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May 5 - 12, 2000

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*** Cypress Hill

SKULL & BONES

(Columbia)

Cypress Hill embraced rock early in their career, collaborating with Sonic Youth on the pioneering Judgment Night soundtrack and twice going on tour with Lollapalooza. They've taken that affection one step further on their fifth album, a two-disc set that includes a full-length hip-hop disc (Skull) and an EP's worth of hard rock (Bones). Sen Dog takes the lead on the rock disc, talking more trash than weed while the guys from his hardcore side project, SX-10, provide all sorts of tuneless crunch. B-Real takes back the reins on the biz bio-pic "(Rock) Superstar," a typically brooding DJ Muggs production that also appears on the hip-hop disc -- minus the live band -- as "(Rap) Superstar." The rock tracks are as forceful as the group's early stuff was blunted, but don't think Cypress have given hip-hop the short shrift on Skull & Bones. They sound delightfully rambunctious on the Skull disc, starting turf wars on "Cuban Necktie" and offering a hilarious discourse on "weed etiquette" on "Can I Get a Hit." Cypress long ago developed a formula as reliable as AC/DC's. On Skull & Bones, they prove it doesn't hurt to have a little sense of adventure, either.

-- Sean Richardson
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