Yours truly puttin down some serious WOMP-WOMPs in Champaign/Urbana, IL. I’m currently traveling all over the midwest on my “summer tour” in support of my mixtape/e.p. DJ SOLO “Hated In The Nation”. If you ain’t got it yet…go get it HERE. BASS PUNX muthafucka!!!!

Every time we have played Brixton Academy & we have played here a lot throughout the years, its always been off the hook. This venue is the equivelent to the Fillmore in San Francisco with the fact that so many iconic groups have played here. Its almost like if you haven’t played Brixton, you haven’t really made an impact in London. Even though it isn’t in the best neighborhood, but nonetheless, people come out.

Again, we only had day rooms since the drive was long coming from Amsterdam. I was also excited by the fact that both my mom & cousin would be coming to the show. My mom hasn’t seen Cypress live since the mid to late 90’s. I hope she can handle it & that the herbals won’t give her too much of a contact high. It was a crazy coincidence that she would be in London at the same time as I would & it was both their first time out here in the U.K.

We had our usual amount of interviews which included a meet & greet. I will really be happy when the interview phase is finally over so we can just go do the show. This is not to say that I dislike doing them, but we have been doing them since March or so. We’ve been asked “how come it took 6 years to come out with the new album” at least a hundred times. That can get a bit redundant but it comes with the job so it must be done.

Our opening act was a group called the Gallows. I don’t know much about them but they are kinda popular out here. Once again, I didn’t catch their show but it was only because of Ma Dukes being there. As we were all chilling in the dressing room, we also had some old friends of ours come out to see us. Pauline & Jo were our tour cooks years back when we would come out here to Europe. We called them the Chronic Cooks because they smoked as much as we did. If any of you read both me & B’s “Soldier Stories” back in the day, I’m sure they were mentioned. It was great to see them as well. With all this said, let’s talk about the show.
The place was packed and the crowd was ready for the 2010 version of the Cypress Hill experience. I was just a little nervous because my mom was watching & she won’t be afraid to say if I didn’t play good. After the first song, all the nerves were gone and it was business as usual. We have really found our stride now as far as working out the kinks of the show. The mistakes are becoming less & less which is always a good thing. The crowd went nuts from the start. Its always a cool thing when you see people in the crowd singing all the lyrics even the new songs. One song that I’ve always enjoyed doing is “Kill A Man” but where the song is in our set is so perfect & it hits hard so I’m kinda enjoying performing it more now. The new songs have been received well but there are certain places like London that you can really get a sense of how the song will go over. I say this because out here, like New York, can be very critical about stuff like that. When the weed medley comes around, everyone goes nuts!! Thinking about it, its a trip to see people go crazy over B Real lighting up a spliff. He is the Buddah Master after all. We also got a good response for the song “Rise Up” but “Rock Superstar” is always the slam dunk. All in all, Brixton rocked and everyone had a good time, even my mom. I even think both her & my cousin enjoyed the contact high.

I said my goodbyes as they went back to their hotel & I signed a few autographs before it was time to head out to the next spot. It was time to get back on the bus, uplift our minds & chill. Thanks Brixton for yet another great time. Now, on to the next one…

What can I say about Amsterdam that hasn’t already been said? It is definitely one of my favorite European cities & it isn’t just because of the obvious. From the coffeeshops to the food, Amsterdam has a lot of culture. Now, this isn’t going to be a history lesson about Holland but if you have never been to Amsterdam, whether you smoke the herbals or not, you should definitely go check it out for yourself because its a great city.

Its always fun coming here but its even better when you have a day off here. Besides that, the World Cup is going on & the Netherlands are going to be playing so it will be an interesting day.

There are two spots in Amsterdam that we always go & they are the Green House & the Grey Area. The minute that we get into town, every one knows where the meeting spot is. If you go to the back of the Green House, you will see pictures of us from years back chilling there. Big ups to both spots for all the love throughout the years.

The Melkweg is one of the cool music venues in Amsterdam aside from the Paradiso, which still is one of my favorite venues to play. I know that our show is sold out so it should be really dope, even if the whole crowd will be extra stoned. We wouldn’t be too far behind. With all of us feeling nice & refreshed, I knew we would have a great show. I don’t have a clue on who’s opening for us because since our dressing room was about 3 to 4 flights up, I really wasn’t trying to go up & down too much. Plus, with the homies from the Green House & the Grey Area in the house, why would I want to leave??

