High Times Interview with B-Real of Cypress Hill

Since Cypress Hill released their debut album in 1991, this California hip-hop group has become the most prominent representative and advocate of cannabis culture, dropping tracks like “Dr. Greenthumb,” “Hits from the Bong,” “Stoned is the Way of the Walk,” and, of course, “High Times.” The group’s unique sound is thanks to producer DJ Muggs and the distinctive vocals of B-Real. B-Real is also a recipient of the High Times “Stoner of the Year” award, and in 2017, the magazine published an interview with him that still reads as fresh and relevant today.

The fact that the 50-year-old rapper enjoys rolling and smoking fat joints doesn’t mean his radical political views are limited to cannabis alone.

— How much weed do you smoke in a day?

— (Laughs) Too much. Too much, but it’s for my own good.

— What’s your preferred way to smoke?

— I used to be a bong fan, but now I like smoking joints. And I’ll say, the only way to make a truly quality joint is to use Phuncky Feel Tips. For years, people rolled joints with those cardboard tips, but for me, that’s old news, you know? That’s how we came up with the idea to create a high-quality mouthpiece (tip), and we made it happen. That’s how I got back into smoking joints…

— Has smoking cannabis helped you connect with other artists?

— I think so. From time to time, when another artist you know also smokes, you’re more likely to become friends by sharing, say, a quality joint. For some, it helps relieve stress; for others, it sparks new creative heights.

— That’s interesting. I feel like it’s about mindfulness and the possibility of cathartic release.

— Yeah, exactly. It awakens thoughts, wakes people up—not for hostility, but for awareness and participation in this “political” process. You have to be part of these changes. As Tom Morello always said: “The world won’t change by itself—you have to get up and do something about it.” The goal of our music is to inspire people and entertain them at the same time.

— You performed with Prophets of Rage in Cleveland on the night of the Republican National Convention. What was that like?

— We performed near the Republican convention, held a peaceful demonstration and march. Everything was cool—people said what they wanted, and the police allowed us to peacefully demonstrate. The main thing is, we got our message across, and that was important to us.

— I think a group like Prophets of Rage is really needed right now.

— Dangerous times call for dangerous music. We have to wake people up and tell them: “Hey, times are changing right now, and who knows where it’s going next. You definitely need to get involved and be part of the process.”

— The music you made with Prophets of Rage is interesting because of the lineup: you and Chuck D from Public Enemy represent the hip-hop side, while Tim Commerford, Brad Wilk, and Tom Morello from Rage Against the Machine bring a more rock-oriented perspective. By the way, Cypress Hill has always blended those two genres pretty freely. In a way, you create that unity.

— Yeah, maybe that’s true. Our groups have been connected in one way or another for about 20 years. So it’s really cool that we were able to come together and do this, to amplify our message, which helped revive and spread this music again. We had a lot of fun doing it. Cypress Hill was definitely influenced by Public Enemy, and then, when Rage Against the Machine came along, we became fans of theirs.

So being able to unite with both groups that we love and respect so much—it was truly a dream scenario.

— Cypress Hill has worked with Tom Morello before, right?

— Yeah, actually Tom even produced two songs for our album “Rise Up.” He produced “Shut ‘Em Down” and “Rise Up”—so, like I said, we’ve had over 20 years of friendship. We also worked with Brad Wilk from Rage on our album “Skull & Bones.” He played drums on the song “Can’t Get the Best of Me.” We’re all really happy with how things turned out. It was great to perform together as a real band, not just do one-off projects.

— Now that Prophets of Rage has released their EP “The Party’s Over,” should we expect a full album?

— Yes! We plan to work on new music when this tour ends and we can take a little break. We need to catch up at home and spend some time with our families. But we really want to try to make an album with cool, original songs. People liked our EP, so I think a lot of folks want to hear what we’d do with a full album of original music. And I want to hear it too, because I’m a fan of the guys I’m in the band with.

— How would you define “political hip-hop”?

— Before Public Enemy and Boogie Down Productions, there was Melle Mel from Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. Then it passed to Chuck D and KRS-One. It was really inspiring: it truly woke people up in hip-hop and made everyone think about who they are in this culture and what they want for the future, you know? It helped instill pride and self-respect in our communities. And when Rage Against the Machine came along, they did the same thing, over and over again, you know what I mean? I think people were hungry for that! And I think that’s why people respond to Prophets of Rage—because we bring back that feeling, that attitude, that essence…

— In your opinion, have people and their desires changed since Cypress Hill’s first album?

