“Our style was everything that we were about on our block,” says Muggs, reminiscing about the group’s earliest days. “We sold weed, we hung out, we gang-banged, we listened to funk.” Broken down like that on paper, it seems pretty basic. But the group’s L.A. masterpiece was anything but.
–Brian Coleman, Check the Technique
Released August 13th, 1991, Cypress Hill’s smoked-out, self-titled debut turns 25 this month, and, remains a classic hip-hop joint of it’s time. Fusing funk samples with hip-hop beats, hardcore lyrics, and a love of smoking weed, the album introduced the world to the group’s unique musical style. Receiving a high amount of critical and commercial acclaim, Cypress Hill was certified double platinum by the RIAA, laying the groundwork as it were for their hugely successful follow up Black Sunday.
To celebrate Cypress Hill’s 25th anniversary, our buddy DJ Matman has cooked up a sweet mixtape featuring album tracks, remixes, and original sample material for Wax Poetics and WhoSampled.
Tracklist:
02. Cypress Hill – ‘The Funky Cypress Hill Shit’
03. The Bar Kays – ‘Humpin’ (Sampled in ‘Real Estate’)
04. Tony Alvon & The Belairs – ‘Sexy Coffee Pot’ (Sampled in ‘Real Estate’)
05. Cypress Hill – ‘Real Estate’
06. Booker T. & The MG’s – ‘Boot-Leg’ (Sampled in ‘Born To Get Busy’)
07. Cypress Hill – ‘Born To Get Busy’
08. Lowell Fulson – ‘Tramp’ [Matman’s Killa Man Remix] (Sampled in ‘How I Could Just Kill A Man’)
09. Cypress Hill – ‘How I Could Just Kill A Man’
10. Cypress Hill – ‘How I Could Just Kill A Man’ (Blunted Remix)
11. Curtis Mayfield – ‘Future Shock’ (Sampled in ‘Something for the Blunted’)
12. George Benson & Harlem Underground Band – ‘Smokin’ Cheeba Cheeba’ (Sampled in ‘Something for the Blunted’)
13. Cypress Hill – ‘Something For The Blunted’
14. Grant Green – ‘Down Here On The Ground’ (Sampled in ‘Stoned Is The Way of the Walk’)
15. Jack Margolis – ‘Creativity’\
16. Cypress Hill – ‘Stoned Is the Way of the Walk’
17. Cypress Hill – ‘Stoned Is the Way of the Walk’ (Reprise)
18. Muddy Waters – ‘Tom Cat’ (Sampled in ‘Ultraviolet Dreams’)
19. Cypress Hill – ‘Ultraviolet Dreams’
20. Chuck Cornish – ‘Ali Funky Thing’ (Sampled in ‘Pigs’)
21. Cypress Hill – ‘Pigs’
22. The Pazant Brothers – ‘A Gritty Nitty’ (Sampled in ‘Latin Lingo’)
23. Cypress Hill – ‘Latin Lingo’
24. Cypress Hill – ‘Latin Lingo’ (Prince Paul Mix)
25. The Meters – ‘Look-Ka Py Py’ (Sampled in ‘The Phuncky Feel One’)
26. The J.B.’s – ‘La Di Da La Di Day’ [Matman’s Phuncky Remix] (Sampled in ‘The Phuncky Feel One’)
27. Cypress Hill – ‘The Phuncky Feel One’
28. Fred Wesley and The J.B.’s – ‘More Peas’ (Sampled in ‘The Phuncky Feel One’)
29. Kool And The Gang – ‘Good Times’ (Sampled in ‘Light Another’)
30. Cypress Hill – ‘Light Another’
31. Gene Chandler – ‘Duke Of Earl’ (Sampled in ‘Hand On The Pump’)
32. Cypress Hill – ‘Hand On The Pump’
33, Cypress Hill – ‘Hand On The Pump’ (Muggs Blunted Mix)
34. Jimmy McGriff – ‘The Bird’ (Sampled in ‘Hole In The Head’)
35. Cypress Hill – ‘Hole In The Head’
36. John Roberts – ‘Sophisticated Funk’ (Sampled in ‘Tres Equis’)
37. Cypress Hill – ‘Tres Equis’
38. Willie Hutch – ‘Foxy Lady’ (Sampled in ‘Psychobetabuckdown’)
39. Cypress Hill – ‘Psycobetabuckdown’
40. Grand Wizard Theodore – ‘Military Cut’ (Sampled in ‘Break It Up’)
41. Cypress Hill – ‘Break It Up’
42. Jack Margolis – ‘History Of Mariijuana’ (Sampled in ‘Born to Get Busy’)