The crowd was ready for us as they were chanting “Cypress Hill” at the top of their lungs. I was ready to get the show started as well. From out the gate, we were on point!! I do have to say that for as much as we all smoke, we still put out incredible energy for the show. I really like coming out to “Get Em Up”, which for those that have been under a rock for sometime is one of the new songs from “Rise Up”. It sort of reminds me when we used to come out to “Let It Rain” years back, which is on the “Temple of Boom” album. We were doing that song live on stage before that album came out. Its just an energetic song to come out to. I think how we have have the new songs mixed in with the old stuff is cool because you really don’t want to be doing too many new songs in a row & people don’t know those songs yet. That kind of diminishes the power of the show because as we all know, the fans want to hear the songs they know, not try to learn new ones at the show. The DJ/percussion solo is constantly changing and getting really good. I like that its really never the same each night. Young De also has been getting a lot of love when he comes out for “It Aint Nothin’. Between coming out with us, Xzibit & even on B Real’s solo tour, he has been getting a lot of shine. What a way to earn your tour stripes!!! By the time we got to “Rise Up” & “Rock Superstar”, the whole place was bananas!! I almost forgot that we had a bunch of rather long & fat joints courtesy of the Green House.

The crowd loved it when B sparked it up. When Sen hit it, he created a flame that made the huge joint look like a torch. It looked pretty cool. In anycase, the show was incredible and everyone had a great time. Of course after the show, the dressing room had a thick fog of smoke. Its Amsterdam, what did you expect???

After a night like last night, I was pretty much ready for anything. We were returning back to France but we would be south of Paris in a town called Rodez. We first got to the hotel, which we again had day rooms but we all got our own, which was more convienient that just having 3 or four & having to share. We drove straight to the gig to drop off both the crew and park the bus. We then had some vans bring us all to the hotel. This hotel was off the beaten path & it looked like a little cottage in the countryside. Granted, we weren’t staying the night but if we were, it wouldve been a little rough. Room service was only served for a very short time & the nearest place to eat was about 20 minutes away in a car. Someone had said that the McDonald’s was walking distance. That was a big lie!!

We were one of the headliners of this festival and the only other act that I knew anything about was Lee Scratch Perry. Another thing that happened was that our merchandise guy got arrested by the Rodez police because some of our shirts have weed leafs on them. I guess they aren’t as liberal as they are in Paris. From what I hear, the police make a lot of their marijuana arrests from this one festival every year. Maybe because its more of a reggae-type festival, I don’t know. In any case, we needed to get the merch guys out and our merchandise too. I do know this, all of us were ready to get this gig over with so we can get to Amsterdam & that’s no disrespect to the people that came to the show, but it is understandable though, right?

The funny thing that happened was when we had to this press conference. We were told that there would be a lot of press for the conference, which there were but when it came down to it, the majority of interviewers didn’t ask a single questions. They all just kinda stared at us while maybe 4 out of maybe 35 people asked us anything. I personally said about 5 words. After the conference, we were taken back to our cottage of a hotel to chill for a bit before we were taken out to dinner by the promoter of the festival.
We returned to the festival waiting for our set. The crowd was ready but I think we were all more ready to get to Amsterdam. We hit the stage and it was on fire from beginning to the end. France definitely gives it up!! We were on point and there were few mistakes made. The crowd was loud and were jumping up & down from the front to the back. There weren’t any highlights besides them going crazy for “Dr. Greenthumb” & the DJ/Percussion solo. Like I said earlier, the general consensus was to hit it & quit it, head to Amsterdam & enjoy our day off. I think I’ll leave it at that!!

Next Stop : Amsterdam, Holland

I had happened to wake up early while we were driving to Madrid & I was able to check out the Spanish countryside, which I must say is very picturesque. I decided to indulge in a little wake & bake & was thinking about how good the tour has been going thus far. With some great shows behind us this early in our world tour, I can only look forward to what is gonna come our way.

