Cypress Hill
By: D. A.
It seemed they came out of nowhere and blew up like a nuclear bomb. It is fact; Cypress Hill was one of Latin Hip Hops most raw and uncut success stories.
Nobody could mess with this ill group that dominated hip hop and even rap throughout the 90’s. Everyone was into Cypress Hill, everybody loved the Latin Lingo and everyone was down to get high.
There is controversy about Cypress Hill. Many may argue that they were a bad influence on young teens and many claim they are responsible for fueling hardcore gang violence that left hundreds of thousands of teenage gang members dead or in prison.
What ever the hullabaloo, Cypress Hill had something very few could even dream of. They had authenticity and they were absolutely original.
They transformed hip hop and did so by mixing the rap and hip hop of the east coast with that of the west coast. That was the secret to their success. It's interesting how this group originated. Cypress Hill released their first album in August of 1991 and attracted a tremendous amount of air play on urban radio.
The groups' members, B-Real, DJ Muggs, Eric Bobo, and Sen Dog decided to name their group Cypress Hill after coming across a street sign in California.
They dug the name and so did America! The name in itself had a ring of quality, yet mystery and danger. The name fit the group perfectly. Rapper B-Real, who was half black and Mexican, was from South Gate, California and he teamed up with Eric Bobo out of New York, as well as with Cuban rapper Sen Dog and producer DJ Muggs.
Together this diverse group created a style of hip hop nobody had ever heard. People were hungry for something new and Cypress Hill was exactly what they were craving for.
Related Links
Sen Dog's performance at Hollywood's Club Ritual
