Cypress Hill

Nope. Did not like this one bit. It's probably well assembled for what it is, but what it is puts me in a perpetual state of fight or flight until it's switched off.

Unless one was listening to hip-hop on a regular basis in 1991, it would be hard to explain just how different Cypress Hill was. Nobody had a flow like this. Nobody. There wasn't any other mainstream artist (other than perhaps the Beastie Boys) who's songs were so busy, varies, and full of unique samples.

This album is absolutely deserving of a spot on the 1,001 list

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Yoooo. Like the Beastie Boys, Cypress Hill were inexplicably on the Rock Countdown all the time, even though they definitely aren't rock (Wiki backs me on this). I think host Jim Shearer was just a big fan. Anyway, I didn't like them at all. They had one song that went, "What's Your Name? What's Your Number? I would like to get to know you" and it gets stuck in my head about once a week. Via hate-filled mockery I have stockholmed myself into liking it. Anyway, this album vastly predates that song, so I'm curious if I will (a) like it due to familiarity, (b) hate them passionately as I did before, or (c) not even recognize them as the same band.

Well... it was (b) and (c)! Very 90s album, and 90s hiphop has been universally not my vibe so far. Themes on the album include classics like: gun violence, cops are bad, drugs. The beats&delivery were fine, not the worst but certainly not good enough to make me not hate the content. The lyrics were, for the most part, unpleasant.

(Bilingual) slur count = 14.

Highlights: "homepigs", a positive view of bilingualism

Vocals were pretty grating and the beat selection was rather wack

1.5

This was ok. To be honest, I enjoyed the album but I was a bit disappointed. I was expecting this to be more rock influenced (actually, RATM has a cover for "How I Could Just Kill A Man"). Some tracks I enjoyed: "Pigs", "How I Could Just Killed A Man", or "Latin Lingo". "Tres Equis" has nice music...but the lyrics. Overall, I think this was ok. If not for my relatively high expectations, this may have reached 4 stars. However, because I was a bit disappointed, I'm giving it 3 stars.

I am getting a lot of Hip Hop and Rap lately. I like this but now I cannot remember it, sorry.

TIL that Rage was basically just a cover band of Cypress Hill

Haven't heard of rappers with a nasal tone. Has some nice funk beats but the MC's cadence turns me off. This is another case of gangsta rap sounding corny before the G-funk sound. This hasn't aged pretty well (2.5-3).

Oh man, the Beatles loving whites are gonna hate this 😂

This started off really strong but fell away a bit towards the end apart from Latin Lingo which was pretty good. I wouldn’t mind listening to more from them but it’s not something I’m gonna rush to do.

Top Track - How I Could Just Kill A Man

Just grow up, for god's sake. I don't want to hear about your promiscuity or how much you hate gay people, just shut up.

I have great concerns that the lack of quality music from the 90s may be due to a lack of Doctor Who. We may be going into another dark age folks x

They are on the upper end of enjoyment in terms of 90s hip hop albums. The compositions by DJ Muggz sound so unabashedly from its era which make this album even more so relevant. Overall, a fun and interesting listen but far from their third, 'Temples of Boom'.

7/10 [SWAP]

I feel bad because I think my average rating for hip hop is pretty low compared to how I think I enjoy the genre. But that's a factor of this list having a lot of old-school hip hop prior to gangsta rap (Which is about when I started enjoying hip hop with the more intricate and complex rhyme schemes that flow better).

And unfortunately, this is still that old-school flow with the more sparse, early 90's sound. So yeah, just not really doing much for me.

3.62

It's got quite a good vibe to it, and it was an easy listen.

Eh.

you will never be the Pharcyde

Probably nostalgia from my teen years.

Het album Cypress Hill is wat simpel en rommelig. Het gaat inhoudelijk niet heel veel verder dan het commentaar op de politie en de odes aan hun rookwaar. Muzikaal is het nog wat kaal. De liefde voor muziek straalt er nog niet van af. Tja, ik kan het de heren niet kwalijk nemen. Ze waren nog jong en ontdekkende.

En dat ontdekken dat hebben ze gedaan. Na dit album leverde ze het 5 sterren album, dat de basis van de band definieert: Black Sunday. Met de hit Insane in the Brain.

Vanaf daar werd hun muzikale hokje steeds wat ruimer. Geen ander genre was te gek. Waarbij ze hun unieke geluid toch telkens overeind wisten te houden. Dat geluid is niet alleen de ijzersterke rapper B-real met zijn uniek stemgeluid en rapstijl, maar ook de muzikaal creativiteit die niet ten koste gaat van de toegankelijkheid.

Cypress Hill leverde bijvoorbeeld nog een 5 sterren-album Skulls & Bones. Met als tweede helft een combinatie met stevig gitaarwerk. En wederom een flinke hit met de combinatie Rap Superstar en Rock Superstar.

Even later werken ze samen met Rusko en leveren ze een paar stevige Dubstep nummers. En niet lang geleden stonden met een symfonie-orkest op de planken.

Cypress Hill zijn veelzijdige muziekliefhebbers die voor ieder wat wils bieden. En dit debut toont daar niets van. Ja, het had invloed en ja, het is best ok. Maar met enkel dit album in de lijst doe je de band heel erg te kort.

I have never felt so out of place as I did listening to this.

I am completely not the audience for this.

I can appreciate it as an album. But I just don't connect with it