Some groups left an indelible mark on hip-hop history, and Cypress Hill is without a doubt one of them. Since the early ’90s, B-Real, Sen Dog, DJ Muggs and later Eric Bobo became key figures in a scene that captured the harsh social reality of California and Los Angeles, blending innovative sounds with a Latino identity that has always been central to what they do.
That connection to their roots was cemented in 1999 with Los Grandes Éxitos en Español, a project that brought together some of the group’s most iconic songs adapted into Spanish and ultimately became a cult classic among Latino audiences. Tracks like “Yo Quiero Fumar” and “Loco en el Coco” made it clear that the Mexican and Cuban roots of several of its members were never a side note, but a fundamental part of the band’s identity.
Now, nearly three decades later, Cypress Hill is deepening that connection with the release of Dios Bendiga, the first album of entirely original Spanish-language material in its career. It’s a project arriving at a time when Latin rap is seeing unprecedented global growth, and one that aims to reclaim the cultural heritage that has been with the group since day one.
“Dios Bendiga is more than just a collection of songs; it’s a prayer for the culture. This album serves as a powerful reminder that our heritage isn’t a trend, but a divine legacy and a global future. We’re living through a historic era for Latin rap, and with this project we wanted to bring a sound that honors our history and resilience,” B-Real tells Billboard Argentina.
And when it comes to Latin rap, Trueno was an inevitable choice. After linking up on “F*ck El Police Remix” in 2023, the group reunited with the Argentine artist on “Saca la Bolsita,” a collaboration that adds a local flavor to the new project. “Trueno is a student of hip-hop — he’s someone who’s great to work with,” Sen Dog says.
Released Friday (July 24), the album will be presented live in Buenos Aires on Nov. 8 at Estadio Malvinas Argentinas, a show with which Cypress aims to further strengthen its relationship with the South American country, which the group has been visiting since 1996.
The group’s influence, however, goes far beyond its connection to Latin culture. Over the course of its career, Cypress Hill placed seven songs on the Billboard Hot 100 and reached one of its biggest milestones with “Insane in the Brain,” which hit No. 19 in 1993 and went on to become one of the most recognizable rap anthems of the ’90s. That same year, Black Sunday debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, cementing the quartet as one of the era’s most innovative and successful acts.
With more than three decades of career behind them, millions of records sold, and a legacy that has transcended generations, Cypress Hill also helped open the door for Latino artists to carve out a place within the U.S. hip-hop scene. Their blend of West Coast sounds, psychedelic influences, and a cultural identity embraced with pride ultimately became a reference point for artists now leading the global expansion of Spanish-language rap.
In that context, Dios Bendiga doesn’t come across as a mere curiosity within the group’s discography, but as a new statement of purpose. It’s an album that connects the past with the present and finds Cypress Hill embracing, more than ever, the language and culture that have always been part of its story.
How did the process of making an album entirely in Spanish come about?
Eric Bobo: I think it all came from the way things started coming together in the studio — how everything flowed and ultimately clicked into place. At first, we didn’t really know exactly how we were going to approach the process. But as we moved forward, it felt like everything was happening in a very natural way.
It was as if the music wasn’t just flowing through us, but coming from something bigger. We felt a presence, something positive. For us, it was like saying, “God is with us.” From that feeling, we started developing that whole theme. On top of that, we knew it was something very close to the hearts of a lot of people in Latin America, so the concept ended up making even more sense.
How long did it take you to put everything together?
Bobo: Honestly, it didn’t take as long as you might think. The process started last November. We finished our parts in about a month. That was surprising, because we were doing something completely different for Cypress Hill: a fully Spanish-language album, creating new music and bringing together all the pieces it needed. You’d think a project like that would take a lot longer, but everything flowed very naturally and it ended up coming together that way.
Why did you choose “Wacha Trucha” and “Campeones” as the preview singles from this album?
