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X-clusive: Cypress Hill Want Your Number
Fifteen years and countless albums down the line, Cypress Hill have weathered all storms in the ever-changing world of hip-hop. With a new album released next week (March 22), and a sure-fire hit single, MC Sen Dog speaks exclusively to Xfm Online.
"The new album's titled 'Til Death Do Us Part' and we worked really hard on some new sounds for this record. There's reggae and Latin beats and some Mexican flavoured sounds making an appearance.
"The single 'What's Your Number?' features Tim [Armstrong] from Rancid playing The Clash sample from the song 'Guns of Brixton'. Growing up we were huge fans of The Clash, and so its great that we managed to get some of their sound on our record."
The album sees the group indulging a slightly more commercial side to their song-writing and production, but Sen Dog is confident that Cypress Hill still have a place in 2004.
"I see us as legendary veterans to the scene alongside Run DMC, Beastie Boys, Public Enemy and Ice-T. But at the same time we're still prominent and can come up with hit records both for the radio and for the street.
"I think hip-hop at the moment is just too one-dimensional. Everybody's just rappin' about their expensive cars, jewellery, houses and exquisite bitches. I come from an area of hip-hop that's about educating people and lifting the community, and I think one day someone will come back with a more conscious message."
In terms of inspiration, Cypress Hill have never paid a great deal of attention to changes in fashion. In fact, the group feel sometimes more can be learnt from the past masters, than from the new pretenders to the throne.
"I don't really pay attention to the radio - I just don't find it educational. I'd rather be in a record shop diggin' in the crates and learning from the past. If I hear that there's someone hot coming through I'll check them out, but for me Chuck D and Tupac will be all I'll ever really need."
Cypress Hill release 'What's Your Number?' this week (March 15) with the album 'Til Death Do Us Part' to follow on Monday (March 22).
Tagged as Cypress Hill, archive
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