Cypress Hill: Till Death Do Us Part : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

Album Reviews

Having updated their sound with rap-rock thrash on their last two albums, Latino rap pioneers Cypress Hill return to a more familiar brand of stoned funk on Till Death Do Us Part. DJ Muggs' production is full of hooks but darker than ever: "Another Body Drops" kicks off the album with gunshot sound effects and action-movie synths; "One Last Cigarette" uses vibraphone and a slow, syncopated beat to give off an air of stoner melancholia to the song's gangsta laments. Like they always do, MCs Sen Dog and B-Real work up plenty of witty paeans to both weed and their badass selves, jumping on the "Ganja Bus" with guest star Damian Marley and talking themselves up to a cutie in a club on "What's Your Number?" a collaboration with Tim Armstrong of Rancid, which lifts the grooves from the Clash's "The Guns of Brixton" to good effect. B-Real also gives props to his nasal-rapping forefathers the Beastie Boys: "Busted in the Hood" is a cheeky, dub-wise update of the Beasties classic "Paul Revere." Cypress Hill sound best when they're partying rather than eulogizing homeys or puffing their chests, but the combination of mournful maturity and club-ready fun they come up with on Till Death Do Us Part suits them just fine.

CHRISTIAN HOARD
(RS 945, April 1, 2004)