“We always try to make a place where we can constantly be creative in,” says Cypress Hill’s B-Real. He’s talking about his downtown studio, where the bandmates have done most of their recording for the last decade.
If anything, it’s certainly cozy. He’s huddled on a black leather couch alongside his longtime friends and group members during a Zoom interview. Eric Bobo leans into the camera from his right, donning a leather jacket and hiding his eyes beneath a bucket hat and black sunglasses combo. Sen Dog is on his left, looking as calm as ever and grinning from time to time. DJ Lord hangs over the couch’s edge, his hat leaning off to the side.
The walls behind them are adorned with photos and platinum records collected during their nearly 40-year-long careers. A lighter flick echoes as B-Real sparks up a joint and takes a puff.
The group’s latest endeavor takes them to the world of concert films, but with a twist.
Maybe you remember sinking into a recliner and kicking up your feet sometime during ‘95. You grab the remote, flick over to Fox, and tune into the latest episode of “The Simpsons.” This episode brings viewers to the summer music festival “Hullabalooza,” where Marge and Co. stumble upon some backstage shenanigans.
“Hello, bands,” shouts an impatient stage manager, “Who is playing with the London Symphony Orchestra?”
The camera pans to Cypress Hill, who whisper among themselves: “Aye man, did we order an orchestra?”
Eric Bobo, left, B-Real, DJ Lord and Sen Dog of Cypress Hill.
(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
“Yeah, yeah, we think we did,” says a yellow-cartoon version of B-Real. “Do you know ‘Insane in the Brain’?”
“We mostly know classical… but we could give it a shot,” a violinist responds. What ensues is an iconic clip of them dancing around to a symphonic version of the song.
It’s a hilarious moment in television history that easily could have been lost to time. But thanks to DJ Muggs, the idea stuck with the members for a long time. It floated around for a while, but gained momentum after their East Coast peers, Wu-Tang Clan, took on an orchestral performance at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in 2021.
“We were kind of like, ‘Well, if they did it, let’s do it,’ ” B-Real joked. “We thank “The Simpsons” for writing that, because it became a part of our history, and now even more so.”
The group began gearing up for something special, performing “Black Sunday” in full with the Colorado Symphony in July 2023 for its 30th anniversary and going on to do four more symphonic shows. They also rehearsed with the LSO themselves, a “surreal” moment that “no rapper ever thinks they’re going to have.”
On July 10, 2024, their work led them to the Royal Albert Hall. In unfamiliar territory, the four stood dressed head-to-toe in black suits, accompanied by the London Symphony Orchestra, playing to a sold-out crowd of more than 5,000 fans.
“It was like one of those ‘what the f—” moments like, ‘Oh, my God, I can’t believe this is happening,’ ” B-Real said. “When we started over 30 years ago, there was no way you could tell me that we would ever be doing anything with a symphony, let alone LSO.”
The show was a huge success, and they got away with only one “f— up” that B-Real promises he covered up very well: “I won’t let no one know where that’s at!”
“We’re just glad that it worked,” he said, laughing. “Especially being in the suits and performing all this stuff and not being able to move around with the energy that we normally move around with.”
Translating it to the screen went smoothly, as members routinely received “dailies” of production to render their opinions on. But, as Bobo admits, “they really nailed it… we were blown away from the first cut.”
“When you’re working with a great team, it makes it a lot easier,” Lord chimes in, as Bobo takes a second to light up. “It was a mutual respect.”
The coordination and seamless production can really be seen in the final product. As was overheard during a restroom conversation at an early premier: “Holy s—, I should’ve canceled my trip to Tokyo and been there… but watching it feels like I’m there anyways!”
It’s an astonishing version of an already critically acclaimed album. B-Real and Sen Dog jam at the front of the stage, while DJ Lord rips away at his turntable and Bobo beats up on the drums. At the orchestra’s front is Troy Miller, who commands his musicians like an army. Noticeably, he can’t stop smiling while elegantly waving around his baton.
Fans are invited to stand up and dance along, which is equally admirable and hilarious. There’s something undeniably funny about watching people wriggle around beneath the red velvet curtains of their box seats, shouting back and forth with the group. In a 154-year-old venue that demands etiquette, it’s a testimony to Cypress Hill’s ever-alluring sound.
DJ Lord, left, B-Real, Sen Dog and Eric Bobo of Cypress Hill.
(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
Core songs now sound completely different: Funky classics like “Dr. Greenthumb” turn dark and mysterious with a symphonic backing. Cypress Hill even performs “Cuban Necktie,” a relentless song that gets even more intense with violins carrying B-Real’s cadence between bars.
Perhaps the most amazing aspect of the performance, however, is that no member lighted up a joint during the entire show. B-Real chalks it up to the “prestige and history” of the venue and respecting its rules. Even during rehearsals, they’d make sure to go outside when smoking.
“During our first rehearsal together, when the LSO people were starting to come, they immediately smelled the weed and said, ‘Oh, they’re here!’ ” Bobo recalls, distinguishing their words in his attempt at a posh British accent.
Of course, in London where weed still remains illegal, they were sometimes “chastised” by passersby but “we didn’t give a f—, ‘cause this is what we do!”
Fans of the group can catch the entire performance as “ Black Sunday Live at the Royal Albert Hall” makes a limited theatrical run in the U.S. on March 30 and 31 and April 2. They’ll have to wait until June 6 to get their hands on its CD, LP and cassette physical release.
Someday, Angelenos might just be able to see it in person, as Cypress Hill has been actively conversing with the Los Angeles Philharmonic about bringing the show home. The two have struggled to actually lock anything in, but giving L.A. fans that experience “is the play.”
In the meantime, a Spanish-language album is seemingly on the horizon. Perhaps even another Cypress Hill album or EP, but “it won’t necessarily be hip-hop.”
“We feel like we’ve done enough hip-hop for a f—ing lifetime,” B-Real says. “We love it, but as a group, as a band, we feel like we can snap into anything. And that’s what we’re going to do, is snap into anything.”