We arrived in Madrid & again we had only day rooms. This is another city that is worth checking out. The festival was about an hour outside the city & there was an early load-in for the crew so we wouldn’t be at the hotel for long. Its too bad because I was really craving some tapas. I figured that once we got to the gig, there would be some good grub.

This festival is the Spanish version of the “Rock In Rio” festival in Brazil. This was gonna be a big show because the line-up featured us, Jane’s Addiction & Rage Against The Machine. We missed Rage at the festivals in Germany because we were playing on different days & I believe Jane’s just came out to Europe for a couple of shows. I knew that we had to be on our A+ game tonight but after Paris & Barcelona, I knew we would be just fine. When we got to the venue, it was a very nice spot. It seemed though that they didn’t have real grass there, it was like astro-turf. The closest festival that we have in the States that can compare to the look of Rock in Rio is the Coachella festival. In any case, I know that this show will be special.

The band that came before us was called Las Coronitas & from what I heard, they sounded really good. I think the show really got started when we hit the stage. We hit the stage and there were a fair amount of people but soon after we started, people were coming from everywhere. The crowd was alive as the sun was going down. Our set was only an hour so we just gave the crowd our “power” set, which means no filler just the hits!! When we got to the “weed medley”, the crowd was ready to feel the effects We were definitely on point on this show. By the time we got to “Rock Superstar”, the crowd was bananas!! We got the crowd ready for both Jane’s & Rage.

I was really excited to see Jane’s Addiction perform. We are all friends. I’ve played several times with Stephen Perkins, who is the drummer, in a side project that I put together called “Mary Jane’s Boyfriend”. B Real actually came up with the name. I also performed with Perry Ferrell at Coachella last year with his group “Satalite Party”. They have Duff from GnR & Velvet Revolver on bass now so I was anxious to hear how he sounded with them. As I was standing on the side of the stage, I saw Tim C. from Rage then Brad Wilk, whom I am the closest with in RATM. Brad asks me if I still had my percussions handy & I replied yes. He then said that he was gonna talk to the rest of the guys to see about me getting up to perform with them.

I, of course, was down to play. Now, I’ve performed with Rage before in the states. The one that people remember most was the Tibetan Freedom Festival in 95 when I damn near played with them their whole set. When I got the word that the guys were down, the Cypress & Rage crew guys sprang into action. Now the special thing about all of this is that we are in a different country & that Rage are only doing 7 shows this year. Yea, they can do that!!! This was their 6th show & to be asked to play with such an iconic group like that is huge for me even though we all go way back.

Their show was about to start & all of the Cypress crew were on stage watching. It was great to get that support from them. It was decided that I was gonna play on 2 songs, “Renegades of Funk” & “Sleep Now In The Fire”. When the lights went down, the crowd exploded!!! This band has crazy energy. They are definitely a band that you don’t want to follow, that’s for sure. To tell the truth, I was nervous. When it was my time, Zack introduced me and we started. I’m so glad that there is footage of this performance (Thanks Julio G.). Now, what’s cool about this is that we didn’t rehearse, I just kept my eye on Brad. Needless to say, we rocked it & the homies were proud. They even gave me a solo in “Sleep Now In The Fire”. This was the type of stuff that my father prepared me for so I thank him as well. The high I was on was way more than what I get from a Kush joint.

As we all said our goodbyes, we got on the bus to head to the next spot. I couldn’t sleep because I just kept playing the night in my head over & over. Before you know it, I was the last one up. Time to go to sleep, tomorrow is yet another show. Good times!!!!

For some reason, I woke up early on the bus & we weren’t at the next stop yet. The bunks are going through some temperature changes because it sometimes get a little too hot or stuffy yet the hallway in the bunk area is freezing. The last place you ever want to get sick at is on the road. Besides not getting the proper rest, when one person is sick on the bus, everyone is gonna get it which could disastrous. I enjoy looking at the road while we drive across Europe because you can see some cool things and sometimes you just see a lot of livestock & farm land. Nevertheless, Barcelona is a cool city & I was looking forward to the show. What sucks is that we aren’t staying. We only have day rooms. For those who don’t know, day rooms are just a few rooms that are used for us to shower & change clothes, not to stay overnight. When its cool places like this, its good to be able to check out the city. I’ve been here a few times but have yet to experience the Barcelona beaches. Maybe next time…

After the shower, we all just chilled out until it was time to go to the venue to get some interviews done. Every show day, we’ve been doing interviews & today would be no different. From what I hear, the venue is pretty popular & I believe we have a sold out show. At the venue though, its pretty boring. Some of the guys went up the street to some spot to eat & get drinks while watching the World Cup. Me, B & some of the crew just stuck around the venue & listened to music.

