Cypress Hill reverse the ‘devo-rap’

If Cypress Hill playing this up‘n’coming artist venue is not strange enough, than the door policy certainly is: we all are searched and the lethal weapons confiscated, such as - spliffs! We were also warned that anyone sniffed puffing will be ejected and banned from all the places run by this organisation for life. Hello, isn’t this supposed to be a gig by the legendary reef’n’rap crew? And, hasn‘t cannabis been decriminalised?

Anyhow, clean as a whitewash and only legal opiates to fortify us, we later realise that all the ‘blue-peters’ [i.e. pret-a-joints, oh ok - ones made earlier] were used by the band onstage! What a ploy!? [The Hill-sters must have heard of the new ultra-potent skunk cruising the North London streets, eh?]

Still, weed-prohibition tonight doesn’t distress the feelgood that is spread from the stage and the lucky ticket holders are larging it - from the first sample! A band that’s been together for 14 years is so near one could untie their laces, if they only stood still for a minute. But no, the rap veterans pound the stage full time and drop beatz’n‘rhymes of the old-skool variety without actually sounding retro and/or stereotypical. Bliss, my Ganja-deity.

Cypress Hill are that rare beast that gets gangsta rap wrapped in such catchy and poppy moments that they’ve manage to slip some contentious topics while the watchmen were enjoying the hits. And there have been so many memorable choons by this lot that are blitzing us live ebulliently like whiplashes connecting with a masochist’s parts.

‘When The S**t Goes Down’, ‘Hand On The Glock’, ‘Pigs’, ‘Insane In The Brain’… This gig is supposed to be a showcase for the band’s seventh album, ‘Till Death Do Us Part’, but they hardly blast a quartet of new songs. And, it ain’t rumoured all-‘reggae’ album: only five songs are the genre-derived, according to DJ Muggs. The new single, ‘What‘s Your Number’, is performed as the sole encore.

B-Real and Sen Dog are firing them up frontstage, Muggs is burning between his turn tabling duties, drummie is too busy and counts on passive inhalation. All happy, all shiny, forward looking: C-Hill still manage to burn quality to reverse the ‘devo-rap’ [de-evolution] that’s been reigning the genre in its ‘bling-anization phase for far too long.

Da Hill mob, after all these years, verify Top 5 all-time Hip-hoppers status and make 50 Cent looks a fake, a rapper posturing for bucks! When the dust settles over history it will transpire that Cypress Hill have done more for the rock-rap crossover than Korn, Limpin’ Bizkit and Litmus Park jointly.

Pass da dutchee, mon! ‘Stoned Is The Way of The Walk’, after all.
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Lats night's setlist: 'I Ain't Going Out Like That' - 'Hand On The Pump' - 'Lick A Shot' - 'Pigs' - 'Cock The Hammer' - 'Latin Lingo' - 'Latin Thugs' - 'I Wanna Get High' - 'Stoned Is The Way Of The Walk' - 'Hits From The Bong' - 'Dr Green thumb’ - 'When The Shit Goes Down' - 'Real Estate' - 'Bang Out' - 'Another Body Drops' - 'How I Could Just Kill A Man' - 'Insane In The Brain' - 'What's Your Number?' - '(Rock) Superstar'