Who Is B-Real? Cypress Hill’s Hip-Hop Legend

There aren’t many hip-hop MCs with a better resume than Cypress Hill’s B-Real. Known for his distinctive high-pitch and nasal tone, his unique voice has pierced through the many shifting decades of hip-hop. However, B-Real’s pre-rap existence was filled with violence and discretion. Dropping out of high school, he was part of a Los Angeles gang. At 17, his lung was punctured after being shot as a part of a gang-related shooting. As he puts it with Kerrang, “Most likely, I probably would have ended up in cemetery or prison, which is almost the same. I definitely would have ended up there.”

Growing up in Los Angeles, B-Real was naturally exposed to hip-hop from an early age. However, his first love was actually in the aggressive world of rock and metal. He wasn’t necessarily one of those teenagers blasting N.W.A. in the car. Instead, he gravitated to groups such as Black Sabbath and Nirvana. It wasn’t until he heard Run-D.M.C. that he began to connect with rap. He told AARP, “They played Run-D.M.C.: “Here We Go,” I think it was. Previously, I was into more metal music, rock music and stuff like that — stuff that my mother and father, my brothers and sisters listened to. When I heard Run-DMC, I thought, What is this? This is dope.”

B-Real’s First Love Was Rock

B-Real was a product of a vast amount of cultural and sonic influences. Punk rock, metal rock, reggae, funk, and even Latin influences merged into an unparalleled sound. “Insane in the Brain” was their defining hit, quickly going Certified Gold. Cypress Hill pushed the boundaries of the genre, proving that hip-hop could take notes from any pallet of influences. In addition, they were the first commercially successful Latino hip-hop group. By 1993’s Black Sunday, the group was romanticizing marijuana amidst classic stoner anthems such as “I Wanna Get High” and “Hits from the Bong.” However, B-Real would become best known for his persisting imprint on rock.

He Was The Architect Behind Cypress Hill

HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 18: Members of the hip-hop group Cypress Hill Senen “Sen Dog” Reyes, Lawrence “DJ Muggs” Muggerud, Eric “Bobo” Correa and Louis “B-Real” Freese are honored with star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame on April 18, 2019 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images)

However, B-Real’s star role as a member of Cypress Hill was only stage one of his illustrious multi-decade career. He would later go on to form Prophets of Rage alongside members of Rage Against the Machine and Public Enemy. A group rooted in boundless creativity and an inherent anti-establishment message, their birth was in tandem with the United States’ chaotic political scene. B-Real told Cryptic Rock, “It started with the presidential elections of last year when media outlets made a story which proclaimed Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders were ‘Raging Against the Machine.’ This disturbed Tom Morello, and he called Tim and Brad and said, ‘Hey, we have to do something about this. We have to show people what raging against the machine is. We have to bring this music back.'” Prophets of Rage released their exclusive self-titled debut in 2017.

A Music Icon

Outside of the music, B-Real has been an outcrying driving force behind the pro-cannabis movement. His brand, Dr. Greenthumb, has quickly become a staple marijuana company throughout California. Back in the ’90s, B-Real was championing the benefits of the substance in a prevailing culture that was still primarily anti-marijuana. From opening up the conversation surrounding substances to sonically blending rock and hip-hop in an unparalleled manner, the multi-Grammy-winning artist has raged against traditionality from the beginning. Now 53 years old, the hybrid MC and business tycoon sits amongst the Mount Rushmore of influential rappers.