B-Real: We felt that “Wacha Trucha” was a very important song for the moment we’re living in — especially because of everything that was happening with ICE and the different situations unfolding in the United States. It was kind of an alert song, a message to stay aware. But it also had a very signature Cypress Hill vibe. It reminded us of the energy of “We Ain’t Goin’ Out Like That.” We thought it was the perfect introduction to the album because that’s exactly the kind of sound a lot of people expect from us. We’ve always been a band that takes risks. We like stepping outside the box and trying different things.
Sen Dog: With “Campeones,” we wanted to show our versatility. We wanted to prove that we could also bring a festive vibe, something closer to the Latin spirit. That’s why we chose those songs: first to show the strength, and then to show that we also know how to make music to celebrate and have a good time — not just aggressive or confrontational songs.
Do you feel like this was a return to your Latin roots?
Sen Dog: Totally. It was a way of reconnecting with who we are, with our Latin identity and with the way we grew up in Los Angeles. We were always surrounded by the Spanish language, the slang, and that whole culture. I remember when we made Los Grandes Éxitos, which was basically Spanish versions of Cypress Hill songs. That album had a special energy.
Honestly, I like the feeling this new album gives off even more, because everything here is original. These are new songs, new concepts. We’re not relying on anything we did in the past for this project to be embraced by the fans. Musically, it reflects much better what young Latinos around the world are doing today. I think we really captured that well. And like Eric was saying, once we got started, it was just: “Alright, let’s make an album.” Every day was the same — go to the studio, spend the day together, record songs, and come back the next day to do it all again. There were no pauses or breaks between sessions. Everyone did their part, and everything came together really well.
I remember one day walking into the studio and seeing a whiteboard with the song titles on it. At the very top it said Dios Bendiga. In that moment I thought, “I like the way that sounds.” I don’t know exactly who came up with it, but as soon as I saw it, it felt perfect. And I know my mother would have been very happy to know we made this album.
As the lead voice, what did it mean to you, B-Real?
B-Real: It was something we had been planning for a very long time. Sometimes your own career gets in the way of your plans. Constant touring and other albums kept taking up our time, and we never fully committed to the idea. But this time we had a serious conversation, and when the opportunity came up, we said, “If we’re going to make this album, we have to really do it.” We cleared our schedules and made sure we had no shows for about four or five months, which is pretty unusual for us because we’re normally performing all the time.
When you make an album, you have to set aside time for the creative process to happen. Honestly, I thought it was going to take us much longer. We hadn’t made a Spanish-language album in 30 years, and this time everything was original material. We wanted, like Sen said, for these not to be translations. There are a few little nods to earlier things, but pretty much everything is newly written.
Did you enjoy the process?
B-Real: We had a great time making this album, and the process was much less complicated than I imagined. It was something we owed our followers for a long time — especially our Spanish-speaking fans — and the time finally came to do it. And from the response we’ve gotten to the two songs that are already out, even people who don’t speak Spanish are telling us they simply like the way it sounds. That’s very important to me because it means music is universal. It’s similar to what happened with our first albums, like Cypress Hill or Black Sunday. When those songs reached countries where English wasn’t spoken, people connected with them even before understanding the lyrics.
You were selective with the collaborations, choosing artist friends you had already worked with.
B-Real: I had already worked with several of them before. I’d collaborated with Alemán a couple of times, and Bobo and I had also worked with Trueno. With La Santa Grifa, it was the first time we shared a song, but I’d been listening to their music for a long time and we already knew each other. Today the landscape is completely different. There are so many artists out there, but we chose the ones we had already built a connection with and who could bring something special to the songs. With “Wacha Trucha,” for example, we immediately knew Alemán had to be on it. He has an incredible style and fits perfectly with what we do. And with “Saca la bolsita,” DJ Lord said Trueno would be ideal for it — he didn’t think twice.
Sen Dog: Plus, Trueno is clearly a student of hip-hop. All of them are. They’ve shown just how far the genre has grown in Latin America. They’re artists who can write and rap at an impressive level. They’re truly extraordinary at what they do.
