Cypress Hill

In preemptive strike to Cypress Hill's new album Rise Up coming out soon, Complex magazine's Toshitaka Kondo hit up the Latin hiphop leaders to break down some of their classic tracks over their legendary career as they near twenty years standing at the top of West coast hiphop.

Cypress Hill Classics: B-Real & Sen Dog On The Making Of 10 Key Records

April 19th, 2010

'PIGS' FROM CYPRESS HILL [1991]

B-Real:
We were in South Gate coming back from a house party and we went to Jack-In-The Box. I had a dark blue 520 Cadillac Seville sittin’ on McLeans. It was gangsta. Straight up. I was using the phone booth and they decided to come harass me. Some of them were high school football guys and they didn’t go anywhere else but to become a local cop. We knew them, so we weren’t intimated by them. We’d be like, “Fuck you, you third stringer. You couldn’t even make LAPD” And they were trying to gang up on me. It was about five or six cops. We looked like thugs so they basically treated us like thugs. But I wasn’t doing nothing. I didn’t have no weapons, no weed. [They said,] “What are you doing here? Put your hands on the car?” I’m like, “What the fuck you mean? What did I do that I got to put my hands on your car?” They’re like, “Don’t create a problem.” I’m like, “You’re gonna arrest me for fuckin talking on the phone?” Then they were grouping around me and I was like, “What? You gonna jump me in front of all these all these people in Jack In The Box? Go head! The first one that jumps out at me, I’m knocking him out! I don’t care if I get beat up the rest of the way. You guys better call your on-duty sergeant or something because we got a problem.” The sergeant comes on the scene and asks me what happened. And I told them exactly what happened. And he told those guys to let me go and to apologize.

Sen Dog:
B-Real was pretty pissed. When I rolled up to my house, he was sitting in front of my mom’s house in his car. I rolled up in my driveway and I walked up to him and I was like, “Hey what are you doing?” And he goes, “I’m writing a song about the pigs!” He had this look on his face. When I came back outside the house, he was like, “Listen to this!” That was actually one of the later songs that we recorded during the first album because either Muggs or I reminded him about the poem he wrote about the pigs. It was right around the time we did “Latin Lingo” because that was one of the last songs we recorded for that album. I remember having the first rough of the album, “Pigs” and “Latin Lingo” wasn’t on it. It wasn’t until we went back in with Joe The Butcher, the owner of Ruff House Records, came out to L.A. to hear the final. We recorded “Pigs”. Then we flew out to Philly to mix and master the album and that’s when we came up with “Hole In The Head” and “Latin Lingo”.

He laid it down to this funky track Muggs had come up with. And then we started to build the concept for the song more deeply around that. Names were changed, but where we grew up, a lot of people knew each other and what not. A lot of these cops would try to chase the same chicks that we chased. And chicks knew everything because what do men do? They talk to women. So we were connected back in the days. We knew exactly what those guys were up to, they were no different than us. They just wore a gun and a badge to work and we didn’t. But you know, B was swift with the pen. And they gave him a creative spark and they paid the price. And those guys know that song is about them. They have to know. [Laughs.]

For the complete interview [CLICK HERE]

[SOURCE]

CYPRESS HILL - RISE UP [Tracklist]

01. IT AIN’T NOTHIN’ (FEAT. YOUNG DE)
02. LIGHT IT UP
03. RISE UP (FEAT. TOM MORELLO)
04. GET IT ANYWAY
05. PASS THE DUTCH (FEAT. EVIDENCE & THE ALCHEMIST)
06. BANG BANG
07. K.U.S.H.
08. GET ‘EM UP
09. CARRY ME AWAY (FEAT. MIKE SHINODA)
10. TROUBLE SEEKER (FEAT. DARON MALAKIAN)
11. TAKE MY PAIN (FEAT. EVERLAST)
12. I UNLIMITED
13. ARMED & DANGEROUS
14. SHUT ‘EM DOWN (FEAT. TOM MORELLO)
15. ARMADA LATINA (FEAT. PITBULL & MARC ANTHONY)

[DOWNLOAD HERE]

[SOURCE]

The LA Leakers have put together this Cypress Hill “audio biography” - As DJ sourMILK and Just-N-Credible put it:

"We felt it was more then just an average 'Mixtape". It was a complete honor to do a tape with such legends as Cypress Hill. This is the Leakers of the Funk: Audio-Biography! A LOT of classics and a few exclusive records that may or may not be on their upcoming album "Rise Up" dropping April 6th!"

[DOWNLOAD HERE]

[SOURCE]

"It Ain't Nothin'" by Cypress Hill-

Earlier this week Snoop Dogg announced that he has signed Cypress Hill to the newly re-launched Priority Records.

