra
Con que maten, un vato del otro lado
Diferentes rumbos, cargan soldados
Si la lluvia cae, pronto miraras
Los huetos que hay (mueve tus cañones)
Somos intocables, Cypress cero si
Calla y si no cruces claro que vas a morir
Grandes familias, mueren nunca
Siempre filerosas como puntas
De navajas, balas que cargas
No te me brinques (ese no chingues)
Sácalos, muévelos ya! (Fierro muévelos!)
Putos vienen en todas medidas y clases
Te agarro con el mecate, por el cuello pa' colgarte
Así no puedes respirar, lo que necesita
Es la mota que te voy a dar
Como un muñeco, yo te controlo
Con las mañas de maníaco
Mi ejercito crece como mota
La familia mas grande que la chota
Ahora te encuentro en pánico
Atrapado por mi clica en el auto
Nunca encuentran cuerpos que tiramos
En lagos entierran evidencia y cae la miseria
Muy tarde llegan a buscarte a ti
Si me preguntan digo que yo no te vi
Un miedo vive en tu mente
Vente y de veras vas a conocer la muerte
Sácalos, muévelos ya! (Fierro muévelos!)
Sácalos, sácalos, quiebralos y muévelos
Déjenme pasar soy el que domina
Cuando viene el pleito soy el que termina vidas
38 voy a cargar
Buscando a levas que tengo que eliminar
(Qué onda pues, corres cuando me ves
Porque sabes que controlo el 1 y 3)
Y corto por la mitad quien me mire mal
No puedes escapar, llegaste a tu final
Sigo siendo el jefe
Del cerro grande, Cypress Hill 213
El que se mete inmediatamente
Va perder la mente a la muerte
Sácalos, muévelos ya! (Fierro muévelos!)
The opening lines of Cypress Hill's "Make a Move" are a bit of a wordplay where the MCs are compared to a bowl of marijuana. The song is about taking control and making moves, whether against enemies or in life in general. The chorus repeats "Move 'em out!" emphasizing the idea of taking action and getting things done. The song warns of confrontation and violence, and the lyrics describe a world where there's no running from danger.
The lyrics "Take heed to the master's call yes y'all" reference the idea of a wise leader guiding their followers. The song goes on to describe a sort of rebellion, where the crew is taking control and growing its ranks with every seed planted. The mention of "the big bad Cypress Hill" further emphasizes this idea of a group that's not to be messed with.
Line by Line Meaning
Smokin' MC's like a bowl of buddha
I'm dominating other rappers like I'm burning through a bowl of weed
Burnin' in my bong now
I'm feeling the high from the marijuana I'm smoking
You don't want to step to the rhythm of the funk degrees
Don't even try to challenge my style of music
You'll be a prisoner in the temple of thieves
If you try to compete with us, you'll be trapped in our world
Move it out, just move it on out, no doubt
Get out of our way without question or hesitation
We the number one crew
We're the best and we know it
Kickin' mark ass niggas out the house
We're kicking people out and asserting our dominance
Puttin' up an argument, just don't bother
If you try to argue with us, it's pointless
'Cause I'll whoop that ass just like I'm your father
I'll beat you up like your dad would if you acted up
Take heed to the master's call yes y'all
Listen to our skills on the mic
(Bring your cell-phone cause I fade them all)
(Bring your phone to record because I'm going to kill this performance)
Bullets fly
Violence erupts
But they don't give a fuck about who dies
They don't care who gets hurt
When you're in the middle of the fuckin'
You're right in the middle of the chaos
No question, confrontation
There's no avoiding a fight
Nowhere to run from the assassination
You can't escape death
Let the rain come down
Violence is raining down
Whoops there goes another body on the ground
Another person has been killed
Watch out for G hound
Be cautious of our dangerous crew
It's the undisputed Cypress family
We're the best group around, no question about it
Kickin' up dust can you handle us fragilely
We're causing chaos and it's hard to handle
Growin' inside your mind like a tumor
Our influence is spreading and becoming more pervasive
Spreading in your head like a rumor
Our influence is spreading like wildfire
Venomous!
We're toxic and dangerous
I'm from the underground, I take care of business
I come from the gritty underground scene and I handle things effectively
What the fuck is this?
What's going on, this is crazy
Suckas come in all shapes sizes and colors
We come across a variety of weak people
Let me get the rope
I'll hang them for their wrongdoings
And hang 'em 'till their fuckin' necks broke
We'll kill them and they won't be able to breathe
Wind passage cut off, now you can't breathe
We're suffocating our enemies
Let me give you what you need
Let me give you a dose of our realness
A fat dose of the good weed
Here's some of the best music you'll hear
Like a puppet on a string
We're in control of everything
I'm the one controlling your ass
We're the ones in charge
With the rough shit here to bring
We're here to cause chaos and be aggressive
My army grows like the buddha I sold ya
Our group is expanding like the weed we sell
Every seed planted is another fuckin' soldier
Everyone we introduce to our music becomes a part of our army
Like the 'coup d'état'
We're in the midst of a rebellion
Now ya are in the middle of the ambush
You're surprised and in the thick of things
Stuck in your car
You can't get away
They can't find ya
We're making it impossible for them to locate you
At the bottom of the lake
You're dead and your body is at the bottom of the water
Let me remind ya
Let me make it clear once again
You better be lookin' behind ya
You need to be aware of your surroundings
It's too late, ain't no one standin' here
You're fucked, no one can save you now
Hallucination, bees hummin' in your ear
You're losing your mind
Paranoia, dwelling to your dome piece
You're becoming paranoid to the point of insanity
Increase, the level of the terror that move ceased
The fear is getting stronger and you're unable to move
Make a move, make a move, every posse make a move
Take action and push yourself forward
Come on
Let's go
Open up the doors for the high funk buddha
Let's welcome the creative and spiritual forces that motivate us
With the light point the dick can die
With knowledge and enlightenment, we can conquer hate and violence
Rolling with the six shooter
We're prepared for anything
Thirty-eight
We have a powerful weapon
Still shootin' real straight
We're skilled marksmen
Lookin' for the buster that I must eliminate
We're out to take down anyone who opposes us
No surprise
We're predictable and ruthless
As the inches demise
When someone dies, people won't be surprised
Let the four flow
Let the music continue to play
As I look him right in the eyes
As we assert our power over our enemies
And rip these niggas in half
We'll destroy them completely
With the paragraph
With our powerful lyrics
They can't find a path
They're stuck and can't escape us
I like the aftermath
I enjoy the destruction and chaos we cause
Still I reign the sect we remain
We're still in charge and powerful
The big bad Cypress Hill, fuckin' niggas up again
We're the top dogs and causing trouble again
When I aim I'm scopin' for your brain
We're targeting intelligence and reason
Brother stay low, cross-hairs break you up the frame
Stay out of our way or we'll end you
Move 'em out! Move 'em on out! Move 'em out!
We're making people leave and taking over
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Larry Muggerud, Louis M. Freeze
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind