The veteran lyricist opens up about embracing rapping in his native language, Latino rappers releasing music with revolutionary overtones, and why 'Dios Bendiga' is his "prayer for hip-hop"
Though he’s known for his laconic aura, B-Real sounds visibly excited. It’s a July afternoon in the dog days of summer, and despite the humid weather, the Cypress Hill member is riding high. However, the veteran lyricist’s lifted vibes can’t be attributed only to cannabis fumes. Last week, the 56-year-old and his groupmates released their eleventh studio album, Dios Bendiga, a body of work that doubles as a creative achievement and homage to their cultural roots. It marks Cypress Hill’s first full-length Spanish-language album since their 1999 compilation Los Grandes Exitos En Español, which saw B-Real, Sen Dog, DJ Muggs, and Eric Bobo recording their greatest hits and fan favorites in their ethnic tongue.
Released amid a growing wave of Latino artists dominating the music charts, Los Grandes Exitos En Español was B-Real and crew bridging the gap between their audience of English and Spanish-speaking fans. The trend was one Cypress Hill themselves helped set with their double-platinum certified debut album in 1991. Yet, Dios Bendiga is also a show of civic pride and solidarity with fellow Latinos in light of sociopolitical efforts to criminalize, marginalize, and deport illegal immigrants, many of whom hail from Latin countries and have built a life for themselves in America.
