Cypress Hill is an American hip-hop group from South Gate, California. Cypr… Read Full Bio ↴Cypress Hill is an American hip-hop group from South Gate, California. Cypress Hill was the first latino group to have platinum and multi-platinum albums and one of the first rap groups to gain a following with fans of hard rock and metal. The band was originally called DVX, but the name was changed after Mellow Man Ace left in 1988.

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.

Stank Ass Hoe
Cypress Hill Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Once again
We back

Now all these new niggas trying to bust grapes
Keep trying, I'm shitting all over yo tapes
And yo CD's, you see these
Niggas wit the weed leaves, you need these
Hill biggas to bust trigga, sicker sicker

The rhyme spitter spitting over the transmitter
I got double platinum records on the wall
While you got double cheeseburgers in yo toilet stall
Cats wanna try me, you must be high
Cause you having fucking "Illusions", no lie, what you usin'?
Gimme some of that shit (shit), you faking it
Any little title you got, I'm taking it
You can't have it, you didn't earn it
Spit on yo name, shit on it, and burn it
Suckers wanna floss and play the big boss
What movie you living in and how much did it cost?
What role are you playing? I'm only saying
You're the record getting played and I'm DJ'in
Playing you, playing you, and playing you
Decaying you, I'm tying and breaking you (ah ha ha)

You're a weak ass hoe
Punk slow yo role
You're nothing but a clone
With nothing to show
You're a weak ass hoe
Need a style of your own
You're a weak ass hoe
You're a weak ass hoe (punk ass nigga)
Leave me alone (carbon copying motherfucker)
Punk nigga wit no flow (you ain't shit)
You're a weak ass hoe (fuck your little record, punk)
You're a weak ass hoe (eat a dick)

Now look at her over there (damn), looking all fine
Shaking her ass, telling me to grab from behind
Please don't mind me, you'll find me
Rollin' the pine trees, women asking to sign these
Well OK, but you're gonna get me in trouble
Nice ones, I gotta be out on the double
I'll be in that corner table wit my homies
Getting stoney trying to avoid the phonies
Huh, what you asking? Do I got plastic
To buy you and yo friends drinks? Do I have assets?
Do I got a big home? Do I live alone?
Can I use yo cell phone? Feeling my bone
She wanna ride me, she wanna tie me
Around her tiny little finger and rob me blindly
I don't think so, you stank hoe
The chain in yo brain is missing a link, hoe
Please back up, I know you look good
But that ain't enough to get half of my stuff, bitch
(Ah ha ha, that's right, you're a stank hoe!)

You're a stank ass hoe
Trying to get dough
Leave me alone
'Cause you can't roll
You're a stank ass hoe
Nut riding pro
You're a stank ass hoe
A stank ass hoe
Leave me alone (broke ass hoodrat)
You can't roll (you can't roll)
You're a stank ass hoe
A stank ass hoe (stank ass hoe)
You're a stank ass hoe (dick sucking tramp)
(Ha ha ha ha ha)
(Bring it back homie, come on, huh)

Here goes another example to begin it
With a twist (yeah) like pussy I'm in it
When I look at me, I look and see
How long it took for you to throw the book at me
Damn that shit hurts, but I put in work
These niggas are like germs, over the counter they lurk
And smirk when you fall down, I calm down
And put the anti-bacterial assault down
Kill germs that wanna test, they want the best
Comparing you to me is like a nigga to the cess
Never settle for stress, or wack rappers
I'm rocking the outta the West and rocking the East ?

(Punk ass nigga)
You're a bitch ass hoe
Knocking on my door
Leave me alone
'Cause you got no soul
You're a bitch ass hoe (trick ass hoe)
Need to find a place to go
You're a bitch ass hoe (punk ass niggas)
You're a bitch ass hoe
Don't touch the microphone
You're a bitch ass hoe (eat a motherfucking dick)
You're a bitch ass hoe
Leave me alone

Got no place to go
You're a bitch ass hoe (trick ass hoe)

Overall Meaning

Cypress Hill's song "Stank Ass Hoe" is a clap back at new rappers entering the game trying to copy Cypress Hill's style. Cypress Hill asserts their dominance in the rap game as seen in the line "Hill biggas to bust trigga, sicka, sicka, The rhyme spitter, spittin' over the transmitter." They compare their success to that of the new rappers stating "I got double platinum records on the wall, while you got double cheeseburgers in yo toilet stall." Cypress Hill also criticizes the materialistic lifestyles of rappers as seen in the line "Suckas wanna floss and play the big boss, what movie you livin' in and how much did it cost?"

Throughout the song, Cypress Hill references women as "stank ass hoes" who try to use them for their own gain. The song takes a derogatory tone towards women as they are constantly called bitches, hoes, and tramps. However, the song is not condoning disrespectful behavior towards women but rather highlighting the negative ways women are portrayed and treated in the music industry.

Overall, "Stank Ass Hoe" is a classic example of Cypress Hill's aggressive and unapologetic style. The song speaks to the rap industry's obsession with money, material possessions, and the mistreatment of women.

Line by Line Meaning

Once again
Reiterating our presence

We back
We have returned

Now all these new niggas trying to bust grapes
These inexperienced individuals attempting to gain popularity and success

Keep trying, I'm shitting all over yo tapes
Continuously surpassing their efforts and making a mockery of their music

And yo CD's, you see these
Your albums, can you comprehend?

