Have a picture of Cypress Hill, Cypress Hill?, please send it to us.
| Value for Money | 7/10  |
|---|---|
| Overall rating | 7/10 |
By Trauma
on 10th Jun 2007
| Other Artists Listened To | Not supplied |
|---|---|
| Format | Audio CD |
| Value for money | 7/10 |
| Overall value | 7/10 |
 Trauma's recommendation | |
Fantastic Debut-Outing, by one of the biggest names in Hip Hop.
It can also be found dirt cheap fairly easily nowadays!!
It can grate the nerves if you are not accustomed to the trademark sound of emcee's B-Real and Sen Dog.
It lacks the production and rhyming finesse of later Cypress Hill albums.
Establishing the West-Coast Hip Hop crew as a force to be reckoned with, ' Cypress Hill ' fast became one of the best-selling Rap debut's of all-time. Released at the end of 1991, this 16-track gem rode on the burgeoning crest of all things 'Gangsta'.
Having been loose affiliates of Ice Cube and his 'Lenchmob' collective for several years, Cypress Hill spread their own wings with the debut single ' The Phuncky Feel One'. The track served-up a slice of Los Angeles Gangsta' menace, that was offset by the distincly Latin feel of B-Real's vocals.
It was the flipside to their first 12" however (the classic track: ' How I Could Just Kill A Man' ), that garnered them an avid underground following.
Driven by the straight-up beats of producer DJ Muggs, and laced with the percussion and trickery of Eric Bobo, Cypress Hill's self-titled debut for Columbia was an instant Rap success.
Add to the mix B-Real's trademark, nasal voice and Sen Dog's occasional, booming interjections, and you begin to see the formation of what was to become one of Hip Hop's most marketable group's.
The album opens with something of a manifesto for the band ('Pigs' ), a track that combines a repeating guitar whine, Police radio transmissions and an almost 'Old-Skool', funk-break. The subject matter of Police harrassment and subsequent intentions towards L.A.'s finest, ensuring that they filled the 'Media' boots that NWA had just vacated.
The 16 tracks are filled with lyrical images of bouncing low-riders, blunts, AK 47's, casual violence, the 'hood, sawn-off shotguns, Latin street-life and bongs (amongst other topics). Where track titles like: ' Psycobetabuckdown', ' Hole In The Head ' and ' Hand On The Pump', offered us a view of a violent, murky City Of Angels, others like: ' Light Another', ' Something For The Blunted', or the infamous 'Stoned Is The Way Of The Walk', gave us a cannabis storm of 'Cheech & Chong' material.
The production is a well-made blend of funky-guitar samples, Slapped-Basses, Chunky Drum loops and cut 'n' paste switches. DJ Muggs was still perfecting his sound in 1991 though, and compared to later Cypress Hill releases this album does not stand the test of time as well.
The group were still a fledgling outfit in 1991 and although this debut is an outstanding one, they show some 'rookie' weaknesses at several points. Sometimes the rhymes lack a finesse that became more apparent on later albums such as: 'Temples Of Boom' or the now infamous 'Black Sunday', and neither B-Real nor Sen Dog has quite developed their (now) familiar voice intonations.
Production is of a high-quality overall, but leaves the listener with a feeling of unfulfillment and expectation at what the next LP might sound like (much better, was the answer to that question).
The lyrical content is well-written 'Hardcore' fayre, sometimes even amusing or anecdotal (within it's structure of the Los Angeles underbelly). It often strays into violence and the gang mentality, but never seems to overstep the mark and fall into the 'Unlistenable and Offensive for-the-sake-of it', category.
I have always had the sense that Cypress Hill are astute entertainers as well as top-notch Hip Hop artists, knowing how to market themselves and their image to gain maximum sales (without musical compromise). Along with others like; Ice Cube, Ice-T and Dr Dre, Cypress Hill have always seemed to be at the tame-end of the 'Gangsta' Rap' spectrum.
Indeed the criticism of being 'Studio Gangsters' has been levelled at the latin Rappers since this very album.
The truth of the matter lies in their individual sense of business accumen, and the ability to remove themselves from their poor and violent situations. Such emcee's may well have belonged to dangerous street-gangs, but had they continued in such activities while releasing records (and many, many have) they would find their careers (and often their lives) in the balance. The list of Rappers and Hip Hop artists that have died tragically or had short careers due to indulging in Drugs or Gang Warfare, goes on and on.
Cypress Hill have been around for Sixteen Years, Ice Cube for Twenty-One, Ice T for Twenty-Five, and Dr Dre for Twenty-One. In musical terms these people (and others), are now legitimate veterans in their respective musical field. This is surely an achievement that would not be possible if they were still active in crime's such as 'drive-by's' and dealing dope on street corners, as many of their lyrics would suggest to the literal listener. Their past becomes the subject-matter for their material, and obviously reflects the negativity of that experience (often being interpreted as actual 'Evil' by some).
Without the success of this first release however, Cypress Hill would not have had the career that they have since enjoyed. This album was indeed the 'tester' that they needed to plan-out their future sound, a fact that is upheld when listening to the altogether more 'Party-Friendly' track 'The Phuncky Feel One' (which was their first single).
Noting that it was the more 'Gangsta' B-side ('How I Could Just Kill A Man')that took-off, Muggs & Co made a decision to push forward with that same 'Raw' sound for the rest of their first album. A decision that turned-out to be a piece of music business genius, and one that was expanded on in the following years (to massive appeal).
By the time 1993's, anthemic 'Black Sunday' LP was released, the group were already gaining mass appeal from the die-hard Rock music fans (having played several successful Rock festivals). Realising that they were finding common ground with the Metal-Heads due to their liberal use of Rock riffs and stomping drums, Cypress Hill started to create an image for themselves that would see them through to the next milennium. Skulls, Weed Leafs, Gothic Typefaces and generally 'Dark' artwork began to emerge on the sleeves of their albums (sharing more in common with that of Black Sabbath, than that of the Rap fraternity). Merchandise for the band began to sell rapidly and by the time they released their third LP in 1995(the excellent and often underrated ' Temples Of Boom'), they were already the only Rap crew that was as equally well-received by the Metal crowd as by the Hip Hop heads.
To foresee the crossover potential of the group in 1991 though (judging by this release), would have been near impossible.
The album artwork is fairly inconclusive, the only clue to their future image of 'Metal-Rap' being the band logo on the left-hand side of the front-cover (a skull motif with a Cannabis Leaf on it). If one were to guess at their future direction in 1991, a call of : 'Solid but short-lived 'Gangsta' Rap Crew' would have been sounded by most. Muggs, B-Real, Sen Dog and Bobo saw what path to take though, and had honed their unique Latin-Rock-Rap flavour to perfection by the time they came to record the second album.
Cypress Hill remain an 'aquired-taste' to many Hip Hop or Metal fans, being either loved or loathed by the buying public. Like most recording artists that possess a distinctive and 'Trademark' sound, the group can be irritating and hated or inspiring and adored.
'Cypress Hill' then, is a notebook full of original idea's and 'stream-of-conciousness'-like wonder, never quite becoming the portfolio of perfected material that was to follow with releases like 'Black Sunday', 'Temples Of Boom' or 'IV'.
To the Metal fan who has heard Cypress Hill CD's like 'Skull & Bones' (2000) or 'Til Death Do Us Part' (2004), and would like to hear how they sounded at the beginning, it's well-worth a listen.
For the Hip-Hop fan who has only ever heard 'Black Sunday', it's well-worth a listen.
But as is often the case for artists, you must check their subsequent albums for a more mature and accomplished version of themselves.
It's Cypress Hill then...............But not quite as we know them!!
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