Cypress Hill is one of the most notorious and controversial groups of their genre, and for a hip-hop/gansta rap group that is quite impressive. Whether lobbying for the legalization of marijuana or creating music promoting the use of the drug, the group has been met with props and condemnation for their support of drug use. The stoned beats of their music and deliberate, contemplative drum ‘n' bass loops do have an uncanny power about them, with an amazing level of influence on the genres that they touch.

The group was formed in 1988 by Senen Reyes (Sen Dog) and his younger brother Ulpiano Sergio (Mellow Man Ace) who had been residents of Los Angeles since 1971. The brothers joined forces with Lawrence Muggerud, from Queens, New York and L.A. native Louis Freese (B-Real). The group took on the name Cypress Hill after Mellow Man Ace left to embark on a career as a solo artist. The group took a heavy-handed and open approach to their pro-pot message, with songs like "I Wanna Get High" featuring strongly in their line-up on their 1991 eponymous debut album.

The group was on their way to international stardom, as their single "How Could I Just Kill a Man" became the number one requested song for the urban station WBLS, in New York. The second album, Black Sunday debuted at number one on Billboard, the album gained recognition because it had the highest SoundScan sales for a rap album in its first week. "Insane In The Brain" took the album all the way to double-platinum in the US and sold 3.25 million worldwide.

The band continued to have varied success throughout the ‘90s, with some recognition here and there for their albums but few of their releases echoed the success of their first album. It began to look like the band was failing a little bit, in the mid-90s but they made a comeback. Since 2000 the group has released two albums, with Stoned Raiders in 2001 and Till Death Do US Part in 2004.