doppaz.com

Cypress Hill is an American hip hop group, most notable for being the first Latino band to have platinum and multi-platinum selling albums.

Cypress Hill began life as DVX in 1986, a rap group formed by Cuban-American brothers Senen and Ulpiano Sergio Reyes (Sen-Dog and Mellow Man Ace respectively). But when Ulpiano left the group, Senen turned to fellow LA residents Lawrence Muggerud (Muggs) and Louis Freese (B Real) and, choosing the name from a local street, Cypress Hill was born.

The group began to pioneer a fusion of Latin music and American hip hop and, after recording a demo, were signed to Columbia Records in 1989. Their self-titled debut album was released in 1991 and successful tracks like The Phuncky Feel One, How I Could Just Kill A Man, Hand On The Pump and Latin Lingo led to the album selling two million copies in the US alone.

The group’s second album, Black Sunday, went triple platinum and sold over three million copies, with mega-hit single Insane in the Brain reaching the top twenty in the Hot 100 chart. The group was subsequently banned from Saturday Night Live after Muggs smoked a joint during a live performance of the song – a move than ensured their popularity skyrocketed overnight.

Cypress Hill’s third album III: Temples of Boom was released in 1995. It sold over 1.5 million copies and reached number three on the Billboard 200. This was followed by IV in 1998, which went gold in America due to the success of hit singles like Tequila Sunrise and Dr. Greenthumb, then their fifth album – the two-disc Skull & Bones. This experimental album, split between traditional hip-hop and more mainstream material, reached the top five on the Billboard 200 with the single Rock Superstar performing well in the rock charts while Rap Superstar was an urban radio hit.

Although their biggest successes came in the 1990s, Cypress Hill continue to release popular studio albums and have a dedicated live following all around the world.