Hill Biography

Their self-titled debut album came out the next year, with re-recorded versions of their initial efforts as well as new material including "Stoned Is The Way of the Walk," "Latin Lingo," and "Hand on the Pump." On the strength of college radio play, "How I Could Just Kill A Man," the B-side of the first single, "Phunky Feel One," was added to New York's WBLS and became the station's #1 requested song, prompting RuffHouse to rush out a video. The album, Cypress Hill, has since sold some 1.5 million copies, earning the group its first platinum record.

With songs like "Light Another," "Hits From The Bong," "Legalize It," and "Blunted," Cypress Hill made no bones about where the group stood; the members became conscientious supporters of hemp legalization and official musical spokesmen for NORML, the National Organization to Reform Marijuana Laws, in 1991. In the words of High Times, Cypress Hill "ignited a revolution," and national newsweeklies like Newsweek and Entertainment Weekly cited the trios stance as cultural icons.

By 1993, Muggs had consolidated the innovative production techniques he'd developed producing and remixing material for other rappers including House of Pain, Funkdoobiest, and the Beastie Boys and created a hard-hitting but kaleidoscopic sound. Cypress Hill's second album, Black Sunday, was preceded by the unequivocal hit, "Insane In The Brain," and debuted at #1 on the Billboard charts that summer, registering the highest first-week sales for any rap album in the history of SoundScan up to that point; the album has sold well over 2 million copies to date. The album's cover art and the video for the second single, "Ain't Goin' Out Like That," initiated the use of horror movie imagery in hip-hop which reigned supreme for the next year.

Following the album's release, Cypress appeared on "Saturday Night Live," causing mayhem when DJ Muggs toked up on-air before performing "Insane In The Brain" and the group trashed their equipment during "When The Ship Goes Down." Cypress Hill headlined the sold-out "Soul Assassins" club tour with House of Pain and Funkdoobiest and afterwards toured colleges supported by 7 Year Bitch and Rage Against The Machine.

Cypress Hill performed on the '92, '94, and '95 Lollapalooza tours (they appeared on the side stages in '92 and '94 and were one of the headliners in '95) and at Woodstock '94; they also collaborated with Pearl Jam and Sonic Youth on the Judgment Night soundtrack They have the largest crossover following of any rap group this side of the Beastie Boys, which has led to a heated dialogue within the hip-hop community.

"What people don't understand is, if we take the music as high as we can," says B-Real, "we're not leaving it behind to do another kind of music. We're taking it with us." "You can't limit yourself," he continues. "That's not what life's about. As long as you don't sell yourself short or sell yourself out, if you change who you are to try and sell records -- you fucked up. But, if people accept you for what you are and what you're doing, so be it. Take advantage of the doors that were kicked the fuck open."

A few months after headlining Lollapalooza '95, Cypress Hill released the group's third RuffHouse/Columbia album, III (Temples of Boom), and third consecutive platinum album release. "... open up the mind/See deep inside/Tell me what you find," goes the chant opening that album and the music that follows did just that. From the anthemic first single, "Throw Your Set In The Air," to the funerary rhyme trip-hop of the remix by the Fugees of "Boom Biddy Bye Bye" (the final single from the album), to the dancehall toasting that punctuates "Make A Move" and the psychedelic noir of "Killa Hill," Cypress Hill took hip-hop to places it had never been.

According to beatmaster/producer Muggs, "the big thing we did different [on III (Temples of Boom)] was to take our time. We thought things out more rather than just doing it. We hit on subjects we've seen lately rather than just all this violent shit."

Cypress Hill had neither lightened up nor sold out. The group's lyrics were as deep as they always were: dark while displaying a bitter, hard-won vulnerability and reflectiveness. Cypress didn't celebrate "the bud" lyrically so much here, preferring to make you feel its effects via a spacey, muted, atmospheric sonic undertow. Among special guests on the album were Wu-Tang rappers U-God and The RZA on "Killa Hill," with RZA having produced the cut. Throughout the album heady rhythms were supplied by Cypress' newest regular member, Bobo (son of Salsa legend, Willie Bobo), who'd initially met the group while touring as part of the Beastie Boys' live band. Shortly after the recording of III (Temples of Boom) was finished, Sen stopped touring with the group to pursue other musical interests.

In early '96, Cypress Hill toured the U.S. headlining shows with 311 and The Pharcyde also on the bill. Later, Cypress was one of the featured acts on the inaugural "Smokin' Grooves" tour, described by some as the "urban Lollapalooza." They spent Summer '96 playing sheds with the Fugees, Ziggy Marley, Busta Rhymes and A Tribe Called Quest and released a nine song EP, Unreleased & Revamped which compiled some of their most inventive, highly sought after remixes, many never commercially available before.

After the "Smokin' Grooves," group members took time to undertake a number of special projects and recharge their creative batteries. Muggs recorded the Muggs Presents...The Soul Assassins solo album recruiting the likes of Wu Tang Clan, Dr. Dre, KRS-One, Wyclef (from the Fugees), Mobb Deep, and the rest of Cypress Hill to rap over some of his most hard hitting and innovative grooves yet. Muggs Presents...The Soul Assassins was released in March '97 to overwhelming critical acclaim.

In the meanwhile, B-Real had collaborated with Busta Rhymes, Coolio, LL Cool J & Method Man on "Hit 'Em High" from the Space Jam soundtrack album as well as with Dr. Dre, Nas and KRS-One on "East Coast Killer, West Coast Killer," on Dre's Aftermath album. He then teamed up with two other L.A. based Latino rappers, Duke and Jacken, to record a eponymous debut album, The Psycho Realm; Duke had rapped with on-stage with Cypress Hill throughout the '96 "Smokin' Grooves" shows with Jacken appearing with the group on a number of these dates as well. The Psycho Realm is slated for summer release on RuffHouse/Columbia. Duke and Jacken will perform again with Cypress Hill on this year's edition of "Smokin' Grooves" which features Cypress Hill as well as George Clinton And The P-Funk All Stars, Erykah Badu and others.

Cypress Hill is currently in Los Angeles working on recording the group's fourth album with an eye towards release later this year.