Felicia Angeja Viator on Cypress Hill's "Cypress Hill" (1991)

In August of 1991, the LA rap scene was transformed by a trio of Latino rappers from South Gate. Cypress Hill was riding hot off the success of How I Can Just Kill A Man and found a huge audience in LA. DJ Muggs' production fit in perfect with B-Real and Sen-Dog's flow and together they helped create the blueprint for a more laid-back and smoked-out style of gangsta rap, a full year before Dre's The Chronic dropped

Professor and author Felicia Angeja Viator sits down with us to discuss the LA rap scene, B-Reals unique singsong delivery, and Muggs' talent for finding the perfect loops.

More on Felicia 

Pick up her book "To Live and Defy in LA"The Show Must Go On: Felicia Angeja Viator on “To Live and Defy in LA: How Gangsta Rap Changed America” and “The Batterram” (US History Scene)Website |Twitter

More on Cypress Hill

25 Years Later, Cypress Hill's Debut Album Remains an Ahead-of-its-Time Classic (LA Weekly)Oliver's breakdown of How I Can Just Kill A Man

Show Tracklisting (all songs from Cypress Hill unless otherwise indicated):

Break It UpLatin LingoThe Phuncky Feel OnePigsHand On The PumpReal EstateThe Phuncky Feel OneHow I Can Just Kill A ManThe Funky Cypress Hill ShitThe Village Callers: HectorThe Funky Cypress Hill ShitHand on the PumpGene Chandler: Duke of EarlBorn to Get BusyHand on the PumpAbove the Law: Livin' Like HustlersThe Psycho Realm: The Big PaybackIce Cube: We Had To Tear This Mothafucka Up

Here is the Spotify playlist of as many songs as we can find there

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