‘Cypress Hill: Insane in the Brain’ Review: Estevan Oriol’s Documentary is an Entertaining Ode to the L.A. Hip-Hop Innovators
variety.comAndrew Barker Senior Features WriterCypress Hill has always been an easy group to pigeonhole. From the adenoidal whine of frontman B-Real’s voice to the group’s almost monomaniacal focus on weed-smoking, one can imagine younger listeners writing them off as a one-note act.
But history has been kind to them, and a deeper look through the smoke clouds on the surface reveals much more than meets the eye.They were hip-hop’s first Latino superstars, and key architects of its West Coast sound and style.
They were among the most visible advocates for cannabis legalization at a time when that prospect seemed politically unrealistic.
And they were second only to the Beastie Boys in their ability to bridge the divide between rap and rock audiences, at a time when those two genres were often at odds.
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