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.
Smuggler's Blues
Cypress Hill Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I got the sawed off shotgun
Hand on the pump
With the fucking red bastard
Snitching like a punk
I had the operation tight the flaws
Faded doors
There's no growin room on the basement floor
Business pays
So many ways
Many methods of moving my white haze
I got the cellophane, get this money tonite
I got the shipment goin out
Got to be air tight
So when you fuck around
No time for me to fuck around
I got the ballin niggaz waitin on me
At the compound
So get the trucks ready, and let's hit the back roads
To scam this motherfuckin' ass border patrol
I got my cousin Huey paid
For lookin away
Back on the 405 on the way to LA
*talking*
I'm multiplying in my head
Just how much stash it's gonna take for me
To double and triple up all my cash
I hit the city limits, time for me to check myself
Cause I don't wanna sit inside no fuckin cell
Slope the rolls down, hold down, I see the gate
So I'm pulling up, and I hope these fools ain't late
Or I'm outta here, wait, no, I see them in the rear
With 3 or 4 fools holding 2's in the real
I got the double barrel shit, hidden under my coat
For any crazy eyed motherfucker rockin the boat
I got the big boss hoss, just sippin the sauce
You got the shit? you got the money?
Then break the shit off
(sang reggae style)
Check out the herb man smugglin'
Bright and early in the mornin'
This is for the herb man smugglin'
I know the DEA is waitin'
Take out the herb man smugglin'
It's my ass that I'm risking
This is for the herb man sumgglin'
I know it's your daily livin'
I came a long, long way from slangin the herb
Sometimes I think about when I was kickin it to the curb
Now it's dirt in my pocket
But shit done changed
Tatoos on my body and fat gold chains
Got the mega shipment that must go out
On the same route me and my cousins started out
Head back to Mexico for a friend of mine
We're gonna bring this shit load back, 4-0 pounds
It's like crack rock, cause we done this shit before
Now I loaded up the stash on the hollow floor
Double checkin everything, now it all looks cool
Now we rollin to the border like we used to do
We pulled up at the border, but something was wrong
I began to realize that the swoop was on
I had the DEA and immigration closin' in
They had dogs all around my shit, no way to win
They lookin in the truck, now I know the shit's for blast
DEA agent sayin "now I got your ass"
It's been a long time smugglin, now I'm done
It's all over now, it's lookin' like I'm Audi, son
Now I'm headed up the river with the boat and no paddle
And they got me in lock down..
(reggae)
Big up to the herb man smugglin'
... now they got me in lock down
Peace to the herb man smugglin'
... now they got me in lock down
Respect to the herb man smugglin'
... now they got me in lock down
What's up to the herb man smugglin'
... now they got me in lock down
Shootouts to Method Man, Redman, Bob Marley
2pac keep ya head up
The song "Smuggler's Blues" by Cypress Hill is about the life of a drug smuggler who tries to keep his business running, but eventually gets caught. The singer describes how he deals with the pressure of smuggling drugs across the border by carrying a sawed-off shotgun and constantly being on guard. He talks about the various tactics he uses to move his "white haze" across the border and to keep his business running smoothly. He also makes references to his past experiences where he used to sell drugs at street corners.
The song touches upon the dangers of being a drug smuggler and how it is a high-risk job that can land one in prison. The artist laments his situation, realizing that the life he chose puts him in constant danger of being caught by law enforcement. Furthermore, it highlights the negative effects of drugs on individuals and society as a whole.