“My role as Creative Chairman of Priority Records has put me in the driver’s seat to help revive the most important West Coast hip-hop label,” Snoop said in a press release. “As such, I’m excited to announce my first signing as Cypress Hill. Cypress Hill is undeniably one of the most important hip-hop groups in music history, not only are they incredibly talented and the first Latino hip-hop group to go platinum, they are also from the West Coast- so this signing is the perfect marriage.”

Snoop also expressed his desire to revive Priority Records’ classic catalog as well as sign new Left Coast artists to the iconic label. He’s already got the ball rolling in doing so with the USDA Uncut Snoop Dogg Approved album which he says will include, “ timeless records that… really need to be brought back to life again- Master P, Ice Cube, N.W.A.” He also wants to release The West Coast Blueprint a compilation album that he says will show what Priority is all about.

In the mean time, Cypress’ Rise Up, the groups’ first major release in six years, is scheduled for release on April 6. — Brooklyne Gipson

[SOURCE]

Honorees for this year’s annual Hip Hop Honors show will be Cypress Hill, De La Soul, Slick Rick, Naughty By Nature and Too $hort.

The event will take place at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York taping Thursday, October 2, 2008 and premièring on VH1 on Tuesday, October 7 at 9/8c on VH1. Read the entire press release here -

NEW YORK, August 13, 2008 – VH1 has announced the five honorees for their fifth annual “VH1 Hip Hop Honors,” Cypress Hill, De La Soul, Slick Rick, Naughty By Nature and Too $hort. Hosted once again by Tracy Morgan, this year’s musical celebration will give viewers a chance to step back and reminisce on a time when hip hop music began to make its greatest impact on American pop culture.

Premièring on Tuesday, October 7 at 10PM*, generations of hip hop will bridge the gap for one exceptional night to set it off with the original style and flavor that sparked a revolution and continues to fuel an evolution around the world. Additional performances and appearances will be announced shortly.

“Now in its fifth year, the ‘VH1 Hip Hop Honors’ has come to represent the pinnacle of innovation and achievement in hip hop music,” said Tom Calderone, Executive Vice President and General Manager, VH1. “This year’s five honorees are no different and are being recognized for their significant contributions to hip hop culture and for helping to elevate hip hop into a truly global phenomenon.”

Introducing this year’s honorees:

• Cypress Hill: With a driving rhyme style and brutally infectious production, this L.A. based collective brought a welcomed Latino perspective to hip hop storytelling, creating records like “Insane in the Brain” that crossed all barriers and gave Cypress Hill fans in the rock, as well as, rap world.

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• De La Soul: This Long Island trio brought a playful, smart, and off-center style to hip hop, while pushing their suburban and bohemian sensibility to the fore. Their innovative sound has influenced not only other MCs, but helped inspire the entire underground movement in the culture.

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• Naughty By Nature: Led by the strident style of lead MC Treach, Naughty By Nature brought New Jersey hip hop into the mainstream by creating hit singles than became anthems for a generation. “OPP” and “Hip Hop Hooray” are two of the most popular records in rap history.

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• Slick Rick: With vivid storytelling and unique rhyme style Slick Rick has always been one of the most unique and influential figures in the culture’s history. When you combine Rick’s MC gifts with his gold chains, eye patch and regal clothing the result is a figure who embodies the fun, the danger and the flavor that is hip hop.

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• Too $hort: Too $hort started his career in the ’80s selling 12-inch singles full of freaky tales on his own indie label in Oakland and has remained true to his raw style, in the process becoming a legend in the game while staying true to his hard core values.

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  Additionally, on September 16 VH1.com will launch its dedicated “VH1 Hip Hop Honors” Web site with honoree profiles, exclusive online programming, show information and more at HipHop.VH1.com. Additional VH1.com and VH1 Mobile efforts around “VH1 Hip Hop Honors” will be announced in the coming weeks.

  “VH1 Hip Hop Honors” is executive produced by Lee Rolontz for VH1 and Jac Benson for Blackjac Entertainment. Louis J. Horvitz will direct. Nelson George and Fab Five Freddie are co-executive producers.

  Peep the official website - [VH1.com]

Early freestyle video of the original Cypress Hill crew, Mellow Man Ace, B-Real and Sen Dog during a freestyle session. The clip features B-Real spitting an unrefined verse from the later joint, "How Could I Kill a Man". Also Dee Barnes (D-Zire) made an appearance.

Peep these early St ides Liquor commercials, Ice Cube had his spot before KAGRO fucked his Crooked I game.

"Pumping iron, and eating. Ain't nothing else to do in the motherfucking pen. Three hots, and a cot."