From playing Lollapalooza to touring with Rage Against The Machine and Limp Bizkit to their upcoming tour with Linkin Park, Cypress Hill are calling all the nonbelievers to check them out as they vow to bring it on full strength- translating it to the masses!

Noize Pollution: You're headed out on the Projekt: Revolution Tour with Linkin Park and Adema - when and where does that start?
B-Real: It starts at the end of January in Colorado Springs, CO.
NP: Are you just doing a West Coast mini tour or are you hitting up everywhere?
B- Real: It's hitting a few spots all around. It hits the West, Mid West, and East Coast - it's going all over.

NP: Now, this isn't the first "rock" tour that you have been on, right? You've toured with Limp Bizkit, 311, Offspring, and others?
B-Real: Yeah. From the earliest days we had been doing alternative festivals in Europe. We were on Lollapalooza. We have also done tours with Rage Against The Machine. So, we have done a few things like that.
NP: How do you think the rock fans have embraced you?
B-Real: I believe we're treated pretty well. Like you said, a lot of them still don't know us because we're venturing into a new side of ourselves as far as music goes. BUT we've always had a pretty big rock fan base because we did those shows on the Lollapalooza Festival. Now, since we're getting more into it- actually working with live instruments it gained more ground and more of those fans. Our existing fans- they've been around- they know the deal and understand where we're coming from. A lot of the new fans that have heard about us just being a hip hop band - I guess it's a little weird to hear this hip hop band able to do the rock shit as well as anybody else.

NP: So, for the people that are kinda skeptical about a hip hop/ rock show regarding: no live instruments- at a Cypress Hill show are there live instruments or just turntables or both?
B-Real: We mix it up. We mix it between the live show with the instruments as well as the turntables. It's a pretty well rounded show. People get a little bit of both worlds on our musical side.
NP: Since there is going to be a lot of metal kids - how would honestly describe your music? I know through the years it has changed/ progressed - how would you describe your CURRENT sound?
B-Real: Our sound has always been pretty aggressive. Basically, right in your face whether it was the raw hip hop music that we're making or whether it's the more aggressive rock shit. When you see the live show it's even more so because it's an extension of the music. We're getting that energy that is on the record and putting it out there live - translating it to the masses. A lot of the rock kids have seen our shows before so they know what it is about. They know we come full strength- we can hang with the best of them. When these shows happen people are going to see what we're talking about. Explaining it is one thing -like the saying goes, "Talk is cheap! Shit is deep! Show me!" We're about to show everybody that comes out to this particular tour. People thought we were crazy for going on tour with Limp Bizkit because they were so heavy. We're heavy too. I think people didn't really recognize that until they saw us on the Limp Bizkit Tour - it opened their eyes to that. I think touring with Linkin Park will open their eyes even more so.

NP: When you did those Lollapalooza dates back in 1995 with Sonic Youth, Hole, Beck, etc� - for Cypress Hill to be on that kind of bill, I guess was unheard of at the time.
B-Real: You know, we paved the way for a lot of these guys. For being able to do that shit and still be able to do it now. Back then, we were going heads up with these rock groups with no instruments and without that edge to us. Now that we have both, it's sorta hard to contend with us. It's all friendly competition -you go out there and you have a good time with the bands that you tour with. On that tour, we were going out there to massacre the people - we're just trying to show our ass because everybody doubted we could hang on a bill like that (Lollapalooza 1995) being that we weren't a rock band. We had rock fans but we didn't have a band to back us. The power of instruments over the power of track is overwhelming. People thought we were going to get blown out - a lot of times we ended up stealing the show! It worked in our favor to be able to hang with these bands. Now, we're still learning with the whole aspect of playing with the live band but we're getting there. We pretty much have it down. We're just getting better at it as we go along and I think people will see that once they see the show.

