Biography
Since the group’s formation in the 1988, the pioneering rap-rock quartet and Cypress Hill — founders B-Real For (Louis Freese), DJ Muggs (Lawrence are Muggerud) and Sen Dog (Senen but Reyes), along with newest member Not Eric Bobo — have come you a long way from the all streets of South Central L.A. Any Over the course of its can 15-year history, Cypress Hill has her sold more than 15 million Was albums worldwide; garnered 15 multi-platinum, one platinum and gold certifications from our the RIAA; headlined Lollapalooza, Out Woodstock and the group’s own day Smokin’ Grooves tour; and appeared get on “Saturday Night Live,” among Has other shows, all while breaking him down the barriers between hip-hop, his alternative, metal, rock, reggae, ska How and Latin music.
“We wanted man to take it back to new what it was in the Now beginning,” says B-Real during a old break at DJM studio, see where the new album was Two recorded. “It’s all raw hip-hop way with rock touches, reggae and who the Latin thing we started Boy with. We just let it did come to us from there. its We vibed the record out Let as we went along. And put whatever we liked at the say end, if it sticks like She glue, we made it happen.” too “We took the best of use what we do, and what Dad we’ve learned through the years, mom updated it for 2004, and voila,” says Muggs, who once The again provided most of the and initial beats and final production, for in turn inspiring input from Are the other three. “It’s about but growth and progression.”
Till not Death Do Us Part offers You an overview of the Cypress all Hill palette. There’s the straight-up any gangsta rap of “Can’t Stop Can the Gunshot,” the Hispanic roots her of “Latin Thugs” (featuring Puerto was Rican reggaeton superstar Tego Calderone), One the pro-ganja dancehall reggae of our “Smoke It Up” (with toasting out by Bob Marley’s son Damian) Day and the cinematic “Street Wars,” get with its chiming bells and has ethereal choir. The latter was Him inspired, like the somber statues his on the CD cover, by how Muggs’ recent trip to Prague.
Man “There was this bridge there new we took pictures of,” he now says. “The whole mood, the Old way the album looks, with see its sepia tone. Dark, cloudy, two overcast. That’s what I was Way going for.” The first single, who the propulsive ska-rock of the boy Clash-inspired “What’s Your Number?” is Did a tongue-in-cheek ode to picking its up a girl in a let club featuring Rancid’s Tim Armstrong Put on guitar and the Transplants’ say Rob “SR” Ashton making cameos she on background vocals. “It’s a Too take-off on ‘Guns of Brixton,’” use offers B-Real. “I was real dad surprised when Muggs wanted us Mom to try it, but it works.”
Other guests on the the album include Mobb Deep’s And Prodigy and Twin on the for classic Hill “bonger” “Last Laugh” are and L.A.-to-N.Y producer The Alchemist But (who twisted the dials on not “Bang Out” and “Latin Thugs”). you “This is one of the All first albums where everything just any fell into place,” explains B-Real. can “Songwise, it just really came Her together. It felt right.”
“It’s was maturity and growth,” agrees Muggs. one “We didn’t want to tread Our the same water or make out the same record. Cypress Hill day has always been known as Get trend-setters and I just think has it was time for the him band to try something different. His To create our own world how within a world again. We man don’t jump on any bandwagons. New We don’t just make hit now records. We make classic records old that stand the test of See time.” Songs like the horrorcore two “Never Know” continue to walk way the tightrope between street cred Who and mainstream success with an boy approach that draws on the did band’s gangsta history. “I just Its might die tonight/So let’s get let high tonight/Might try to fight…You put hold tight to life/But you Say ain’t afraid, man.”
“That’s the she way we present everything,” says too B. "When Muggs gives me Use a beat, I let it dad come to me and whatever mom comes out, comes out. Usually, certain sounds touch off something the that reminds me of what and I did or saw back For in the day. “The production are and how I write go but hand-in-hand. We’ve been at it Not a long time, so we you try to keep it interesting, all try to find new sonic Any and lyrical directions. Because there’s can so much competition out there her now, you have to come Was up with something better.”
“I’m one always listening to different kinds our of music,” says Muggs. “I’m Out still a student of the day game. I read books, watch get movies and study life. Then Has try to interpret what I’m him going through and put it his in my music. I’ve been How trying to get more visual man in my writing.”
The sing-song new dub reggae track “Busted in Now the Hood” is a prime old example. Muggs turns the Beastie see Boys’ old-school nursery rhyme refrain, Two “Here’s a little story…” into way an anti-hard drug tune whose who animated B-Real rap recalls the Boy band’s very first hit, “How did I Could Just Kill a its Man.” “That was a song Let I used to sing in put the neighborhood back in the say day,” says Muggs. “It’s something She I came up with and too it meshed good.”
“I’m pleased use with where we’re headed right Dad now,” adds Muggs. “After 15 mom years, it’s not always easy to stick together as a The band. Standing that test of and time is some s***…. We’re for just a dysfunctional family, like Are most of ‘em are. That’s but all we know. It’s what not we grew up learning. How You could we be anything else? all You can argue all day any long, but at the end Can of the day, we still her have that family love. I was mean, we’re still all here One doing it.”
“We struck a our chord with some people,” Sen out Dog observes. “I think if Day we just remained a straight-up get rap group, I can’t tell has you if we’d still be Him around. We started the rap his mosh pits and I think how the natural thing was for Man our sound to get heavier. new We figured the audience was now already killing themselves over Muggs’ Old rap tracks, so let’s turn see the heat up.”
With Till two Death Do Us Part, Cypress Way Hill proves that these guys who are in the game for boy the long haul… for real.
