Cypress Hill Releases Back in Black, Launches tour with Slipknot
By Dan Wilson is the Editor and Publisher of Visit Hollyweed (source : Visit HOLLYWEED)
Today Cypress Hill dropped their tenth studio album, Back in Black. BReal.tv caught up with Eric “Bobo” Correa, the bands percussionist, to discuss the album and tour.
The new album is something of a return to the band’s LA hip-hop roots, timed with the band’s 30-year anniversary.
Bobo says that the sound is a little different on this album, in a way that he says fans will be into.
“It still feels Cypress but it’s a different twist,” Bobo said.
“It’s updated and refreshed but it’s still Cypress. [Producer Black Milk] was able to zone in on that and keep that pure while we were doing stuff over his beats” Bobo said.
Being the drummer of the band, Bobo drives the rhythm of the music both on the album and at live shows. He says that hip-hop wasn’t always just about sampling.
“Hip-hop has always had percussion in it from the early days when the music was done by live musicians,” he said.
Back in Black, he said, was seamless for him as a percussionist.
“It’s a very musical kind of album. Live instrumentation as well as sampled beats or sequenced beats,” Bobo said. “The way it came out was great. I think people are going to be pretty hyped on what they hear.”
Although the approach was somewhat retro, Bobo said that the band is not necessarily going backwards.
“We don’t like to repeat ourselves, but at the same time the essence of hip-hop has always been that boom-bap kind of sound,” Bobo said.
Being products of the 90s, he said, meant that that older, hardcore rap sound is part of their DNA.
“We wanted to go back and show that, yeah, we can do a straight-up hip-hop album, which is something that people have been wanting to hear for a while,” Bobo said.
Their previous album, Elephants on Acid, went in the direction of psychedelic rock and trip-hop. The band has often experimented with different sounds.
“We’ve ventured off and we’ve done songs with different genres in the mix, but it was really good to be able to do a straight up hip-hop album that had that type of sound,” Bobo said. “We were blessed to be able to do that. It came out really dope.”
The album was recorded in 2018 in the middle of recording Elephants on Acid. During a pause in recording and while on tour, the band started working on a project with producer Black Milk.
Bobo suggested Black Milk because he was already a fan of his. The two worked on some sounds to propose to the band.
“We sent over some beats and B Real and Sen really liked it. It grew from there,” Bobo said.
Bobo was impressed with the process and found Black Milk to be an easy fit.
“He’s a top-tier producer, he’s definitely got a musical ear, the way he blends things is great,” Bobo said.
“It was seamless, it flowed very easily. It was just a natural kind of thing,” Bobo said.
The album comes just after the band’s 30th anniversary. Bobo says that he’s proud that they’re still going.
“We still enjoy making music together, we still enjoy performing together, being on stage. It’s a brotherhood, it’s a true bond that we have,” Bobo said.
He says that as long as they have fun doing what they do, there’s no reason to stop.
“I think that really comes off in this record. Both B Real and Sen lyrically pop off on it. It sounds like we’re having fun to me,” Bobo said.
“I think it’s a great way to present the 30th anniversary with an album like this,” he said.
With today’s launch of the new album, the band sets off on a tour as part of Slipknot’s Knotfest Roadshow 2022.
Bobo is looking forward to touring. “Just to get back on stage, be on stage with my bros and just rock it. That’s the ultimate feeling,” he said.
Bobo says that he’s excited to present not only Back in Black songs live, but also to perform songs from Elephants on Acid, since the tour for that album was cut short by coronavirus.
“We really weren’t able to give that a full-on tour. To me we have songs from that record and now songs from the new album,” Bobo said.
“It’s going to be fun to sequence some of these songs and make it a cool listening experience,” he said.
He says that he’s looking forward to getting back in front of a live crowd. Both the fans and the performers have been missing the stage.
“I think people are needing their dose of live music. It’s gonna be excitement all the way around,” Bobo said.
Touring with Slipknot will give fans a really unique show.
“It’s going to be a cool mix for the crowd,” Bobo said.
“We’re one of the only hip-hop groups that can get on a heavy rock tour or festival and pull it off,” Bobo said.
“We can’t wait to just get up there and rock.”
Cypress Hill tours with the Knotfest Roadshow 2022 during March and April. Check out their new album, Back in Black, everywhere music is sold. Their upcoming documentary with Showtime will debut on April 20 of this year.
Dan Wilson is the Editor and Publisher of Visit Hollyweed, the only free community newspaper covering California weed.