Spain has always been another country that we have good shows at & they all like to party real late.
Again, there was an opening band but I have no clue who they are. I’ve got to be better about at least checking them out. I was ready to go as were all of us. The one thing that was gonna suck about the show was the fact of how hot it was in there. My on stage fan had to definitely be put high cool speed for the show even though by the end of the show, I knew I would be drenched.

When we hit the stage, the crowd was loud just like the last show. I was thinking that if there was gonna be a better show than the Paris show, it would be this one. Again, we came out blazing & I don’t just mean blazing the herb. The new show has really taken shape. The chemistry that us 4 have on stage is amazing. Even when we mess up, & trust me, we have our moments, it still is amazing. Sometimes during a show, I have quick backflashes of our shows from the early days & I must say that we have really grown as a group. I don’t think that its just because we are older now, but it all seems to just make sense now about where we need to be as a group. 20 years as a group really is no joke. I been here for 18 years so I’ve definitely contributed a lot of heart & sweat to this group as well. One highlight of the night was when B did the Spanish version of “I Wanna Get High” which is translated as “Yo Quiero Fumar”. The whole place sung the lyrics. I mean B didn’t have to say a word. It was a great moment.

Anyway, though this show wasn’t quite like Paris, it comes in a very close second. We really didn’t stick around for too long afterwards because we had an early load in at the next stop. The lineup for the next show is incredible but I had no idea how incredible it would be.

I don’t know about anyone else in the group but I really like Paris. I know that Paris has a stereotype of having rude people, but there’s rude people everywhere. There is just something about the city that makes me really enjoy being there. Also, there are a lot of Cypress fans in France. This show was gonna be our first club show out there in a while so everyone was hyped up. We had a day off there, so we basically just chilled until the evening time. We went to a spot, got drinks & had a good time.

This would be the first time that we have played this venue. Its small but definitely not tiny. The cool thing is that the show sold out rather quickly so we all knew it was gonna be off the hook. After knocking out some interviews earlier in the day, we basically spent a lot of the time at the venue. I really don’t remember who the opening band was. I haven’t been paying that much attention but whoever they were, they sounded pretty good. In the past, I would really make it a point to at least check out the opening band. On this particular tour, I’ve been a bit lazy to do that. Anyway, time was getting closer for us to hit the stage & the fans were starting to get a little restless.

I have to say from the get-go, the crowd was loud and ready!! I don’t know how they had all that energy but it was incredible. I think it really made us step it up a bit. They were damn near singing all the words to the songs, they gave it up big time for the new joints & it was the first nine on this tour that people were making it up on stage to jump back in the crowd. A lot of venues around the world are really trying to stop the crowd surfing but tonight, nothing could be done about that. One guy got up there and almost got beat down from the security but Sen-Dog quickly got the security guy to ease up. Everyone cheered and the guy jumped back in the crowd. Some other people that made it up on stage just got pushed back into the crowd. All the people that jumped into the crowd hit the floor because no one would catch them. I don’t think that people like to catch the stage divers anymore like in the 90’s. No one was hurt but it sure did look bad.

With the crowd that alive, it made all of us just that more hype and it showed. Like I said earlier, we have a lot of fans in Paris but I never remember them being this loud before. If I was just a fan of Cypress, this wouldve been the show to see. The energy, chemistry & power in that venue was incredible. Both Young De & Julio G. got mad love from the crowd & we gave it right back!!!! Us on stage were so in sync with each other, the show was damn near faultless. I seriously believe that we couldve done a full 2-hour show & the crowd wouldve stuck around. When the show was over, they were still cheering loudly. This show was a special one and definitely was the best show thus far & it will be a hard one to beat. Now let’s see what Spain has to offer.

Back on the bus we go!!

Next Stop : Barcelona, Spain