— Well, what’s definitely changed is technology—it’s made some things better and some things worse. The violence, brutality, and injustice we’ve talked about in our music since our first album haven’t changed at all. It’s just that now, thanks to technology, we’re exposed to more changes than ever before.

— I feel like Cypress Hill doesn’t get enough recognition when people talk about political rap. You were the first Latino rap group to go platinum, and one of the first Latino rap groups, period. You guys became superstars just by saying, “Hey, we’re Latinos—we say what we want, how we want, and you should like it.” That’s a political statement in itself.

— Yeah. But the thing is, back then, we didn’t see it that way. We just saw it as being ourselves—no changes, no censorship—and we didn’t care at all what other people thought of us at the time. To this day, it’s still pretty much the same, but that was our idea: we were going to say what we wanted to say. And a lot of people don’t understand what Cypress Hill is. Some people always thought we were just a gang and all we talked about was smoking weed, but that’s not true. I mean, if you take any Cypress Hill album, there’s only one or two, maybe three tracks about weed or weed culture. The rest is about life on the street, in society, about how people live in this life and this time. We talk about life experience, but a lot of it gets hidden behind who we are, because we’re legalization activists. But you’re right: we stand between Public Enemy and Rage Against the Machine and just fill in the gaps—because we do hip-hop and we do metal. And what we all talk about is very similar, it’s just not as obvious.

— You mentioned that people often see Cypress Hill as “the guys who just love to smoke.” Do you feel stuck with that label?

— The thing is, we advocate for legalization. Plus, weed is what always grabs people’s attention first.

— It’s undeniable that Cypress Hill played a role in bringing cannabis culture to the forefront.

— We took a risk and talked about our passion—we believe in legalization, so we brought attention to the movement. We connected with activists like Jack Herer, who taught us what it really means to be an advocate for this culture. We got a lot of valuable knowledge from him and spread it, helping the culture move forward instead of staying suppressed in the shadows.

— If you draw a line through hip-hop history, B-Real’s name is almost always there. After pioneering Cypress Hill, you joined Dr. Dre’s project “East Coast Killas / West Coast Killas,” which brought together famous artists from both coasts during the bloody East Coast–West Coast feud.

— Honestly, I was surprised when Dre called me… Doc! The Surgeon! And when he told me what he wanted to do, I was 100% in. I mean, you never say no to Dr. Dre. So I went to his studio, he liked my verse, and before you knew it, it was a single. Then the song blew up, so we had to shoot a video. And then, get this, they decided to paint me red in the video (laughs). I’d never had anyone put body paint on me or anything like that—but again, how do you say no to Dr. Dre?

— You’ve also had a huge influence on today’s hip-hop generation, like A$AP Ferg and Danny Brown, who you’ve collaborated with.

— Honestly, I feel like they honored me by inviting me to collaborate, and that’s just damn cool, because I’m a fan of both of them. I love A$AP Ferg’s work—it’s always different, and he always comes up with something new. Same with Danny Brown. When I hear their stuff, I’m just like, “Damn! These guys are dope!”

— What’s your favorite album to get high to?

— My favorite album to smoke to? Hmm… Pink Floyd — “The Dark Side of the Moon.”

— How about your favorite political album?

— Bob Marley and the Wailers — “Exodus.”

— Besides Prophets of Rage and Cypress Hill, you’re also in a group called Serial Killers with Xzibit and Demrick, and you’ve made two albums with Berner.

— You know, I’ve been trying to have a solo career my whole life (laughs). I’m just kidding, man. I’ve been lucky to land in some pretty cool situations. Cypress Hill is my foundation, that’s where it all started. The records I made with Serial Killers are some of my favorites, and working with Berner is a blast because he’s great at picking rock music. I ended up in a good place, and now I’m with Prophets of Rage, which is one of those great situations—it even makes me feel like I’m dreaming all this.

— You’re not just a supporter of cannabis culture, you’re an active participant and grower. You’ve even released famous strains like Tangie and Jet Fuel from Dr. Greenthumb, and you’re opening a dispensary in Santa Ana.

— My partner and I won the city lottery for a license, so now we’re allowed to open our own dispensary. Right now, we’re working on the plans, building the business, and planning the opening. We want to open in the first quarter of 2017.