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| Popmatters |
 It came as a shock to Cypress Hill fans, and everyone else, when the band decided to take a stab at rap-rock on their 2000 LP, Skull and Bones. Talk about a divisive decision. It is equally surprising to discover that over the next 10 years, they would continue to hold onto that sound. Who can blame them, though? In today’s rap game, selling singles like the chronic-laced, mid-tempo “Insane in the Brain” isn’t going to fly. So the L.A.-based rappers tried to flip that shit and re-invent themselves for the sake of maintaining relevance while making a few greenbacks. It is with this in mind that I approach Cypress Hill’s eighth LP, Rise Up, with as open of a mind as possible. In doing so, let’s start with the good.For a 39 year-old MC, B-Real still solidly spits with that trademark high-pitched nasally flow. Immediately on the opening track, “It Aint Nothin” (which he also produced), he makes it known that he’s still got it. This continues on the following track, “Light It Up”, ladened with a funky, east-coast Pete Rock beat. Both tracks showcase the group in good form behind unusually upbeat production as they re-establish their rap CV. A few tracks later on “Bang Bang,” also produced by B-Real, positive results continue. Over an eerie, hyper-staccato snare, in concert with a liquid-y stretched out keyboard sample and the occasional high-pitched vocal sample, B-Real is in full gangsta-mode, warning us to “never forget what you say in the street / if you talk too loud / you’ll get laid with the heat.” The track feels both updated and a throwback to the darkly ominous, chronic-laced gangsta rap of old Cypress Hill. Unfortunately, these kind of tracks no longer produce radio singles and thus are in short supply on Rise Up. Which leads us to the bad....full text |
| 411mania |
| Ever since Skull And Bones, when they decided that they really liked Hip-Hop and hard rock, Cypress Hill have evolved in to a new animal than they started out as. With their self-titled debut 19 (!) years ago, the Hill was about the signature Soul Assassins sound - rolling, relaxed, bass-heavy tracks with a confidence hardly seen since. Once in a while, things got a little more chaotic and ramped up (such as their breakout, "Hand On The Pump"), but it was all about the laid back avocation of their herb of choice. Hell, it's almost possible to get high just listening to Cypress Hill's first two albums. But, Sen Dog, DJ Muggs and B-Real were never comfortable staying with the same-old lest they become a parody of themselves. Since Skull And Bones, they've experimented with reggae, dancehall, dub, ska, you name it. Sometimes it worked really well, sometimes it didn't. Through all of that, Cypress Hill have found a sound that works well for them almost 20 years later....full text |
| Musicomh |
| The opening speech sample on Rise Up reminds us why Cypress Hill are important rap artists. When their breakthrough album Black Sunday erupted in 1993 they shook everyone up with "a mix of futuristic funk with a die hard dedication to a certain herb". Even today, Black Sunday still holds up as a classic album, but it is a success that's been difficult for them to repeat. Rise Up has been touted as Cypress Hill's comeback album and is their first for Priority Records. Free from a major contract and working for a label presided over by none other than Snoop Dogg himself heralds a new era for the outfit, but greater artistic freedom means that this album, while generally good, could do with some reining in....full text |
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