Cypress Hill still rolling

Back in 1991, Cypress Hill changed the face of hip-hop when they released their ganja-praising debut album, Cypress Hill.  When it was apparent that the South Gate-based trio had hit a moneymaking chord with their marijuana advocacy and catchy beats, it suddenly seemed every "real" emcee was smoking marijuana.

Even super-producer Dr. Dre switched his style from claiming that "weed is known to give a brother brain damage" on N.W.A.'s "Express Yourself" to claiming he was a heavy smoker on his Death Row Records release, "The Chronic."

Nearly a decade has passed since that time, and while Cypress Hill's new double-disc isn't about to revolutionize the rap game, the group once again delivers its trademark sound, this time with a little more edge and wisdom.
 

After faltering on its fourth album, "Four," the group rebounds with "Skull and Bones," which features one disc of all hip-hop and another with rap-rock fusion.

The rap album, titled "The Skull Disc," is solid, featuring the up-tempo track "Superstar" where nasal-voiced lead man B-Real laments on his experiences in the shady record business and how it isn't all it's cracked up to be.

"We Live This S--," finds B-Real and Sen Dog warning fakes not to mess with them or their people in East Los Angeles over a haunting DJ Muggs-produced beat, while the catchy "Can I Get A Hit" brings the group back to its roots of smoking marijuana and chillin'.

The rock disc, "Bones," features six hit and miss tracks, including a remake of "Superstar" that stands out as one of the stronger songs.  Sen Dog and B-Real trade time on the edgy "Can't Get The Best of Me" while the hard-driving "Dust" proves the group has not gone soft after a decade in the business.

The two disc's seventeen tracks are solid, but not spectacular. And while it may not be 1991 anymore, DJ Muggs, Sen Dog and B-Real still deliver that funky, unique sound that their fans have come to expect.