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.
Worldwide
Cypress Hill Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'll snatch you by the neck, bide you like a tech
Wreck fools when I disconnect, make you sweat
Shit your pants, get in your step on my advance
Catch a glance of the legendary brother who carries
Your body and buries two more lyrics in styles varied
Fool what? You ain't got nothin' to say
I been backin' up east side LA, all day
Havin' the best sex, fuckin' in Wessex
The hardcore shit, I know you like it raw
'Cause ain't no other Dog breakin' the last straw
[Chorus: x2]
You better bounce, nigga, smoke an ounce, nigga
'Cause you rollin' with the Hill and what counts is uh,
Can you hang with us? You want to bang with us?
Cypress Hill, worldwide, Los Angeles
I don't bark, I just bite, mangle and maim niggas up
Check your strap, they mangle us and pick us up
Fool, now you tremblin', I give you three seconds
To break out before you resemblin' a dead man
A hole through your headband
My gat's in my right hand, my plug's in my left hand, punk
Cypress Hill worldwide, you just a local
Don't anger me, or you can hear it in my vocal
You don't want that strap on my hip
To deal out, the repercussions dug a fat lip
I'm buckin' at the room soon to the boom
Fuckin' with your head like the 'shroom you consume
[Chorus]
Bitches, you're all thick-eyed, a weak ride
I take money-money, make dummies all night
Use the mic, bruise the mic, we choose the mic
When you sorry niggas go off and lose the mic
We choose a life right, we roll with crew tight
See the light at the end of a tunnel, a gat barrel
Wettin' up your flyest apparel, a cane ray
You forget me and I'll be back to refresh your fuckin' memory
Remember me now, Cypress Hill soldier
Up and down the boulevard, big money folder
You bring descript sequence with no defense
The whole defense hittin' the bones while you sleepin'
[Chorus]
The lyrics to the song Worldwide by Cypress Hill talk about the artist's dominance in the rap music industry, their skills as rappers, and their intimidation factor. The first few lines talk about the artist being ready to attack and overpower his competition. He talks about his skills as a rapper and how he is capable of making his opponents nervous and scared. The chorus emphasizes the importance of being able to keep up with Cypress Hill's style and that they are not to be messed with. The second verse continues along the same theme, but emphasizes the artist's ability to defend himself and his crew from any threat. He warns his enemies not to mess with him and promises that he will come back to remind them who they are dealing with.
The song has a very aggressive and hardcore tone, which reflects the attitude of the artists behind Cypress Hill. They are known for their aggressive and confrontational style of rap, which has made them very popular with a certain type of audience. The lyrics are full of slang and street jargon, which can be difficult to understand for someone who is not familiar with the language. However, the song is still catchy and has a strong rhythm that makes it fun to listen to.
Line by Line Meaning
You better hope I'm chained up, shackled with a yard
I am a dangerous criminal and you should be scared of me.
I'll snatch you by the neck, bide you like a tech
I am so strong that I can grab you by the neck and bend you like a machine.
Wreck fools when I disconnect, make you sweat
I am so good at fighting that I can easily defeat my opponents and make them afraid.
Shit your pants, get in your step on my advance
I am so scary that you will be terrified and unable to move correctly when I approach you.
Catch a glance of the legendary brother who carries
You should be careful and watch out for me because I have a reputation as a dangerous criminal.
Your body and buries two more lyrics in styles varied
I am so good at rapping that I can easily destroy anyone who tries to test me.
Fool what? You ain't got nothin' to say
You should be afraid and keep your mouth shut when you are around me.
I been backin' up east side LA, all day
I am a feared criminal who is active in the Los Angeles area.
Blowin' up the best techs, the best flex
I am so skilled and powerful that I can easily defeat anyone who tries to challenge me.
Havin' the best sex, fuckin' in Wessex
I am so dominant that I can even control my sexual partners and have sex with them wherever I want.
The hardcore shit, I know you like it raw
You should be afraid and respect me because I am a rough, hardcore person.
'Cause ain't no other Dog breakin' the last straw
I am so powerful that I can easily take out anyone who dares to cross me.
You better bounce, nigga, smoke an ounce, nigga
You should run away and smoke marijuana because you are in danger when you are around me.