Niggas wit the weed leaves, you need these
Individuals with marijuana leaves, you require their presence

Hill biggas to bust trigga, sicker sicker
The prominent members of Cypress Hill to be the ones causing havoc, much more severe

The rhyme spitter spitting over the transmitter
The lyricist delivering intense verses through various mediums

I got double platinum records on the wall
I possess highly successful albums with double platinum certifications hanging as decorations

While you got double cheeseburgers in yo toilet stall
Meaningless and excessive consumption resulting in poor health and unsanitary conditions

Cats wanna try me, you must be high
Individuals attempting to challenge me must be under the influence of drugs

Cause you having fucking 'Illusions', no lie, what you usin'?
Because your perception of reality is distorted, it's obvious; what substances are you abusing?

Gimme some of that shit (shit), you faking it
Provide me with some of that substance you're using, you're being inauthentic

Any little title you got, I'm taking it
Any insignificant achievement or recognition you possess, I will surpass and claim it as my own

You can't have it, you didn't earn it
You cannot possess it because you did not work hard to attain it

Spit on yo name, shit on it, and burn it
Disrespectfully degrade your reputation and discard it

Suckers wanna floss and play the big boss
Inferior individuals attempting to flaunt wealth and act like influential figures

What movie you living in and how much did it cost?
In what fabricated reality are you residing, and how much did it financially burden you?

What role are you playing? I'm only saying
What identity are you portraying? I'm just expressing my opinion

You're the record getting played and I'm DJ'in
You are the insignificant record being listened to, while I am the one controlling and manipulating the music

Playing you, playing you, and playing you
Continuously exposing and ridiculing you

Decaying you, I'm tying and breaking you (ah ha ha)
Slowly destroying your reputation, metaphorically binding and damaging you

You're a weak ass hoe
You are an inferior and unimpressive individual

Punk slow yo role
Arrogant and less-talented person, calm down and know your place

You're nothing but a clone
You are simply an imitation of someone else

With nothing to show
Without any notable achievements or accomplishments

Need a style of your own
Require an original and distinct artistic approach

Leave me alone
Stop bothering me

You're a weak ass hoe
You are an inferior and unimpressive individual

Leave me alone
Stop bothering me

Punk ass nigga wit no flow
Incompetent and talentless male with no rhythmic abilities

You're a weak ass hoe
You are an inferior and unimpressive individual

Leave me alone
Stop bothering me

You're a weak ass hoe
You are an inferior and unimpressive individual

Leave me alone
Stop bothering me

Punk nigga wit no flow
Incompetent and talentless male with no rhythmic abilities

You're a weak ass hoe
You are an inferior and unimpressive individual

Eat a dick
Engage in a derogatory act

Now look at her over there (damn), looking all fine
Direct your attention to that visually appealing woman standing there

Shaking her ass, telling me to grab from behind
Moving her buttocks seductively, signaling me to touch from the rear

Please don't mind me, you'll find me
Please disregard my presence, you will notice

Rollin' the pine trees, women asking to sign these
Smoking marijuana, women requesting my autograph

Well OK, but you're gonna get me in trouble
Alright, but your actions will lead to negative consequences for me

Nice ones, I gotta be out on the double
Attractive women, I have to leave quickly

I'll be in that corner table wit my homies
I will be at that secluded table with my close friends

Getting stoney trying to avoid the phonies
Getting high on marijuana, attempting to steer clear of fake individuals

Huh, what you asking? Do I got plastic
What are you inquiring about? Do I possess drugs?

To buy you and yo friends drinks? Do I have assets?
To purchase beverages for you and your companions? Do I have financial resources?

Do I got a big home? Do I live alone?
Do I own a large residence? Do I reside by myself?

Can I use yo cell phone? Feeling my bone
Am I allowed to utilize your mobile device? Touching my erect penis

She wanna ride me, she wanna tie me
She desires to engage in sexual intercourse with me, she wants to form a deep connection with me

Around her tiny little finger and rob me blindly
Manipulate me easily and take advantage of me without my awareness

I don't think so, you stank hoe
I disagree, you foul-smelling woman

The chain in yo brain is missing a link, hoe
Your mentality lacks coherence, you unintelligent woman

Please back up, I know you look good
Please step away, I acknowledge your physical attractiveness

But that ain't enough to get half of my stuff, bitch
However, your appearance is not sufficient to obtain any significant portion of my possessions, female dog

(Ah ha ha, that's right, you're a stank hoe!)
(Laughs) That's correct, you're a repugnant woman!

You're a stank ass hoe
You are a repulsive and contemptible woman

Trying to get dough
Attempting to acquire money

Leave me alone
Stop bothering me

'Cause you can't roll
Because you lack the necessary skills or abilities

You're a stank ass hoe
You are a repulsive and contemptible woman

Nut riding pro
An expert at frequently seeking attention and support from others

You're a stank ass hoe
You are a repulsive and contemptible woman

A stank ass hoe
An repulsive and contemptible woman

Leave me alone
Stop bothering me

You can't roll
You lack the necessary skills or abilities

You're a stank ass hoe
You are a repulsive and contemptible woman

A stank ass hoe
An repulsive and contemptible woman

You're a stank ass hoe
You are a repulsive and contemptible woman

Leave me alone
Stop bothering me

Got no place to go
Have nowhere of importance to be