Cypress Hill, sit in a unique place in rap history. Their slow drum and bass created entirely different landscape for rap music. Creating a sub-genre called stoned funk. The band has sold nearly 20 million albums worldwide and is regarded as one of the most influential rap bands of the 90s.

Cypress Hill – Latin Hip Hop and Rap Junkie

“I think I've smoked some of the best weed in the world.” – Bebo

Stoned Funk Rappers

Cypress Hill, sit in a unique place in rap history. Their slow drum and bass created entirely different landscape for rap music. Creating a sub-genre called stoned funk. The band has sold nearly 20 million albums worldwide and is regarded as one of the most influential rap bands of the 90s. This was also the first mainstream success for Latino tinged rap fuelling the West Cost rap presence. The band has toured globally and it’s their high energy and intense live shows which are both moving and rabble rousing.

Cypress Hill History

The bands history could be traced back to 1989 when the band Cypress Hill formed and started rapping together. They created a demo which was appreciated by major label Columbia Records who immediately signed them. The band recorded throughout 1990 and released their first self-titled debut album in Aug 1991. It was a critical and commercial blockbuster for the rap community. One of the first epic rap albums which has since then been hailed as iconic. The band had put down the blueprint for the hip hop back-beat and therefore literally created a sub-genre.  The song sampling on their singles had just about everyone from James Brown to Muddy Waters. The album peaked at No. 31 at a time when rap music was just coming out into the mainstream. The album has sold 2 million copies in the US. The music even combined Spanish and English lyrics – over the years the album is considered

Rap Glory

The 1993 album “Black Sunday” debut at No.1 on the US charts was the first true rap album to hit No.1 till that time. As the first album was still in Top 10 charts, Cypress Hill became the very first rap group to have two albums in the Top 10. The phenomenal success is largely credited to the mainstream cross over hit of “Insane in the Brain”. The song is undoubtedly one of rap music’s greatest moments. The single cracked the top 20 on the US Hot 100 and shot straight into NO.1 on the US rap singles chart. The song was also a global best seller and created the bands recognition outside of the US. The sampling James Brown’s iconic “Say it Loud – I’m Black and I’m Proud” showed the bands creative genius.

In 1994 Cypress Hill played the Woodstock’94. This event would mark the debut of Eric Bobo. The same year Rolling Stone magazine named Cypress Hill the best Rap group in their year-end polls. The live shows continued and the band headlined the 1995 “Lollapalooza Tour”

The band released their third album “III: Temples of Boon” which debut at No.3 on the US charts touching race related issues, the band seemed to have tried to tae on too much into the album. The album relieved mixed reviews and has only gone on to sell a million copies.

The Story Continues

Cypress Hill toured with the likes of The Fugees, Ziggy Marley and Busta Rhymes in 1996. But by now there was some infighting and a bigger focus on solo records. They released an EP of 9 songs titled “Unreleased and Revamped”. The band however got together and released their next album simply titled “IV”. The album is released in Oct of 1998, it does not reach the Top 10 on US charts and manages to be certified Gold. A declining trend among the bands commercial viability is due to the albums strange production and writing. It is savaged by most critics and the music is now going deeper into weed obsession and it does not really matter if anyone is listening.

In 2000 they do return to form and pick up the pieces to a large extend. “Skull and Bones” is a more cohesive effort. It brings in rave reviews as it tried to mix hip-hop genre with rap metal. The double album is one of the bands finest moment. It also features collaboration from just rising Eminem, Rage Against the Machine and Deftones. A good return to form and the last great Cypress Hill album

The Latter Years

The badly received “Stoned Raiders” album continues on the rock part but is a complete misfire it does not reach the Top 50 peaking at No. 64. In 2004 they release “’Till Death do us Part” which fair slightly better than its predecessor.  

As the elder statesmen pf rap they will release the new album “Rise Up” in 2010. The hugely influential Cypress Hill is considered rap music’s first pioneers

• Cypress Hill partnered with Seattle grunge rockers Pearl Jam and new York underground gods Sonic Youth to record two songs for the Judgment Night sound track

• Cypress Hill were banned from the iconic Saturday night Live because group member Muggs smoked weed “on-air” and the band smashed all their instruments

• Cypress Hill have appeared on the iconic animation series “The Simpsons”

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