'Cause you rollin' with the Hill and what counts is uh,
You are in danger when you are around me because I am a member of the dangerous gang Cypress Hill.
Can you hang with us? You want to bang with us?
Do you want to join my gang and be part of my dangerous lifestyle?
Cypress Hill, worldwide, Los Angeles
My gang, Cypress Hill, is known all around the world and is based in the Los Angeles area.
I don't bark, I just bite, mangle and maim niggas up
I am a dangerous criminal who does not talk, but instead will attack and mutilate my enemies.
Check your strap, they mangle us and pick us up
You need to be prepared and protect yourself, or else you will become a victim of violence.
Fool, now you tremblin', I give you three seconds
You should be afraid and prepare to run away or else I will violently attack you in three seconds.
To break out before you resemblin' a dead man
If you do not leave now, you will be severely injured and possibly even killed.
A hole through your headband
I will shoot you in your head, leaving a bullet hole in your hat/headband.
My gat's in my right hand, my plug's in my left hand, punk
I am fully prepared and armed with a gun in my right hand and drugs in my left hand, so you should not mess with me.
Cypress Hill worldwide, you just a local
My gang, Cypress Hill, is known all around the world, while you are just a small-time criminal in the local area.
Don't anger me, or you can hear it in my vocal
You should respect me and not make me angry, or else I will show you my violent side and shout at you.
You don't want that strap on my hip
You should not mess with me or else I will use my gun to attack you.
To deal out, the repercussions dug a fat lip
If you challenge me, I will respond with violence and hurt you badly.
I'm buckin' at the room soon to the boom
I am about to attack you and shoot my gun in the room.
Fuckin' with your head like the 'shroom you consume
I am playing with your mind and making you feel disoriented and paranoid, like you are under the influence of drugs.
Bitches, you're all thick-eyed, a weak ride
Women are weak and dumb, so I can easily manipulate and control them.
I take money-money, make dummies all night
I am a successful criminal who easily earns money and can manipulate and control others without being caught by law enforcement.
Use the mic, bruise the mic, we choose the mic
I am a skilled rapper who can easily defeat other rappers and control the microphone during rap battles.
When you sorry niggas go off and lose the mic
You will never be as good as me and will always lose during rap battles.
We choose a life right, we roll with crew tight
My gang, Cypress Hill, is loyal and close-knit, and we choose our dangerous lifestyle and stick together.
See the light at the end of a tunnel, a gat barrel
The only thing you will see before you die is the barrel of my gun.
Wettin' up your flyest apparel, a cane ray
I will not hesitate to ruin your expensive clothing and accessories with my gun and violence.
You forget me and I'll be back to refresh your fuckin' memory
If you ever try to forget about me or disrespect me, I will remind you of my violence and danger.
Remember me now, Cypress Hill soldier
You should remember me and respect me as a member of the Cypress Hill gang.
Up and down the boulevard, big money folder
I am an established criminal who has successfully earned a lot of money and gained a lot of power through my criminal activities.
You bring descript sequence with no defense
You are weak and powerless and cannot defend yourself against my violence.
The whole defense hittin' the bones while you sleepin'
My gang and I will attack you while you are vulnerable and asleep, leaving you severely injured or dead.
Bitches, you're all thick-eyed, a weak ride (repeated)
Repeat of the previous line, emphasizing the idea that women are weak and easy to control.
You better bounce, nigga, smoke an ounce, nigga (repeated)
Repeat of the previous line, emphasizing the idea that you should be afraid and run away when you see me.
'Cause you rollin' with the Hill and what counts is uh, (repeated)
Repeat of the previous line, emphasizing that being associated with the Cypress Hill gang is dangerous and important.
Can you hang with us? You want to bang with us? (repeated)
Repeat of the previous line, emphasizing the question of whether or not you want to join the Cypress Hill gang and participate in their dangerous lifestyle.
Cypress Hill, worldwide, Los Angeles (repeated)
Repeat of the previous line, emphasizing the global reputation of the Cypress Hill gang and their base in Los Angeles.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: LARRY MUGGERUD, LOUIS M. FREEZE, SENEN REYES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind