Image via Lynn Goldsmith
It’s officially “lock myself in the bedroom with AC” season for Son Raw.
Sen Dog is a survivor. The Cypress Hill mainstay is an indelible part of the group’s chemistry, responsible for taking songs like “Insane In The Brain” and “Hits From The Bong” from good to great with his baritone vocals, and lacing some of Cypress’ deep cuts with high energy verses that ping pong off his partner B-Real’s livewire energy. Behind the scenes, he’s a thoughtful presence, equally comfortable talking about his band’s ’90s glory days as he is discussing his passion for motorcycles.
Over a balmy afternoon over Zoom, I got to ask about all of the above as Cypress Hill celebrated the 30th anniversary of their classic sophomore effort Black Sunday. A triple-platinum monster that debuted at #1 on the album charts, the album is the rare crossover success that never compromises, sticking to Cypress’ original up tempo, sample-heavy Hip Hop while expanding their reach to casual listeners glued to MTV and alternative kids looking to go beyond grunge.
Ignoring both the dying fumes of New Jack Swing and the ascendant G-Funk of their Los Angeles peers at Death Row, Cypress instead reveled in the darkness, tapping into hard rock’s darkness and rebellion while still rapping over some of the funkiest breaks east of the Mississippi. 30 years on, it’s clear that this lack of compromise paid off: even as the group expanded their sound to touch on trip-hop (Temples of Boom), metal (“Rock Superstar”) and even dubstep (Cypress X Rusko), fans can trust that the musical exploration comes from a place of honest curiosity, rather than a desire to pander to industry demands. And across all of these albums, Sen Dog’s energy is the secret spice balancing B-Real’s nasal twang and Muggs’ gloominess. 30 years worth of bong hits later, that’s worth celebrating.