Hip-hop legends Cypress Hill and Dubstep DJ/Producer Rusko have finally announced the release of their collaborative effort Cypress x Rusko, out this April.
The EP was recorded over a six-month period, with Rusko joining Cypress in the studio for part and sending tracks over email when his crazy touring schedule restricted him from being there in person. “It excited me so much when I received the acappellas because sometimes I’d been away for a week and I’d finally get a Wi-Fi connection,” says Rusko. “The excitement would keep me awake all night feverishly working on the track.”
As you’d expect from chameleonic musicians, each song showcases a different musical side to the collaborators. “Lez Go” marries the ominous with the atmospheric, as Cypress’ menacing vocals somehow sound angelic over Rusko’s harmonious, arpeggiated synths. The up-tempo, high-energy vibe of “Roll It, Light It” and “Stay Medicated” are club anthems, while “Here From Day One” sees Damian Marley bring a dancehall feel over a slicing, metallic beat. Finally, there’s “Shots Go Off,” the grimiest track on the EP that replaces drums with gunshots and recalls classic Cypress tracks “Lick a Shot” and “Cock the Hammer.”
"I think dubstep is a natural progression of hip-hop,” says Sen Dog. “Especially the way that we formulated it with Rusko, there’s definitely some roughness to it.”
“We’ve always been the type of group to take chances on doing something radically different than what people expect from us. So this carries with the tradition of us going out of the box. If it’s not something that we embrace then we don’t dare mess with it and this is something we fell right into the pocket of,” adds B-Real.
About Cypress Hill:
Across nine albums that have sold over 20 million copies worldwide, the group redefined and shattered the boundaries of hip-hop, crafting gutter-dirty tracks that fused deep bass lines with blissful, stoned-out melodies and aggressive hard rock riffs. Cypress Hill has garnered 14 multi-platinum, platinum, and gold certifications from the RIAA, and has appeared on Lollapalooza, Woodstock, Bonaroo, Rock the Bells, and headlined the groups' own “Cypress Hill Smoke Out", just to name a few of the live accolades the band has achieved. Breaking down musical and cultural barriers between hip-hop, alternative, metal, rock, reggae, ska and Latin music is why Cypress Hill has become one of the most important and seminal acts of the past 20 years. To this day, many of Cypress Hill's hits remain on active rotation on the world’s foremost hip-hop, rock and alternative playlists. The sounds of Cypress Hill continue to rock the world.
About Rusko:
His debut, O.M.G.!, replete with his signature bone-rattling bass and anthemic melodies, was a critical and commercial hit that cemented him as one of the most exciting artists in modern dance music. His stream of massive singles includes “Woo Boost”, “Everyday”, “Hold On” which featured Amber from The Dirty Projectors, “Got Da Groove” which features Gucci Mane and “Da Cali Anthem” which was the first dubstep track played on US radio. His live shows have been drawing rapturous crowds of thousands across the globe. Rusko’s new album, Songs, due out March 27th is a dauntless artist at his best. These are the songs that will dominate festivals and dance-floors this year and beyond!
Find out more on Cypress X Rusko
Published on 24 January 2012 by Wayne Feltham
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