listen up: rise up by Cypress Hill

Yup. An old white guy highlighting a rap band. Well. An innovative rap (hip hop, rap rock) band with a heavy groove. The sound and groove of their music is notable for its bass heavy rhythms and some pretty odd sample loops. They also incorporate some rock instruments and rock based riffs in their songs which has caused the band to sometimes be classified as a rap rock group.

Rise Up certainly has that rap rock feel to it (probably because they feature Tom Morello on the song and he brings his traditional ‘Rage’ playing style to the song). The song is kind of a cross between Rage against the Machine and Kid Rock (at his best).

This is another great driving song for the radio. It is addictive and I am not sure the volume goes high enough on the mp3 player for it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=detVOuK8v-U&feature=avmsc2

But.

If you want to take the edge off head down the track list on their new cd Rise Up to track 9 (I think) which features Linkin Park’s Mike Shinoda (not Chester the screaming lead singer but the guy who typically throws in the softer rap melodic thread in their great songs). Song is called Carry Me Away.

Anyway. The song Rise Up is on Cypress Hill’s eighth, and newest, studio album, Rise Up, which features contributions from Everlast, Tom Morello Daron Malakian, Pitbull, Marc Anthony and Mike Shinoda.

The first single, “It Ain’t Nothin,” was released as a free download from the group’s official website (but I don’t like the song as much as what I believe is the third single to be released “Rise Up”).

Cypress Hill is a pretty cool group. They are odd mixture of unusual rapping style and innovative songwriting and a nice sense of responsibility (Cypress Hill performed a benefit at the House of Blues Chicago where proceeds went to the Chicago Alliance to End Homelessness).

Their rapping sound is odd on occasion driven by lead rapper B-Real who describes his nasal style by saying his rapping voice is “high and annoying.”“The nasal style I have was just something that I developed because my more natural style wasn’t so pleasing to other band members’ ears.” His rapping style gets softened by band member Sen Dog whose vocals is deeper and is a contrast to B-Real’s. When it works they blend really well and provide that Chester/Mike Shinoda Linkin Park type blend.

Cypress Hill is from California and was the first Latino group to have platinum and multi-platinum albums (selling over 18 million albums worldwide).

Anyway. If you like this kind of stuff this cd is pretty awesome. For sure Rise Up kicks some ass.