[25:43 - "Insane in the Brain"] Cypress Hill: Tiny Desk Concert [29:52 | Rap, USA, In English, Hip-Hop, Boom Bap, West Coast Rap]
Bobby Carter | July 20, 2023
The first thing I noticed as Cypress Hill strolled into NPR headquarters was Sen Dog cradling his signature bucket hat. I asked him if my assumptions were correct; it was indeed the original hat seen in all the videos from the early '90s. Before I could process that confirmation, B Real asked me, "Yo, is your greenroom a greenroom?" We got everything we expected and more from Cypress Hill at the Tiny Desk.
While the term "pioneer" is used loosely in pop culture today, few terms describe Cypress Hill's impact over the past three decades more adequately. They are the first Latino hip-hop group to achieve platinum and multi-platinum status. B Real, Sen and producer DJ Muggs crafted a sound in the '90s that stretched beyond regional boundaries. It was dark, psychedelic and at times directly addressed mental health before the topic was commonplace. Many dismissed the group as "stoner rappers," yet the members were fervent advocates for the legalization of weed long before it came to fruition.
Touring members Eric Bobo and DJ Lord joined the duo along with Money Mark from Beastie Boys fame. The band summoned a horn section to fill out this rare minimalist approach to five, funky Cypress Hill things. Between each song, B Real took his time to shed some historic light on the group's journey thus far.
SET LIST
- "When the S*** Goes Down"
- "Hand On the Pump"
- "How I Could Just Kill a Man"
- "(Rap) Superstar" [25:43] - "Insane in the Brain"
MUSICIANS
- B-Real: vocals
- Sen Dog: vocals
- Eric Bobo: drums
- DJ Lord: DJ
- Money Mark: keys
- Sam Koff: trumpet
- Reggie Pace: trombone
- John Hulley: trombone
#nprmusic #tinydesk #cypresshill
“Insane In The Brain” was released as the lead single from Cypress Hill’s second album. It topped in August 1993 the US Rap Chart and reached #19 on the US Pop Chart the following month. It was also successful outside the US, reaching the top 40 in several countries like Ireland, The Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand and the UK. The song remains their most successful and well-known. B-Real says this song “is the one that really put us on the map”.
According to B-Real, “Insane In The Brain” was actually a diss song aimed at Chubb Rock. The group felt Chubb had ridiculed their style on his song “Yabadabadoo” from his 1992 album I Gotta Get Mine Yo. Sen Dog explained:
Chubb Rock did a whole song dissing B-Real, so I told B-Real, ‘Cook his ass real good,’ which he did.
The phrase “Insane in the membrane” was a localized gang term used at the time by the Crips when doing something crazy. Sen Dog explained:
Back then, the Crips and the Bloods – who I ran with – were at war,“ he said. You could have a shootout with the police or anyone. So if you walked up to somebody and said, ‘I’m crazy insane, got no brain,’ you’d better be ready to prove that shit. That lingo was reserved for the hardest homies.
DJ Muggs has previously produced the song “Jump Around” by House of Pain, and it is claimed he used the basic formula to produce this song, with minor changes.
The song is built around many samples: a drum break from organist George Semper’s cover version of Lee Dorsey’s “Get Out of My Life, Woman”; a sample of James Brown grunting from the opening of his song “Say It Loud – I’m Black and I’m Proud”; a sample of the line “insane in the brain” from Cypress Hill’s own song “Hole in the Head”; the opening keyboard from Sly & the Family Stone’s “Life” and a sample of the line “I think I’m going crazy” from The Youngbloods' “All Over the World (La La)” , which concludes the track.
Billboard ranked “Insane In The Brain” as the #65 biggest song of 1993. In 2007, it was ranked #85 on VH1’s 100 Greatest Songs of the 90s.^[[1] https://genius.com/Cypress-hill-insane-in-the-brain-lyrics]