Cypress Hill. Credit: Travis CoxWas it a challenge to rap in Spanish again alongside them?
B-Real: Absolutely. It’s a constant challenge. I can’t speak for Sen because Spanish was his first language, but in my case I grew up like a lot of Latinos in the U.S., especially in Southern California. Chicanos learn Spanish at home, from our parents. They speak to us in Spanish and we absorb that knowledge. Some people develop the language more, while others mostly understand it without speaking it as much. In school, we weren’t really taught Spanish beyond maybe a basic class. So it’s always going to be a challenge to compete with rappers who are native speakers and have a very advanced command of the language. That pushes us to work much harder.
Sen Dog: I think B-Real explained it perfectly. We grew up speaking Spanish, but at the same time we were also influenced by English through school and our friends. We know the language, of course, but when you’re working with artists from Mexico or South America, you’re dealing with people who have total command of Spanish. When I have to perform in Spanish, I really have to focus. There are words I know perfectly well, but sometimes they slip away from me. That’s why it was incredible to hear these guys doing what they do.
How does that constant reinvention work within the group? You keep incorporating new sounds over the years, and it’s clear you’re trying to stay fresh.
B-Real: It helps you explore places you might not have reached on your own. As an artist, you have to be willing to keep learning no matter how long you’ve been doing this. When you collaborate with younger artists, they’re going to learn something from you, but you can also learn from them. We’ve always been competitive people. We want to do things the right way, and we’re never going to stop showing our strength. So we adapt, take what we can learn from these artists, and keep moving forward trying to make the best songs possible.
Do you feel like the development of hip-hop in Latin America helped drive that reinvention within the group?
Sen Dog: Without a doubt. The hip-hop scene in South America and Mexico has grown tremendously since the days when we released Los Grandes Éxitos and started traveling to those countries. Even back then, we could see that people were really connecting with hip-hop, but watching how everything has evolved since then has been impressive. These artists take their craft very seriously, and they show it all the time. Year after year, they’ve kept developing the style, the writing, and the culture of hip-hop, while also giving it its own identity. Like B-Real said, he had already worked with Trueno, Santa Fe Klan, and Alemán.
Those relationships were already there. All that was left was to find the right time to come together and make music. And when that moment came, everyone showed up with their best. They didn’t just participate — they brought an incredible level. I remember hearing their verses and being genuinely impressed. All of that made me understand even more how rich Spanish is. There’s so much to discover within the language, the slang, and the different cultures. I think people should pay more attention to the music being made outside their own country and try to understand what the new generations are doing.
Over the course of your career, you’ve seen hip-hop go from a marginal genre to one that dominates the charts. What did it mean to be part of that expansion?
B-Real: That’s exactly the power of hip-hop. We had the chance to witness its growth from a very early stage. When we started traveling through Mexico, South America, and Europe, we saw how people celebrated the arrival of American artists and absorbed that culture with so much passion that they eventually decided to build their own scenes. I remember that around 1992 and 1993, we started touring Europe and seeing that phenomenon. Over the years, it wasn’t just that people started making rap in their own countries — those regions also began producing their own stars.
You also lived through the destigmatization of cannabis and the normalization of the conversation in recent years, after defending its use in songs like “Light Another,” “Something for the Blunted” and “Stoned Is the Way of the Walk.” What does that shift represent for you?
B-Real: I’m glad to see that everything has become more normalized. People no longer have the same prejudices or labels they used to. Now they understand it much better for what it is. Even people who used to criticize it or speak out against it are now allies and speak in its favor. The amount of information out there has allowed a lot of people to really understand what it is. Normalization is a positive thing because it means you’re not going to have as many problems over it.
In some places, it’s even possible to make a living from this industry. But beyond normalization, it still needs to be legalized. There are countries where it already has been legalized, and that’s extraordinary, but there’s still a lot of work to do, both in the United States and in other parts of the world. When I think about where we were 30 years ago and compare that reality to where things are now, it’s honestly pretty incredible.
A longer version of this interview was originally published by Billboard Argentina.
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