“Muggs is such a talented guy, and he’s very deep with his thoughts about music and the way we make it,” says Sen Dog, taking some time away from the studio to discuss the reunion. “Cypress Hill has always been the three of us – when the three of us come together, it’s this strong universal thing that just takes force. When he wasn’t there, of course, there was an element missing. No matter what transition the group was going through, the group has to continue and move forward. We definitely recognised that we were missing one of our original elements, but the goal was to keep the mothership moving until all of the original pieces and cogs were back together in motion. We got to a stage – not just as artists, but as friends – where we could move forward again.”
Reports from the studio suggest that things are going quite swimmingly as the new album itself develops. “We’ve got about 15 songs at the moment,” reports Sen. “There’s a bunch of tracks that are still developing, but we’re definitely putting effort into a high amount of songs, and then we’ll pick the best from that.” As for what we can expect – whether it be the old-school style of Black Sunday or the rap-rock vibe of Skull & Bones – Sen says fans should expect the unexpected.
“I don’t think it’s headed in any of those directions. Cypress Hill as it is right now … it’s its own planet, its own galaxy. I can’t really say that we’re taking any particular direction. All I can say is that we’re moving into the future, man. That’s really the best way to put it. When the album comes out, people will be like, ‘Oh, now I know what he meant.’ We’re moving in a direction that is somewhat uncharted for us, but we like what we’re gathering.”
The new album will follow the release of 2010’s Rise Up, which saw Cypress collaborating with a myriad of artists. The guestlist featured cameos as varied as Rage Against The Machine/Bruce Springsteen guitarist Tom Morello, Latin-American crooner Marc Anthony, Linkin Park’s Mike Shinoda and Mr. Worldwide himself, Pitbull. Don’t come to the new album expecting any collaborative efforts of this sort, however, as Sen confirms that it’s strictly back to the three of them this time around.
“That last record was at a point where we wanted to do that – we wanted to open up the gates so that we could include our brothers, musicians that we respect, in the creative process,” he explains. “I don’t think you’ll ever hear a Cypress Hill album like that again. So far, there hasn’t been any conversation about including anyone else in the recording of this new album. Right now, it’s about the nucleus of the original band – we’re not really thinking beyond that right now.”
An Australian theatre tour is set for December, which will see Cypress taking in all major capital cities just shy of two years after their previous visit as a part of the Soundwave Festival. One would think that performing on the same bill as bands such as Metallica, Blink-182, Slayer and Paramore would have had the trio feeling out of place – perhaps for the first time since they shared a festival bill with the likes of Smashing Pumpkins and Peter Frampton on The Simpsons’ Hullabalooza. Hell naw, says Sen. It was far from their first rodeo.
“That particular tour, people might have thought that we were out of place or something like that, but that’s what we do around the world,” he says. “We play with those kind of bands everywhere we go, even OG classic bands, so we know how to come across. We’re going out there and Metallica’s on the bill, Linkin Park’s on the bill, Slayer’s on the bill, I could go on and on and on… we know that we will stand out. People will remember Cypress Hill being there. It comes into your mentality. It’s like being a football player or something – you and your team wanna show that you can run with the best of them and make a bit of noise while you’re doing it.
“We grew up listening to everything, man – not just hip hop,” Sen continues. “We were into heavy metal, we were into classic rock, we were into jazz, we were into soul – all kinds of stuff. We know what’s up. We used to fuck with Iron Maiden and Thin Lizzy back in the day. We know how to put out that kind of energy, and that’s why Cypress Hill is something special.”
Cypress Hill’s upcoming Australian shows will no doubt see the trio delivering all its major hits – as well as, potentially, some tastes of what’s to come for the next album, which is slated for a first-quarter release in 2015. “We haven’t gotten to rehearsals yet, but that’s one of the things I want to bring up – I really want to do a few new songs,” says Sen. “I want to see how it goes down with our Aussie fans, to see if they dig it.”
He adds that he’s quite the fan of the challenge of getting audiences onside for new material, especially if they’re hungry for the hits. “It comes down to the question of how much of a badass you really are,” he says. “I can get you to come in and go crazy for Insane In The Brain, [I] Ain’t Goin’ Out [Like That] and Hand On The Pump and all them, right? But can I make you feel this new stuff that I’ve got for you? Can I make you vibe on this when it’s the first time you’re hearing it, right here, right now? There is a challenge – of course you want to show people the classics, but you always want to show growth as far as what you do in the studio. We’ve evolved, and we’re able to freak this out just like our old stuff.”
It’s as though Cypress Hill still feel that there’s something left to prove – not only to themselves, but to their long-serving fan base. They’re certainly very excited to be returning to Australia once again, with the kind of praise that doesn’t feel like lip service. “It’s always a great experience to travel and go to your country,” says Sen. “We love Australia. We’ve always been received well there in the 20-odd years we’ve been coming there. I don’t see that changing anytime soon.”
BY DAVID JAMES YOUNG