NP: The new album, Stoned Raiders came out on December 4th. That is the title from a song on one of your previous albums, III (Temples of Boom) - how come you guys decided to make it the title on this one?
B-Real: The Raiders idea was being thrown around for a long time. At first it was going to be LA Raiders then Cypress Hill Raiders. I thought it was too football team-ish. We all love the Oakland Raiders but we didn't want it to seem like it was a Raider album. We just put a twist on it and recycled the title. It works out. It matches the vibe of this record and that's who we are! That's just another definition of Cypress Hill (hahahaha) - The Stoned Raiders in the Temple of Boom!

NP: As far as the writing and arranging of the songs- if it's geared more towards hip hop - does Sen Dog do it? Or if it has more of a metal influence are you mainly behind that? Or is it a combination?
B-Real: Well, in the early days I did a lot of the writing, probably 80 percent of it. Since, Cypress Hill (IV) Sen Dog has split the writing with me. We do it together. When I used to write all the shit it was just my ideas and none of his getting across. I think we're a better team when we're both writing the music and sharing the responsibilities -somehow we find a way to make it work. What happens is - on the rock shit sometimes I'll follow his lead and we'll go from there - other times we'll just collaborate together. On the hip hop stuff I tend to take the lead on that. Basically, all the ideas are equally split down the line. That's just the way our team works best.

NP: Some of the bands musical influences include Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin is there anyone out there today that you really like?
B-Real: I like the Deftones, Tool, At the Drive In, System of a Down.
NP: Are you into bands like Puya - they have that Spanish style to them?
B-Real: I've seen them play before. They're a really good fucking band. I don't really get into their stuff all that much but what I've heard - I definitely like.
NP: What did you think of Ice T's Body Count?
B-Real: I definitely dug where Ice T was coming from. At first, we didn't know what to think - we were like, "What the hell is he doin?" We were all fans and can appreciate what he was doing. Actually, the first band I ever heard do that was a band called Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E. They were the first ones to mix the metal with the hip hop with the rapping. It was even before I heard records from Rage Against The Machine- this was in 1989-90. Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E. sounded like a mixture of heavy metal meets Public Enemy. It was way before its time. Hearing those guys- they were the pioneers that gave us the fixture that said the two different worlds can fit together and do it right. I'd say they were one of the front runners who made it possible for people to even do the genre.

NP: Since you have always been a metal fan, when you released Skull and Bones- so did the real heavy experimentation with rock. Did you feel it was just the right time to incorporate the two or you just wanted to FINALLY do this heavy album?
B-Real: You know, we had always been experimenting with it but we never really explored it too much. We didn't really get in to it as much as we probably should've when we started. With this (Skull and Bones) album we had done so many hip hop songs we were so ahead of schedule that we could've shut down for the rest of the year and had a whole hip hop album. A soundtrack came up for WCW and Muggs thought it would be cool if we did one of those songs that were the fusion between hip hop and heavy metal. I've been a wrestling fan since I was ten and I know a lot of the entrance music is a style of music for these days and times. So, I thought that would be kind of perfect for what we're going to do for them. We got in there and we messed around and we liked what we heard! From there - we started playing around live- I would throw shows called Dr. Greenthumb party's based on the character I created off the Cypress Hill IV record. Right then and there is when we started playing with the live band. We started diggin the feel for it. Bobo and a couple of our friends from different bands like Fear Factory and Downset and even Brad from Rage came down and played on a few songs just to see what we could come up with. That's how the Skull and Bones shit was created just off us feelin it out step by step getting back to it little by little. It's a learning process if you don't do that style of music.

