Cypress Hill

Cypress Hill came straight outta South Gate, baptized in a haze of smoke, blood-shot eyes hidden beneath low-riding bucket hats that barely contained nasally lead MC B-Real's blown-out 'fro. By his side stood gruff-voiced menace Sen Dog, stocky and ready for action. Lurking in the shadows, masterminding the crew's eerie, chaotic buzz, was producer DJ Muggs. The Southern Cali trio's funky, bilingual boom-bap would spark the imagination of the Hip Hop nation. Cypress was a powerful combination of Public Enemy's high-voltage treble-and-bass and N.W.A.'s uncensored attitude. The mixture of Bomb Squad-esque block-rockin' beats with congas, oldies samples, and comedy records reflected both the stressed-out and laid-back sides to California livin'. On the surface, B-Real and Sen Dog kicked and barked the typical gangland talk. But their dreamy, cartoon-y violence set them apart. But was "an alley cat, some say a dirty rat," Sen was "rude and crude like a pit bull." In their world a gun became a "Scooby Doo," you laughed when an enemy pulled out a gat, because your gat was bigger. Imagine Cheech & Chong starring in Pulp Fiction that was vintage Cypress.