It’s 1991: The world is grappling with a dictator’s invasion of a neighboring country, cannabis is illegal in the U.S., and South Gate hip-hop trio Cypress Hill drops its eponymous debut. The unabashed Latin spin on gangsta rap, combined with a celebratory devotion to getting good old-fashioned stoned, puts the record in the genre’s standard class.
It’s 2022: The world is grappling with another dictator’s invasion of a neighboring country. Cannabis is partially legal in the U.S., creating an absurd reality in which we have marijuana millionaires cropping up while tens of thousands are still incarcerated on marijuana charges. And Cypress Hill drops its 10th studio album. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Back In Black marks a return to Cypress Hill’s gangsta-rap roots after several years of dabbling in dubstep and alternative hip-hop, and the result is a tight and focused record that’s heavy on both the bass and some fundamental pop-culture subjects—most notably (and unsurprisingly), weed. It’s not exactly for contemporary hip-hop fans, but that’s OK: It’s not meant for clubs, so much as it is for people who want to sit around and chief blunts to some cerebral bars, relentless percussion, and dramatic samples.
In the opener “Takeover,” B-Real demands recognition for the group’s long-standing advocacy for legalization and how they—to put it (pun intended) bluntly—“showed the nation how to roll a blunt; put it in the rotation.” Taking over opening verse duties on “Open Ya Mind,” Sen Dog lays out the labyrinth of federal and state drug laws and how they still threaten marijuana laws. “Feds surrounding my place, the warrants all in my face. Damn, I thought this shit was legal; that’s just not the case. ... At the dispensary they’re selling weed everyday.”
It appears Cypress Hill is at last finding a happy medium between its beloved early catalog and the more recent material panned by critics. No, Back In Black is not littered with stoner classics like Cypress Hill or 1993’s Black Sunday, in which the group advocated for its political views without sacrificing listenability. But it’s also not 2018’s Elephants On Acid, the group’s first studio record since 2010, which was overwhelmed by preachy content, low-rent production elements, and unnecessary metal fusion.
In other words, it’s a solid, but not brilliant, return to form. Highlights include the anthemic production from Black Milk on “Takeover”; the funky bass line acting as connective tissue for “Open Ya Mind”; and a blistering verse from up-and-comer Dizzy Wright on “Bye Bye.” That song serves a sober warning about society being lulled into complacency from which we need to awaken; it might sound like something a stoner would say—and it definitely is—but that doesn’t mean it’s not true. As B-Real says, simply but accurately: “If we stand together we can always overcome ‘em.”
While other standout moments include whimsical chirps from DJ Muggs on “Hit ‘Em” and a killer hook on the 2Pac tribute “Come With Me,” some old-school lyrical swagger from both B-Real and Sen Dog on “Champion Sound” might be the record’s strongest element. Sen Dog makes an undeniable point on it when he reminds listeners how Cypress Hill “stay[s] solid when most just fade away.” Back In Black is an album-length reminder of why the group has managed to have such staying power. It straddles that difficult artistic line between being devoted to what made the rap outfit great, while changing things up just enough to stay relevant.
The best part about Back In Black is how easily it makes clear the crew is still having an amazing time making music together, which, after 30 years, is an achievement in and of itself. But even with that sense of joy, the members are in a different phase of life than they were in the ’90s, and they come to the table with a different perspective: You can tell these hip-hop statesmen take their position seriously.