NP: Do you feel than when you write five or six rock songs it's difficult to go back to writing hip hop? B-Real: No. Not at all. It's easier for me cuz it challenges me. When you've been writing to hip hop for a long time usually the beats are so dramatically different depending on the producer you get or producers that can be on one record. I've been working with one producer on all the Cypress Hill records now for ten years - even before we were signed. I have probably rapped on every kind of different beat there is to rap on. There are all kind of different pockets with the beats if you can rap over those you can take any beat from any style of music whether it's country or classical or rock �trying to pocket to rap it on it. With the rock shit - the beats on it are a little different but it's easy to find a flow within those beats. Usually the verses are a lot shorter than in a hip hop song. Where as verses in a rock song might be 4 to 8 bars depending and a hip hop song can be from 8 to 16 to maybe even 20 bars so you have shorter verses with the rock stuff and you longer shit with the rap. I'm used to writing long verses so with the rock stuff it's a lot easier than the hip hop but hip hop is so second nature to me now. So, it's all about finding where I want to be on the music and then it all comes pouring out. NP: On Stoned Raiders, you have a collection of both rock songs like "Amplified," "Trouble" as well as hip hop songs like "Lowrider" and "Red, Meth & B." How do you think hip hop kids who were the first to really listen to you react to the quick switch of genres from song to song? B-Real: Well, you know a lot of our hip hop fans that just love hip hop wouldn't even be listening to a song like "Trouble." They'll give it a shot- sometimes, they'll be diggin it. Other times- they'll pass it. They'll be like," That Cypress Hill - they're just being crazy!" That's one thing about our fans whether it's the hip hop fans or the rock fans that I love. Our hip hop fans are just so fucking cool that they understand our need to experiment with the different sound and the rock fans, as well. It's not like we're trading one off for the other we're just basically doing both. Obviously, our hip hop fans would love us to do more hip hop and separate the rock and do it on another level or not even do it. They understand our need to be creative. Our fans are like a fucking family. Through thick and thin and understand all our craziness! NP: Do you think you get a lot of support from rock radio stations? B-Real: I think we do and we don't. I think some of them do because of our longevity and our willingness to take chances. I think they have respect for us so they look out for us when they can. But if we don't have a radio driven song it's impossible for them to do that. Unfortunately, when it's their radio station they got to play popular shit. Sometimes our shit aint single driven music. This is the best way I can say - some people can write hit singles we write hit albums. Sometimes your single-philes take a fucking hit for that. Sometimes we don't feel like compromising in doing anything radio. A lot of the times with us when we do something radio it just something that came natural not something that we tried to do. The same process of making a song and this is just how it came out. We never gear it toward radio or anything like that. So, when we get one it's great and they support us and they love it. You can see a lot of them want to play our shit but their hands are tied behind their back and I don't mind that. You know, sometimes it's frustrating and shit but you deal with that as an artist- you didn't want to compromise so you can't complain. You just roll with the punches- you go out -go on tour and play it for the people. NP: The real fans will like it, regardless. B-Real: That's what I'm talking about! The real fans are going to love it! If it's a good song- people are going to like it when you play it for them. If it sucks- then it sucks and there's no fooling yourself around that. NP: Let's talk a little bit about The SmokeOut. B-Real: Sure NP: This past year was its fourth year running, right? B-Real: Yes. NP: Every year it keeps getting bigger and bigger! This year you hit Los Angeles and were originally scheduled to hit San Francisco, Hawaii, and New York? B-Real: We stood with LA in the long run. We didn't end up doing those dates in NY because it was right after September 11th. So, the impact of that - was just BAD. It effected everything. We felt as a conscious decision, it wouldn't be too cool to do the shows after something that tragic. It would be impossible to pull it off in the light of the way the economy got fucked up after that. Plus people were afraid to make a commitment to venues -everything. So, we just decided to stick to doing it here- at home. We knew it would be alright, and we have the people that normally work with us here. We couldn't afford NOT putting the LA show off - not to choke our momentum. We're trying to make it a tradition that happens every year. Sort of in the sense of the European festivals happen