Cypress Hill

This isn't bad, but I don't want to listen to it anymore.

The album is funky. I like funky. I don't like murder or weed quite as much though. That's most of what this album is. I like the flow and rhythm, but can't get behind the lyrics. I wouldn't really listen again, but I can say I'm glad to have listened to it. It did overstay it's welcome, though.

Not as good as some of the other hip hop albums I've heard so far but still pretty good.

It’s a bit sweary and I'm sensing they don’t like the police, but I actually quite enjoyed it.

Not horrible. I liked their vocals and beats, but the album dragged on about 20 mins too long. By the end I had lost interest. Pretty good at the beginning though. 2.7/5 - > 3/5

In the present day, it feels like Cypress Hill is underdiscussed in the context of early West Coast hip hop, maybe due to their rock crossover appeal that they would eventually lean into, but their self-titled debut came out in '91, and they existed in some form since '88. This puts them on the scene at the same time, maybe a *little* later than people rightfully held highly as the progenitors of West Coast hip hop, like Ice Cube, Eazy-E, Tupac, Dr. Dre and more. Just for reference, this came out about 16 months before The Chronic. And it took some time, but by now I think this album's influence can be heard pretty widely. I don't want to say Cypress Hill invented "weed rap" but I'll say that I don't know who else would have. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if this album, on some level, inspired the direction that artists like Snoop Dogg would explore a little later. Even so, Cypress Hill sounds pretty singular. At this time, Cypress Hill was B-Real, Sen Dog, and DJ Muggs, and this line-up achieved a really interesting balancing act. DJ Muggs may be the star of the show here on some level, the palette and atmosphere of his beats were *extremely* important to this album. He made a kind of spacey, funky, almost psychedelic beats that still went pretty hard. And B-Real and Sen Dog both brought something unique to this sound. B-Real has a nasally, idiosyncratic sound, leaning into the more quirky, left-field aspects of the sound, and Sen Dog had a gruffer, more conventional delivery that helped to keep the sound of Cypress Hill sort of grounded. This combo gives us songs like Hand On The Pump, which has a weirdo vox beat, sing-song chorus and lyrics as gritty as anything else coming out of the West Coast at this time. And Cypress Hill's sound is just as bold and unique across this whole album. Pigs has kind of an offbeat, almost goofy presentation, but it's just about as strong a statement as something like Fuck Tha Police, it just has a very different presentation. This kind of exemplifies, lyrically, what is different about Cypress Hill, they rapped about a lot of the same stuff, but they did it with a left-field sense of humor, and an almost stylized sort of imagery and word play. It comes across as fun, almost playful at times. How I Could Just Kill A Man is another highlight, with its electric guitar sample, ultra-effective chorus, and beat switch. And Cypress Hill is just as effective, funky and unique through its whole runtime. Stoned Is The Way of The Walk is kind of like the group's mission statement, Psychobetabuckdown is as psych-y as they get, and Real Estate is centered on a super funky bassline, just to name a few. This is a really under-appreciated classic, and it's still a super fun listen with great rapping, a great beat selection, and a super cool aesthetic and vibe.

Sucks

Gar nicht mein Fall

I have never really been a fan of gangsta rap, so I came into this hoping it might surprise me. I have always been curious about Cypress Hill given their reputation and influence, but this album just did not land for me.

A lot of the lyrical focus revolves around crime, confrontation and hostility toward the police, and there is not enough variety in theme to keep me engaged. The production and sampling are solid, and you can hear why the record had an impact in the early nineties, but overall it feels one dimensional to my ears.

I can respect its place in hip hop history, but as a listening experience it did not grip me and it is not something I would return to.

Favourite song: None that stood out enough to revisit.
Least favourite: The overall tone felt repetitive throughout.
Album artwork: A fairly typical early nineties hip hop cover. Striking enough, but not particularly memorable for me

Enjoying this style of hip hop, and it's not overtly about the rappers having sex on record, 4*

Based on this album I think the Insane Clown Posse was heavily influenced by Cypress Hill and that’s not a compliment.

Good lush beats, good flow, and just straight up good hip-hop. The topics of the songs tend to get a bit repetitive, but this is definitely an album I'm going to listen again to. Fuck the pigs.

An extremely Grand Theft Auto album: swaggering funky beats, comedically violent lyrics, casually derogatory, gangster posturing loved by suburban stoners. Best use of a 'booyah' on the list so far.

Hip hop. I don't waste my time on it anymore. I've heard it in three pieces. The usual stuff, I don't hear any differences. It didn't seem as bad as other hip hop albums, but I wasn't the least bit interested. 1/5

I didn't dislike it but it's not my favorite hip hop by a long way. A low three.

ah dá pra fragar que eles foram bem influentes, tem uns elementos de hardcore bacana nas letras. mas nada demais não

Classic Hip hop that still slaps. Loved bumping this from my truck back in the day.

Wasn't sure how to rate this one

Catchy beats, enjoyable for the most part - but incredibly repetitive

I recognised a lot of the music/samples and I actually really enjoyed the spanish rap parts

So I guess overall good?

4 ⭐️

I'd only known of Cypress Hill's singles before, so I knew sort of what to expect. I enjoyed this more than I expected, it's aged better than a lot of other gangsta rap. It is a bit homophobic in places, but not to the degree that rap of the time often was. In general, they seem mainly concerned with opposing police brutality, and getting high and having a laugh. All of which I support. It is a bit boring in places, but the funky samples, Latin flavor and nasal vocals do set it apart from a lot of their peers.

This is kinda like the most east coast sounding west coast hip hop album.
Liked it very much, but maybe not as good as some others like the Wu Tang album, Doggystyle, Chronic and so on.
Low 4