Two underappreciated hip-hop acts are departing from their groups and coming together for a banger of a project. B-Real, California spitter known for his connection to Cypress Hill, and Psycho Les of The Beatnuts are collaborating for Real Psycho. According to the Underground HipHop Blog, this is their debut album as a duo, and they couldn’t have begun this venture any better. It’s a 14-song effort that includes features from Too $hort, Stephen Carpenter, Demrick, Big Twins, Son Doobie, and DJ Doo Wop.
Leading up to this tape’s release, B-Real and Psycho Les (who’s in his producer role this time), shared a couple of teasers. “You Might Know Us” and “Lyrical Hammers” were those tracks. Overall, these two don’t have a ton of history together. However, it’s better that they do in some capacity because they sound like a perfect match. Given that B-Real is from the West Coast and Les is from the East, there’s a nice concoction of those styles here. “What We Came To Do” with Too $hort is a pretty good example of this. Overall, there’s head-nodding beats with some solid rapping from B-Real, so you’re really getting the best of both worlds. Check it out below.
There aren’t many hip-hop MCs with a better resume than Cypress Hill’s B-Real. Known for his distinctive high-pitch and nasal tone, his unique voice has pierced through the many shifting decades of hip-hop. However, B-Real’s pre-rap existence was filled with violence and discretion. Dropping out of high school, he was part of a Los Angeles gang. At 17, his lung was punctured after being shot as a part of a gang-related shooting. As he puts it with Kerrang, “Most likely, I probably would have ended up in cemetery or prison, which is almost the same. I definitely would have ended up there.”
Growing up in Los Angeles, B-Real was naturally exposed to hip-hop from an early age. However, his first love was actually in the aggressive world of rock and metal. He wasn’t necessarily one of those teenagers blasting N.W.A. in the car. Instead, he gravitated to groups such as Black Sabbath and Nirvana. It wasn’t until he heard Run-D.M.C. that he began to connect with rap. He told AARP, “They played Run-D.M.C.: “Here We Go,” I think it was. Previously, I was into more metal music, rock music and stuff like that — stuff that my mother and father, my brothers and sisters listened to. When I heard Run-DMC, I thought, What is this? This is dope.”
B-Real’s First Love Was Rock
He began to discover his love for actively creating hip-hop along with DJ Muggs and Sen Dog. The two were initially critical of B-Real, believing that his natural rapping voice failed to distinguish himself as an MC. He experimented with various styles, leading to his distinctive high-pitched voice. At first, the technique sounded foreign and downright ridiculous to him. In fact, B-Real set his expectations pityingly low for Cypress Hill’s debut project, the self-titled Cypress Hill. To his surprise, his style would be well-received by the hip-hop world.
B-Real was a product of a vast amount of cultural and sonic influences. Punk rock, metal rock, reggae, funk, and even Latin influences merged into an unparalleled sound. “Insane in the Brain” was their defining hit, quickly going Certified Gold. Cypress Hill pushed the boundaries of the genre, proving that hip-hop could take notes from any pallet of influences. In addition, they were the first commercially successful Latino hip-hop group. By 1993’s Black Sunday, the group was romanticizing marijuana amidst classic stoner anthems such as “I Wanna Get High” and “Hits from the Bong.” However, B-Real would become best known for his persisting imprint on rock.
He Was The Architect Behind Cypress Hill
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 18: Members of the hip-hop group Cypress Hill Senen “Sen Dog” Reyes, Lawrence “DJ Muggs” Muggerud, Eric “Bobo” Correa and Louis “B-Real” Freese are honored with star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame on April 18, 2019 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images)
B-Real played a hallmark role in expanding the creative limits of the upcoming Latino community. The group’s success proved that an artist didn’t have to be boxed into a specific genre on the subset of their ethnicity. Cypress Hill was a Latino group meshing rock, funk, and hip-hop. Nothing about the trio fell under the umbrella of normality or commerciality. Yet, they were soaring to the top of the Billboard charts throughout the ’90s. Their success proved to both upcoming creatives and the music industry at-large that the music didn’t need to solely fall under the umbrella of an artist’s ethnic background.
However, B-Real’s star role as a member of Cypress Hill was only stage one of his illustrious multi-decade career. He would later go on to form Prophets of Rage alongside members of Rage Against the Machine and Public Enemy. A group rooted in boundless creativity and an inherent anti-establishment message, their birth was in tandem with the United States’ chaotic political scene. B-Real told Cryptic Rock, “It started with the presidential elections of last year when media outlets made a story which proclaimed Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders were ‘Raging Against the Machine.’ This disturbed Tom Morello, and he called Tim and Brad and said, ‘Hey, we have to do something about this. We have to show people what raging against the machine is. We have to bring this music back.’” Prophets of Rage released their exclusive self-titled debut in 2017.
A Music Icon
Outside of the music, B-Real has been an outcrying driving force behind the pro-cannabis movement. His brand, Dr. Greenthumb, has quickly become a staple marijuana company throughout California. Back in the ’90s, B-Real was championing the benefits of the substance in a prevailing culture that was still primarily anti-marijuana. From opening up the conversation surrounding substances to sonically blending rock and hip-hop in an unparalleled manner, the multi-Grammy-winning artist has raged against traditionality from the beginning. Now 53 years old, the hybrid MC and business tycoon sits amongst the Mount Rushmore of influential rappers.
