Back in Black

AlbumMar 18 / 202210 songs, 32m 29s
West Coast Hip Hop Boom Bap Gangsta Rap
Popular

After 30 years and an incalculable number of rhymes about blunts, joints, and hits from the bong, Cypress Hill return with *Back in Black*, the 10th entry in their brilliant, steadily paced catalog. Wise and seasoned veterans, the Los Angeles rap legends from South Gate spit rhymes that are as sharp and incisive as ever, reminding fans of their legacy alongside more nuanced perspectives on blazing and owning entire grow houses. They’ve also traded the booming, psychedelic, and often dark beats of longtime producer DJ Muggs for some gritty, slamming boom-bap from revered Detroit beatsmith Black Milk. The result is a record that sonically pivots without forsaking the group’s roots. Between nostalgic glances at their formative years (“Takeover”) and avowals of hometown pride (“The Original”), B-Real and Sen Dog pen righteous screeds on the pitfalls of marijuana legalization (“Open Ya Mind”) and deservedly beat their chests in celebration of outlasting their peers (“Champion Sound”).

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Back In Black marks a return to the L.A. group’s gangsta-rap roots, albeit from older, wiser, and more engaged artists

4 / 5

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Rosalía’s third record is hypersexual, future-leaning brilliance, while hip-hop legends Cypress Hill remain as clear-headed on hazy-eyed matters as ever

Reminding you exactly why the group are so highly thought of in hip-hop circles + beyondHip-hop behemoths Cypress Hill return with their tenth album Back In Black tomorrow (18 March), and just like the AC/DC album that shares its title, it’s a straight-to-the-point collection of tracks that remind you exactly why the group are so highly thought of in hip-hop circles and beyond.

7 / 10

Music Review: Cypress Hill - Back In Black

40 %

Album Reviews: Cypress Hill - Back In Black

3.4 / 5

Cypress Hill - Back In Black review: Back to the roots...

Hip hop’s Freak Brothers go back to basics and lose their way. Album review by Guy Oddy

7 / 10