Cypress Hill

Cypress Hill made hazy low end, B-Real's nasal voice and DJ Muggs's production an instant signature of West Coast hip-hop. Formed in South Gate, the group put Latino identity, psychedelia and cannabis culture at the center of records that could be menacing and absurdly catchy.

Black Sunday took that aesthetic to the top; later, heavy guitars, experimentation and returns to the dark sound kept the band from freezing into a 1990s relic.

Why listen to Cypress Hill?

To step into a hip-hop of thick smoke, seismic bass and psychedelic paranoia that no one would mistake for another group.