Cypress Hill Biography

The American hip hop group known as Cypress Hill was established in California in 1988. When Ulpiano Sergio Reyes and Senen Reyes met up with Lawrence Muggerud and Louis Freese, they initially formed the band DVX. But after Ulpiano Serigo left to pursue a solo career, the trio regrouped and renamed themselves to Cypress Hill, recording the earliest demos in 1989.

The demos caught the attention of Columbia Records, attracted to Cypress Hill’s unique sound and groundbreaking status as among the earliest Latino-American hip hop groups. The band’s self-titled debut was released in 1991 and spawned the singles “Latin Lingo,” “The Phuncky Feel One,” and “Hand on the Pump,” which received significant airplay and led to Cypress Hill’s inclusion at the Lollapalooza festival of 1992. Cypress Hill’s sophomore effort, Black Sunday, fared much better, rising to the top of the mainstream charts upon its release in 1993. The album featured the crossover hit “Insane in the Brain,” sending Black Sunday to multi-platinum status and launching a career which has lasted well into the new millennium.

Since that time, Cypress Hill has released the albums: Cypress Hill III: Temples of Boom (1995), Unreleased and Revamped (1996), Cypress Hill IV (1998), Skull & Bones (2000), Stoned Raiders (2001), Till Death Do Us Part (2004), Rise Up (2010) and Cypress X Rusko (2012.) The albums have given audiences the chart-topping rap and R&B singles “Latino Lingo,” “I Ain’t Goin’ Out Like That,” “Throw Your Set in the Air,” “Boom Biddy Bye Bye,” and “Rise Up.” Cypress Hill has been nominated for three Grammy  Awards (in 1994, 1995, and 1996, for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.) In addition to their own material, the group collaborated with Deadmau5 for the album Album Title Goes Here in 2012.

Cypress Hill continues to perform and record with the current lineup of Louis “B-Real” Freese, Senen “Sen Dog” Reyes, Lawrence “DJ Muggs” Mugerud, and Eric “Bobo” Correa. The group recently released their much-anticipated next album, Elephants on Acid, in 2018. In 2017, fans of the Netflix show Narcos also heard the band’s hit “Ain’t Going Out Like That” featured as a trailer soundtrack for the series.