Cypress Hill Album: “Black Sunday [PA]”

Until this album dropped, hip-hop was still largely a genre of music recorded for blacks by blacks about blacks. Cypress Hill changed the dynamics of rap by firstly being Latinos and secondly appealing to white college boys.

It has been argued that the stoned sound of the group was partly responsible for Dr Dre's G-Funk. Whether you believe this or not, it is quite easy to see the similarities on this album.

"Black Sunday" is of course the album responsible for one of the most well-known tracks of early 90s hip-hop "Insane In The Brain" with the now well known "Insane in the membrane/Insane in the brain" chorus and that whining beat with Public Enemy influence - later to appear on House Of Pain's work produced by DJ Muggs.

What is often forgotten in the memory of "Insane In The Brain" is the fact that both B-Real and Sen Dog have skills of a very high order. B-Real's flow on "Insane" has some very clever changes of pace and inventive rhymes - the start of the third verse "Like Louis Armstrong/played the trumpet/I'll hit that bong and break ya off somethin'" is worth attention. In the same track, Sen Dog is able to send up his own size while in the thick of a very creative battle rhyme.

The are certainly some very good moments on this album, however the ideas remain slightly under-developed. It would appear that whenever B-Real and Sen Dog are running low on ideas they just put in something about smoking marijuana, the track "Legalize It" is entirely that - just a collection of pro-weed samples. Also the "Interlude" only serves to interrupt the flow of the album.

In short, the 4 stars are for originality - which the album still has almost a decade after it was released - and lyricism. The lack of a fifth star is simply due to the underdevelopment of some of the ideas on the album and the frequent degeneration into marijuana chanting more likely to be found in a Bob Marley concert.

My favorites are "hits from the bong" and the radio hit "insane in the membrane". This CD is kickin'. I might add that "bong" appears to be sampling the 1968 recording of "Son of a Preacher Man" by British singer Dusty Springfield. This act really knows how to pick 'em!

I listened to this Cd for countless months with my friends back in 1993. I was completely hooked the grooves were cool as was the rappin' These guys deserve more acknowledgement. Their isn't a bad tune here at all. Im not a rap fan but if u had to get just 2 rap cd's make it this and Ice Cube's The Predator. Favs include I wanna Get High,Insane in the Brain,Lick A Shot,as well as the classic Hits From The Bong.

Back when this was released in 1993 there was other dope rappers droppin' tight records, Dr Dre "The Chronic", Wu tang "Enter the Wu tang", Snoop Dogg "Doggystyle" and also this Black Sunday, it is there second album and in my opinion is better than the first which was released in 91'. After this album Cypress started to fall (even though Cypress Hill 3: Temple of Boom was good) until they are where they are now, releasing weak albums for a rock audience and not appealing to hip hop fans. But this is not that and is pure hip hop.

B-real is a talented rapper and his raps are tight, Sen Dog is also goodon this CD and of course DJ Muggs does some dope producing.

The whole album is great but there is some standout tracks "Insane in the Brain" which was a hip hop classic. "I ain't goin' out like that" is a great song with a tight beat by Muggs also check "Hits from the Bong" "3 Lil Putos" "When the sh-t goes down" and "Lick a Shot"

If you don't own this classic buy it now cause you wont regret it.

This album is soooooooo good! I got this album back when I was 18 and a total stoner, this was the soundtrack to many, many, and I mean many great nights buy this album even if your not a stoner it will make your life way better on the way to work if anything.