Cypress Hill rolls into Bend’s Les Schwab Amphitheater

Published 3:15 pm Tuesday, August 17, 2021

Cypress Hill

When people think of the rise of West Coast hip-hop in the early ‘90s, the first names that come to mind are Dr. Dre, Ice Cube and N.W.A., Ice T and Snoop (then Doggy) Dogg. And rightfully so.

But any credible roster of West Coast O.G.’s should include Cypress Hill, the Southern California group that came out of the gates blazin’ in 1991 with its self-titled debut, and then followed two years later with its chart-topping sophomore effort, “Black Sunday.” The two albums went double and triple platinum, respectively, and established distinctive MCs B-Real and Sen Dog and their world-class producer, DJ Muggs, as stars.

Thirty years later, they’re still at it, and while their subsequent albums haven’t had quite the same kind of commercial impact, they’re now viewed as highly influential in the evolution of the sound of West Coast hip-hop, particularly Muggs, whose scratchy, psychedelic, sample-based style sounds as fresh now as it did then.

Last Friday was the 30th anniversary of the release of “Cypress Hill” and the group digitally released a special expanded edition of the album to celebrate the occasion. Tomorrow, they’ll take the Les Schwab Amphitheater stage alongside underground hip-hop giants Atmosphere.

Atmosphere, Cypress Hill: $45; 6 p.m. Friday; Les Schwab Amphitheater, 344 SW Shevlin Hixon Drive, Bend; bendconcerts.com

Marketplace