South Gate, CA · hip hop · rap rock · hip-hop · rap-rock

Cypress Hill

1 upcoming festival

B-Real's nasal snarl over DJ Muggs's murk — the group that made stoner rap a genre with a flag, 'Insane in the Brain' still a jump-along ritual.

Cypress Hill formed in 1988 in the Los Angeles area, built around rappers B-Real and Sen Dog, both of Cuban descent, with DJ Muggs producing and Eric Bobo later joining on percussion. Muggs's beats — dusty, minor-key loops, heavy low end and odd sampled squeals — gave the group a sound distinct from most West Coast rap of the period, while B-Real's high, pinched delivery became one of the more recognisable voices in the genre. Their self-titled debut and Black Sunday established them commercially, with 'Insane in the Brain' and 'Hits from the Bong' among the best-known tracks. They were among the first Latino rap groups to reach a mass audience, openly advocated cannabis legalisation, and their live shows and collaborations pushed them into rock and metal audiences through the 1990s.

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