Cypress Hill is the debut studio album by the American hip hop group Cypress Hill. It was released on August 13, 1991, by Ruffhouse Records and Columbia Records. The recording sessions were held at Image Recording Studios in Los Angeles from August 1990 to May 1991. The album was produced by DJ Muggs. The album was critically and commercially successful and received major airplay on urban and college radio. The album went double platinum in the U.S. with over 2 million units sold. The album is broken down track-by-track by Cypress Hill in Brian Coleman's book Check the Technique,[2] published in 2007.

Cypress Hill
Studio album by
ReleasedAugust 13, 1991
RecordedAugust 1990 – May 1991
StudioImage Recording (Los Angeles)
Genre
Length46:54
Label
ProducerDJ Muggs
Cypress Hill chronology
Cypress Hill
(1991)
Something for the Blunted
(1992)
Singles from Cypress Hill
  1. "The Phuncky Feel One / How I Could Just Kill a Man"
    Released: July 11, 1991[1]
  2. "Hand on the Pump"
    Released: 1991
  3. "Pigs"
    Released: 1991
  4. "Latin Lingo"
    Released: 1992

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [3]
Entertainment WeeklyA+[4]
Los Angeles Times    [5]
Mojo     [6]
NME8/10[7]
Rolling Stone     [8]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide     [9]
The Source     [10]
Spin Alternative Record Guide9/10[11]
The Village VoiceA−[12]

Steve Huey of AllMusic calls Cypress Hill's debut "a sonic blueprint that would become one of the most widely copied in hip-hop."[3]

In 1998, the album was selected as one of The Source's 100 Best Rap Albums.[13] The album was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[14]

Rolling Stone called it "an album that is innovative and engaging in spite of its hard-core messages."[8]

  • Included in Rolling Stone's "Essential Recordings of the 90's".[15]
  • Ranked No. 57 in Spin's "90 Greatest Albums of the '90s".[16]
  • Included in Q's "90 Best Albums of the 1990s".[17]

Track listing

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All tracks produced by DJ Muggs.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Pigs"2:51
2."How I Could Just Kill a Man"
4:16
3."Hand on the Pump"
4:03
4."Hole in the Head"
  • Muggerud
  • Freese
3:33
5."Ultraviolet Dreams"Muggerud0:41
6."Light Another"
  • Muggerud
  • Freese
3:17
7."The Phuncky Feel One"
  • Muggerud
  • Freese
  • Reyes
3:28
8."Break It Up"Muggerud1:07
9."Real Estate"
  • Muggerud
  • Freese
  • Reyes
3:45
10."Stoned Is the Way of the Walk"
  • Muggerud
  • Freese
2:46
11."Psycobetabuckdown"
  • Muggerud
  • Freese
2:59
12."Something for the Blunted"Muggerud1:15
13."Latin Lingo"
  • Muggerud
  • Freese
  • Reyes
3:58
14."The Funky Cypress Hill Shit"
  • Muggerud
  • Freese
4:01
15."Tres Equis"
  • Muggerud
  • Reyes
1:54
16."Born to Get Busy"
  • Muggerud
  • Reyes
3:00

Personnel

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  • B-Real – Vocals
  • Sen Dog – Vocals
  • DJ Muggs – Arranger, Producer, Mixing
  • Joe Nicolo – Engineer, Executive Producer, Mixing
  • Jason Roberts – Engineer
  • Chris Schwartz – Executive Producer
  • Howie Weinberg – Mastering
  • Ponch – percussions
  • Photography – Mike Miller

Charts

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Weekly charts

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Year Album Chart positions
Billboard 200 Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums Top Heatseekers
1991 Cypress Hill #31 #4 #5

Singles

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Year Song Chart positions
Billboard Hot 100 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks Hot Rap Singles Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales
1991 "Hand On The Pump" #49 #2
"How I Could Just Kill A Man" #77
"Latin Lingo" #12 #44
"The Phuncky Feel One/How I Could Just Kill A Man" #1

Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[18] Gold 100,000*
United States (RIAA)[19] 2× Platinum 2,000,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ "Phuncky Feel One [Vinyl Single] - Cypress Hill". AllMusic. Retrieved February 21, 2015.
  2. ^ Coleman, Brian (2007). Check the Technique: Liner Notes for Hip-Hop Junkies. New York: Villard. ISBN 978-0-8129-7775-2.
  3. ^ a b Huey, Steve. "Cypress Hill – Cypress Hill". AllMusic. Retrieved October 19, 2011.
  4. ^ Bernard, James (October 4, 1991). "Cypress Hill". Entertainment Weekly. No. 86. ISSN 1049-0434. Archived from the original on October 14, 2012. Retrieved October 19, 2011.
  5. ^ Gold, Jonathan (November 24, 1991). "A Hard-Core, Hip-Hop Debut". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved May 10, 2017.
  6. ^ Cowan, Andy (February 2017). "Cypress Hill: Cypress Hill". Mojo. No. 279. p. 109. ISSN 1351-0193.
  7. ^ McCann, Ian (February 15, 1992). "Cypress Hill: Cypress Hill". NME. p. 35. ISSN 0028-6362.
  8. ^ a b Powell, Kevin (October 3, 1991). "Cypress Hill: Cypress Hill". Rolling Stone. No. 614. ISSN 0035-791X. Archived from the original on November 12, 2007. Retrieved October 19, 2011.
  9. ^ Sheffield, Rob (2004). "Cypress Hill". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 206. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  10. ^ Romain, Louis "Atco" (October 1991). "Cypress Hill: Cypress Hill". The Source. No. 25. p. 56. ISSN 1063-2085.
  11. ^ Norris, Chris (1995). "Cypress Hill". In Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig (eds.). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. pp. 101–102. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
  12. ^ Christgau, Robert (November 5, 1991). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. ISSN 0042-6180. Retrieved October 19, 2011.
  13. ^ "100 Best Rap Albums". The Source (100). New York. January 1998. ISSN 1063-2085. Retrieved November 10, 2007.
  14. ^ MacDonald, Bruno (2006). "Cypress Hill: Cypress Hill". In Dimery, Robert (ed.). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. Universe Publishing. p. 658. ISBN 978-0-7893-1371-3.
  15. ^ "Essential Recordings of the 90's". Rolling Stone. Straight Arrow. May 13, 1999. p. 72. ISSN 0035-791X. Retrieved October 19, 2011.
  16. ^ "90 Greatest Albums of the '90s". Spin Magazine. September 1999. p. 148. ISSN 0886-3032. Retrieved October 19, 2011.
  17. ^ "90 Best Albums of the 1990s". Q. Bauer Media. December 1999. p. 70. ISSN 0955-4955. Retrieved October 19, 2011.
  18. ^ "British album certifications – Cypress Hill – Cypress Hill". British Phonographic Industry.
  19. ^ "American album certifications – Cypress Hill – Cypress Hill". Recording Industry Association of America.
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