During his recent appearance on Power 106 Los Angeles’ LA Leakers, California-born rapper R-Mean made it known that he and Justin Credible have a joint album on the way. Thankfully, fans didn’t have to wait long between his undeniably impressive freestyle and the release date, as the 11-track effort landed on Friday (December 16).
Previously released titles from the project include “God Flows” with B-Real and a solo title from the rapper called “The Gemini Effect.” Additionally, his “Yalla Habibi” collab with French Montana and “Enemies” with BlocBoy JB and S4G4 made it on his new arrival.
New songs from R-Mean include “Mind of a Maniac” as well as “Play This At My Funeral” with Jay Critch. Later on the tracklist, we hear him shine on “Angel with One Wing” and “Rooting For Me.”
As we mentioned earlier, the “Kings” hitmaker didn’t hold back during his LA Leakers freestyle. Marking his first appearance on the beloved series since 2017, this time around he rapped over two Scott Storch instrumentals.
Firstly, he annihilated The Game’s “Westside Story,” and later, he went on to take down Fat Joe and Remy Ma’s “Lean Back” beat.
“Teaching’ ‘em lessons, came here to give the Leakers the business, and he ‘finna witness / Word to Nipsey, preach independence / A beacon of hope to my people, this sh*t deeper than lyrics,” are among the bars he crafted on the spot.
Finally, stream Justin Credible Presents: R-Mean on Spotify or Apple Music below. Afterward, let us know what titles are your favourite in the comments.
Nearly 30 years after making their debut, and Cypress Hill continues to have a heap of music ready to unload on their fans. The iconic stoner rap group shared their latest project, Back In Black earlier this year, followed by a string of tour dates across the summer.
This week, they returned with their first single since the release of Back In Black. “Crossroads” dives deeper into the trippy sounds of Cypress Hill, thanks to DJ Muggs production. The hazy, boom-bap production has a hypnotizing effect as B-Real addresses a slew of topics, from unity to prospering against all odds.
For a legacy act that can practically live off of their early catalog, each time Cypress Hill drops new music, they prove that they have an everlasting sound that’s still in demand.
Press play on their latest single, “Crossroads” below and sound off with your thoughts on the song.
Quotable Lyrics Reminded by the thin line, we walkin’ as we lead the blind Step into the stairway to heaven, where we all resign What you find is the vision of the grand design We are eternal in this journal, you might find a sign
On this day in Hip Hop history, stoner trio Cypress Hill released their second and most popular album, Black Sunday. Selling 261,000 copies in its first week, Black Sunday was recorded as the highest Soundscan for a rap group at the time, peaking at #1 on both the Top R&B/Hip-Hop and Billboard 200 charts.
This album’s success came in large part from the project’s first single “Insane in the Brain,” which grew to be a crossover smash hit and a timeless relic of stoner culture. Thanks to Cypress Hill’s heavy metal aesthetic, the branding of this single appealed heavily to a fan base that wasn’t reached with their debut. The single’s crossover appeal led to promotion and praise of the album by both Hip Hop and Rock ‘n’ Roll publications.
Across the board, the album has been regarded by music critics and listeners. The album received outstanding reviews from all leading music publications and was even nominated for a Grammy. Singles from the project were used in popular films such as the cult classic How High, where Cypress had a cameo appearance. Commercially, the album is a classic, selling 3.4 million copies and being certified triple platinum by the RIAA.
With all of the fanfare surrounding the previous VERZUZ battles, it was anticipated that the face-off between two of the most iconic Hip Hop groups to date, Onyx, and Cypress Hill, would be one for the history books. Still, instead, Triller didn’t even broadcast the battle live on their IG page as was done with the previous, unprecedented shows. CH’s B-Real says the two legendary groups got played by the sponsors, and he wants answers.
The battle, which was held this past weekend in Los Angeles at The Forum, was not streamed on Instagram but instead offered up on PPV to those who wanted to see Sticky Fingaz, Fredro and Co. go up against B-Real, Sen Dog, and Muggs if you were willing to pay. Allegedly, this was because there were many boxing matches on the card, but B-Real says that is a poor excuse for not laying out the red carpet for these two award-winning groups.
“I have to say, although it was great to rock w/ our brothers @ONYX_HQ in the Verzuz battle, I feel like [VERZUZ] shorted us all by not running it on Ig live like all other battles,” he wrote. “They made it a ppv event & made the battle a side show for the boxing matches instead. IMO.”
Man Like Devin comes in like a man on fire with a hook that lifts your spirits and gets you as lifted as the topic of the record. Dizzy instantly delivers with a standout verse off rip in singing the plant’s praises, praising healing and recreational components as well while commenting poignantly on the hypocritical nature of anyone continuing to do time for charges related to Mary.
“Promoter” also packs a feature from Cypress Hill frontman and living legend B-Real who literally does what he always does in the best possible way. The DJ Hoppa (co-prod. By Puda & Soy is Real) produced cut is more proof that Dizzy Wright is back in a big way; light all the way up and catch a vibe below:
