WASHINGTON POST EXPRESS
WEEKEND PASS COVER STORY

ARTS & EVENTS

Haunted Hill: When Hip-Hop Party Band Cypress Hill Performs Live, It Sure Does Light Up a Joint

Written by Washington Post Express contributor Alfredo Flores

CYPRESS HILL WOULD regularly perform on Halloween at the 9:30 Club. And why not? If the haunted holiday ever had its own theme song, Cypress' Sen Dog thinks it should be the band's 1993' mega-hit, "Insane in the Brain." "That should be played all day on Halloween," said Sen. "C'mon. It's the one day you can dress up and act like a freak if you want." The band is best known for its slow-rolling drum-and-bass loops and funky-stark grooves that have an eerily stoned feel. Cypress uses spooky effects, such as the sound of pouring raindrops, which go well with the band's gloomy album titles — "Black Sunday," "Temples of Boom," "Skull & Bones" — and their talk of paranoia, insanity, fearing the reaper, etc. And while dark themes rule on Halloween, Cypress Hill can also rock hard on tracks featuring high-energy, rapid-fire rock riffs. Cypress Hill is notorious for its live shows — stunts such as having a gigantic inflated Buddha doll as a stage prop and the band's percussionist Eric Bobo smoking out of an 8-foot-tall bong (dubbed King Arthur). Its lyrics deal with parodied versions of the violent street life of Cypress Avenue in South Gate, East Los Angeles, and, of course, the trio's obsessive advocacy for legalizing marijuana. Their vocals are just as eccentric with lead lyricist B-Real's (Louis Freese) exaggeratedly nasal high-pitched whine, and Sen's (Senen Reyes) mostly shouting his equally exaggerated deep booming "psycho beta tone" raps. The genesis of the polar opposite vocals came when the two were working on a demo. While the band's style and beats were well received, some weren't thrilled with B-Real's normal voice. "My voice didn't cut through the music like it should; it sounded average, nothing distinct about it," said B-Real. "I was asked to change it up, so I locked into that nasal vocal tone and Sen created the 'whoo-whoo' deep tones to complement mine. It was kinda like Public Enemy, but inside out." Indeed. Public Enemy's lead vocals come from the deep-voiced and physically imposing Chuck D, while Flava Flav sports giant sunglasses and a clock, and serves as comic foil. With Cypress, despite his high-pitched vocals, B-Real serves as the aggressor backing up the violent themes. "That's the dark humor about it," said B-Real, laughing. "I sound like a squirt trying to talk big. I think people trip out of it, because you have this crazy-ass voice talking some crazy-ass stuff. I think it was [an expletive] for people, but in a good way." Cypress' self-titled debut 1991 album had the bass-heavy, violent-filled "Hand on the Pump" and "How I Could Just Kill a Man," but it was the track "Hole in the Head" that featured the verse that would later become the chorus for "Insane." DJ Muggs (Lawrence Muggerud), whose production work was instrumental to the band's success, found inspiration in the title phrase and came up with the track's hypnotic beat. "When I heard Muggs' beat, I was like, 'Wow, this stuff is crazy,'" said B-Real. "It's like a magnet, a bounce — you go to the show and we could just picture everybody jumping, mosh-pitting, stage-diving." And that's just what the fans did, transcending Cypress Hill from buzz-worthy rappers to breakout superstars with the track and critically claimed 1993 album "Black Sunday." The album was loaded with odes to ganja and sprinkled with rock elements, initiating a strong following among rock audiences. "The imagery of our work has always been dark and mysterious like metal albums, and our attitude was real non-give-[an expletive]-ish like punk rock," said B-Real. "Our music was hip-hop at the base, though. After Run-DMC, we were the band in the forefront of making the hip-hop and metal connection." The trio's work in the hip-hop world alone has earned them the VH1 Hip-Hop Honors in 2008, the first for a Latin rap group. They've also become the first Latin rap group to have platinum and multi-platinum albums. "At the end of the day, we want to leave a strong legacy, and people can say Cypress was a kick-ass band," said Sen. Like its 2000 hit "(Rock) Superstar," the band continues to tour and party like rock stars, and its new album, "Rise Up" — the first in five years — is set to be released shortly. But after having sold more than 20 million records and approaching 20 years in the game, a rarity in hip-hop, how much longer can Cypress go? "People used to call us the Grateful Dead of hip-hop," said B-Real. "In about 10 years, they're going to call us the Rolling Stones of hip-hop." » 9:30 Club, 815 V St. NW; with Tabi Bonney, Phil Ade, Sat., Oct. 31, 8 p.m., $35; 800-955-5566. (U St.-Cardozo)

PHOTO STORY

W Washington D.C. Grand Opening Celebration

Photo Credit:Alfredo Flores, Special to Metromix

Six-time Grammy Award winning artist John Legend and actress and singer-songwriter Emmy Rossum were among the celebrities and VIPS in attendance at the W Washington D.C. Grand Opening Celebration in downtown. Also in attendance were TrenDC’s Paul Wharton and Reggie Love, President Obama's Body Man, who all walked the “purple carpet” under the glow of the luminous purple “W” sign of the lavish hotel. The W is the closest hotel to the White House, and acclaimed designer Dianna Wong has redesigned the historic Hotel Washington, infusing bright colors and contemporary design while preserving the building’s Beaux Arts architecture.

