Cypress Hill

Untouchable debut album from trail "blazing" L.A. trio. B-Real's high-pitched nasal flow is backed by Sen Dog's aggro outbursts and DJ Muggs' neck-breaking production. The result is an instant classic. Every song is outstanding; "How I Could Just Kill A Man," "Latin Lingo," and "Hand On The Pump" are straight-up legendary. A must-have.

In the wake of N.W.A's brilliantly produced yet warped glorification of inner-city turmoil
on Efil4zaggin this past summer, the Los Angeles-based rap group Cypress Hill jumps into the
hip-hop gangsta scene with a debut album sure to raise a few eyebrows. Pushing the credo
of "funky awareness" – street-life experiences riding over head-bobbing beats and samples
– rappers B-Real and Sen Dog and DJ Mixmaster Muggs have produced an album t... More >

"How I Could Just Kill a Man" is about what it says it's about, anger rather than advocacy, but that doesn't mean I buy their this-is-reality we-don't-glorify-it any more than anybody else's--putting a hole in someone's head because he's trying to steal your car is foul, not to mention bad for your health, and I wish they'd say so. Still, sh*t happens, and from their Beasties-Spanglish accents to their guitar-hip samples, it sounds different when these guys make music out of it--funny, for one thing, which in hard guys amounts to a new vision. They like hemp, hate cops ("pigs"), use the word "fag"in vain, and celebrate their neighborhood rather than their dicks. I like their music--plenty. (Grade - A-)