Line by Line Meaning
I got the sawed off shotgun
I have a shotgun that has been modified to make it shorter
Hand on the pump
I'm ready to use the shotgun if necessary
With the fucking red bastard
Referring to the brake light on a car, indicating that the police are following me
Snitching like a punk
The police are providing information to incriminate me like a coward
I had the operation tight the flaws
I made sure that everything to do with the illegal operation was executed perfectly and without fault
Faded doors
Hidden or obscured entrances that lead to the operation
There's no growin room on the basement floor
There is not enough space to grow on the basement floor
I'm holding weight every 30 days
I'm constantly dealing drugs every month
Business pays
Dealing drugs is a lucrative business
So many ways
There are numerous ways to sell drugs and evade the authorities
Many methods of moving my white haze
There are many methods available for transporting drugs
I got the cellophane, get this money tonite
I have the necessary materials to sell drugs and make money quickly
I got the shipment goin out, Got to be air tight
I have a shipment of drugs that must be delivered without any mistakes
So when you fuck around
I do not tolerate anyone messing with my drug business
No time for me to fuck around
I do not have any time to waste
I got the ballin niggaz waitin on me
There are affluent people waiting for me to deliver their drugs
At the compound
The location where drugs are being transported to from
So get the trucks ready, and let's hit the back roads
We need to be ready to make a quick escape and take the back roads instead of the main roads
To scam this motherfuckin' ass border patrol
We need to deceive the border control to let us pass through undetected
I got my cousin Huey paid
I have already paid my cousin Huey to make sure he does not interfere in my activities
For lookin away
My cousin just needs to look the other way and not be involved in any other way
Back on the 405 on the way to LA
Returning to Los Angeles after completing the drug transport
I'm multiplying in my head
Mentally calculating how much drugs and money can be made
Just how much stash it's gonna take for me to double and triple up all my cash
Thinking about how much drugs I need to transport to make a lot of money
I hit the city limits, time for me to check myself
Arrival in the city means I need to be cautious of the authorities
Cause I don't wanna sit inside no fuckin cell
I do not want to get caught and be imprisoned
Slope the rolls down, hold down, I see the gate
Lower the car windows and maintain a low profile as the gate nears
So I'm pulling up, and I hope these fools ain't late
I hope everyone I am meeting is on time
Or I'm outta here, wait, no, I see them in the rear
Thinking of leaving but I see people I need to meet approaching
With 3 or 4 fools holding 2's in the real
Three or four people carrying loaded guns in case of a shootout
I got the double barrel shit, hidden under my coat
I have a double barrelled shotgun hidden under my coat in case of a dangerous situation
For any crazy eyed motherfucker rockin the boat
Prepared for any exceptionally angry or confrontational people that want to provoke violence
I got the big boss hoss, just sippin the sauce
I have a very powerful person on my side with inner connections
You got the shit? you got the money? Then break the shit off
Do you have the drugs and money? Give me the money and I will give you the drugs
Check out the herb man smugglin'
Admiring those who transport illegal drugs
Bright and early in the mornin'
Doing it early in the day when it is less likely to be caught
I know the DEA is waitin'
DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) officials are always monitoring to catch drug smugglers
Take out the herb man smugglin'
Trying to stop and capture drug smugglers
It's my ass that I'm risking
I am putting myself in great danger by smuggling drugs
I came a long, long way from slangin the herb
I have come a long way from just selling small quantities of drugs in the past
Sometimes I think about when I was kickin' it to the curb
Reflecting on past experiences of selling drugs on the street
Now it's dirt in my pocket
I now have a lot more money from selling drugs
But shit done changed
Things are a lot different than when I was selling drugs on the street
Tatoos on my body and fat gold chains
I have plenty of wealth and my appearance shows it
Got the mega shipment that must go out
I have a large amount of drugs that must be transported
On the same route me and my cousins started out
Using the same transport route that we have used in the past with our family members
Head back to Mexico for a friend of mine
Going back to Mexico to meet up with a friend to collect more drugs
We're gonna bring this shit load back, 4-0 pounds
We are going to return with a large quantity of drugs weighing 40 pounds
It's like crack rock, cause we done this shit before
Transporting drugs is like second nature, as we have had plenty of experience in the past
Now I loaded up the stash on the hollow floor
I have hidden the drugs in a hollow space on the floor of the vehicle
Double checkin everything, now it all looks cool
Making sure that all my preparations are in order to avoid any mistakes that could get me caught
Now we rollin' to the border like we used to do
Now that we are prepared, we head to the border in the same way as before
We pulled up at the border, but something was wrong
When we arrived at the border, something did not feel right
I began to realize that the swoop was on
I started to suspect that the authorities were getting prepared to catch us
I had the DEA and immigration closin' in
The DEA and immigration officials were getting closer to catching us
They had dogs all around my shit, no way to win
The drug-sniffing dogs detected my drugs and there was no way I could avoid being caught
They lookin' in the truck, now I know the shit's for blast
They are searching the truck and have found the drugs
DEA agent sayin 'now I got your ass'
The DEA agent is saying that now I cannot avoid being caught
It's been a long time smugglin', now I'm done
I have been smuggling drugs for a long time, but now it has come to an end
It's all over now, it's lookin' like I'm Audi, son
It is over now and I am going to be imprisoned
Now I'm headed up the river with the boat and no paddle
I am going to jail with no way out
Big up to the herb man smugglin'
Respect to those who are involved in illegal drug transport
... now they got me in lock down
I am imprisoned now
Peace to the herb man smugglin'
Wishing peace to all those involved in drug smuggling
Respect to the herb man smugglin'
Showing respect to those who put their lives at risk to smuggle drugs
What's up to the herb man smugglin'
Showing support to all drug smugglers
... now they got me in lock down
I am currently in prison
Shootouts to Method Man, Redman, Bob Marley
Sending shoutouts to famous musicians of the past
2pac keep ya head up
Referencing a famous 2pac song (Keep Ya Head Up)
Contributed by Joshua J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.