PHOTO STORY

"Becky's Fund: Walk This Way" Charity Fashion Show

Photo Credit:Alfredo Flores, Special to Metromix

For the first time ever in D.C., the lavish Liaison Hotel was home to an "over the pool runway show" featuring several players from Washington Redskins and D.C. United in support of Becky's Fund, which raises awareness to help prevent domestic violence in the community. The rooftop runway for Becky's Fund: Walk this Way was hosted by the Redskins' Clinton Portis & Custom Clothiers' Eric Finn. Other Redskins in attendance were Jason Campbell, DeAngelo Hall and Chris Cooley, joined by United players Bryan Namoff, Devon McTavish and Santino Quaranta. The event also marked the beginning of a new strategic partnership between George Washington University Hospital Women's Board and Becky's Fund to work together to spread the message of respect, hope, and empowerment.

PHOTO STORY

U2 360° Tour at Fed Ex Field

Photo Credit:Alfredo Flores, Special to Metromix

U2? Perhaps it’s a band you may have heard of! Well the masses made the trek out to Fed Ex Field in Landover, MD to see the spectacle that is U2. Like the 360° description in the tour’s title, U2’s stage itself is circular and is almost completely encircled by another ring – Bono’s runway so he can walk deep into the audience on the field. The Dublin, Ireland rockers have released 12 studio albums, with worldwide sales totaling 145 million records, and they have won 22 Grammy Awards, more than any other band. But none of that mattered to those lucky enough to get tickets to the sold-out show. Many in attendance gawked at the U2’s enormous stage, which featured a steel structure that took four days to build, $40 million to construct, three days to break down, transport and set up again, and features a 150-foot pylon and a 54-ton cylindrical video screen that lit up Fed Ex Field. U2’s arena anthems were a perfect fit for what quite possibly has been one of the biggest stage setups in the history of live music. Among the hits belted out by Bono, rocking his signature purple shades, during the band’s two-and-a-half hour show, were "Beautiful Day," "New Years Day,” "Get On Your Boots," and "Where The Streets Have No Name." One of the more touching moments of the night was when Bono pulled a Persian-American from the audience, and denounced racism in the United States. The two were draped by a large American flag while they sang "Sunday Bloody Sunday." Opening for U2 were English rockers Muse.

PHOTO STORY

Pink and The Ting Tings: A Colorful Show at Patriot

Photos by Alfredo Flores NBC 4 Washington's Around Town

Pink, often stylized as P!nk, has sold more than 31 million albums worldwide. Her songs are characterized by their personally rebellious tone and a statement-like strict use of the first person. Pink’s fifth and most recent album, "Funhouse," was released in late October 2008 and was preceded by her first solo number one on the Billboard Hot 100, "So What."

ARTS & EVENTS

The Language of Dance: Reggaeton Club Stars Wisin y Yandel

Written by Washington Post Express contributor Alfredo Flores

AT THE MTV VIDEO MUSIC AWARDS last month, everyone in the audience was stunned when Kanye West rudely stole Taylor Swift's moment by storming the stage. Many were wondering why he would do such a thing, but reggeaton stars and first-time VMA nominees Wisin y Yandel were just wondering what the heck was going on. "Remember that we don't speak the language, so we did not know exactly what was being said, but we felt that something inappropriate was taking place," said Wisin (born Juan Luis Morera Luna) in Spanish — his "La Revolucion" with Yandel is this year's top-selling Latin album. "And our heart just went out to that young lady." While they may not speak English, their infectiously danceable Latin hip-hop is crossing cultures, being played on English-language music networks and radio stations. Their "Abusadora" was nominated for the MTV VMA for best pop video, becoming the first nominated song written entirely in Spanish in the history of the awards. To be happy just to be nominated is a cliche, but Wisin y Yandel (Yandel's real name is Llandel Veguilla Malave Salazar) were beaming while walking down the red carpet. They hobnobbed with English-language collaborators (through their manager/translator) they've worked with in the past — including 50 Cent, Lenny Kravitz, Fat Joe, Paris Hilton and — and those they may work with (a Justin Timberlake collab is in the works). Their work with 50, who raps in "Mujeres in the Club" in "Revolucion," began last year when W y Y invited him to perform with them at Madison Square Garden. "To our surprise, he came," Wisin said. "Not only did he perform with us; he expressed that he loved our music and would like to continue to collaborate with us, so we wrote 'Mujeres in the Club.' He sent it back to us with his rap on it, and the rest is history." That history includes 50,000 at a concert in Venezuela when 50 opened for the Puerto Rican duo in February, and a raucous sold-out show last month in Miami erupted when T-Pain made a surprise cameo performance. While Wisin y Yandel differ in music styles, they seemed perfectly joined at the hip when performing, finishing each other's sentences, fast and slow parts of tracks flowing perfectly. Wisin is assertive and aggressive — his spit-fire raps fire up the crowd — while Yandel is calmer, more laid-back. This combination of hard raps with smooth vocals, in with dembow, hip-hop, dancehall, reggae and pop, have led to a string of club-banging hits like "Rakata," "Llama Pa' Verte" and "Sexy Movimiento." » Patriot Center, 4400 University Drive, Fairfax; Thu., Oct. 1, 8 p.m., $38.50-$78.50; 703-993-3000.

PHOTO STORY

Yeah Yeah Yeahs Pack the 9:30 Club

Photos by Alfredo Flores NBC 4 Washington's Around Town

Indie-rock demigods the Yeah Yeah Yeahs packed the house at 9:30 Club last Friday night. The band's lead singer Karen O has been noted for her sense of fashion, wearing ostentatious outfits made by her friend, fashion designer Christian Joy. The hipster leaders are based in NYC.