every year, some have been going on for twentysomething years and we don't really have that. That's what we're trying to establish here. NP: Are you planning for next year - the same plan as last year? Hitting up San Francisco, New York, and Hawaii? Just expand it? B-Real: Yeah, we definitely want to expand it. That has always the plan. Plant the seed - have the roots grow strong and expand - branch out. I think our LA market has definitely solidified. I think people know that we give up a good show there. We're most likely going to take it back to the National Orange Show. Glen Helen was a great, beautiful place but it was cold and it made it hard for the fans to stick around and see everything. I think too much shit was going on there, so we'll get it back to where we know it works best. Then, try to take it out of the city after that. Hopefully, everything has calmed down by then and everybody will be in a better state of mind and feel more secure. NP: I hope it does. It brings back the kind of unique music festival atmosphere like Lollapalooza where you can go check out Cypress Hill, Deftones and Busta Rymes all on the same bill. B-Real: Well, we're definitely going to keep it going. We know we have something different that most festivals don't have to offer. We want to take it national and let people see what it's about. Show 'em how we do it in Los Angeles - with the way the festival has started and the different genre of music that we have going on there. NP: Would Cypress Hill ever tour on Ozzfest? B-Real: Oh, of course- definitely!! Be able to play with the Ozzman!?! I mean, I don't know what jerk off would turn that down! It would be different. I think a lot of those metal heads that go to Ozzfest would think, "Ugh. Here comes this fucking rap shit." But - when they see us come on and how we do it - I think it would be a head turner for them. I don't think they believe we can come that heavy. People will see! The metal heads that come out to the Linkin Park Tour and see us during the course of this year then they'll know for sure! If you don't know then you're gonna know! NP: How are the side projects going? How is Kush and SX-10 doing? B-Real: All the side projects are going well right now. The Kush project for one - we're just figuring which label to take it to. Obviously, we have three automatic choices. I would like to keep it over at Sony but -so how shit goes. I am open to anything. Sony has been my home for ten years, so obviously, I would like them to have it and blow it up. The possibilities are endless for that. We have the album done but we're probably going to work on some more songs before we get the legal shit together. The SX-10 project - their working on some new music right now- did a restructure and now it's coming along. The stuff that they're working on now is drastically different compared to their last record. We have two other projects going on as well. Muggs is working on his solo project. It's not a Soul Assassins record it's a different record- we don't know what it's called yet. Bobo, Christian, (Fear Factory) and myself are producing, Serial Rhyme Killers. We're going to try to get that out sometime next year. We got a lot on our plate. Especially, getting the SmokeOut to go nationwide. NP: Hey, did you guys ever release that documentary on the SmokeOut? B-Real: We have all the footage. We're still going through it all, trying to get the right shit that we feel represents us. NP: I want to see that! I can not even imagine the footage on that! It's going to be like Cypress Hill's SmokeOut Girls Gone Wild! B-Real: (laughs) NP: After I found out that we were going to interview you, I e-mailed all of our street teamers that listed you in their top 10 and asked them to come up with some questions for you. So, here are a few! Justin of Kettering, OH asks: Is there still beef between Cypress Hill and Ice Cube? If not - any ideas on a project together? B-Real: No beef with Ice Cube anymore we squashed it in 1997 on New Years Day. There's no plans for a project but we've always talked about doing one so you never know if a miracle happens. Charles of Segundo, CA asks: How come you guys haven't done any songs with Limp Bizkit? B-Real: Fred asked me to do a song some time ago and for some reason it didn't end up going down. Fred and I are pretty cool friends so I wouldn't doubt that it will eventually happen somewhere down the line. Chuck from Philadelphia, PA asks: Do you guys prefer glass pieces or smoking blunts and joints? Do you think pot should be legalized, decriminalized or left the way it is. B-Real: I like glass pieces but I like smoking joints better than anything. Chuck also asks: What is the sickest strand of bud you have smoked? B-Real: The kush weed. AND - we should be decriminalized for research on how to legalize. Then eventually legalize. The brand I smoke is kush. Interview by: Suzy & Mindy To view past Interviews and Favorites click HERE. Official website: www.cypresshill.com Company Info     Contest Rules     Privacy Policy     Terms of Use Copyright © 2000-2001 NoizePollution.com. All Rights Reserved.