NPR Music - Alt.Latino: Cypress Hill en español

Episode Date: August 27, 2026

Latin identity has been at the core of Cypress Hill's music from the very beginning -- their 1991 track "Latin Lingo" gave voice to the Latin roots of hip hop with its funky Spanglish callouts. But it took the band thirty-five more years to make an album of original songs written in Spanish: 'Dios Bendiga,' which was just released. In this episode, Felix chats with the band -- B-Real, Sen Dog and Eric Bobo -- about the influences behind the album, and why this moment felt right to finally make it. Plus, a cameo from the band's longtime producer and turntablist, DJ Lord. This podcast episode was produced by Noah Caldwell. Suraya Mohamed is the executive producer of NPR Music.Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

A quick note before the show, this podcast contains explicit language. When the hip-hop group Cypress Hill arrived with their first album in 1991, their track Latin lingo gave voice to the Latino roots of hip-hop with its funky, spanglish color. And all these years later, after 20 million albums sold world. numerous Grammy nominations and being the first hip-hop group to be awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The guys in Cypress Hill refused to rest on their accomplishments and continue to push themselves creatively by releasing their first ever all Spanish album. From NPR music, this is Alt Latino. I'm Felix Contreras. I recently sat down with a band on Zoom, catching them on yet another tour, this time promoting their new album, Dios Benetian.

All right, and I'm Eric Bobo. I am Sand Dog. I'm Be Real. Thanks for having us. Thank you. We talked about their own personal histories growing up Latino in Southern California. We talked about identity, language, Latinos and hip-hop. And I started out by asking them, why now? 35 years after they wrapped in Spanglish on their first album, why an all-Spanish album? And they told me they always wanted to do it, just never had time to get to it. Well, you know, when we made our first album, we had an impact we didn't realize we were going to have. It opened up the door for a lot of Spanish hip hop and the subgenres that come after it.

And we didn't realize it was going to hit off like that. And so it was something we had promised for a long time. But touring and things like that most often get in the way of the creative process sometimes. So a situation presented itself that we had a block of time that we could finally do that album that we had been. and talking about for years. And we just felt it was the right time. We wanted to do something different.

And here we are. Basically, it's always something that we had planned to do. So now is the perfect time to do it. So having those Latino roots that we have in the group and just seeing the explosion of music, especially Latino music in the last few years, recent years, there's been a big riser from the Latino culture and everything. but what we did do is very special, I think, and I definitely feel it deserves to be heard.

Where did this album fit in the story of Cypress Hill, do you think? Well, you know, our first go-round at a Spanish-speaking album was a translation of music that already existed. So I feel like this is going to be, you know, I think it stands as strong as any of our previous albums, you know, most especially the first three. So I feel that it's that strong And I think we all went away from the studio

Feeling that like Because we went in with no expectations Making this album You know, we thought, well, let's see what happens Because every Every creative decision is a gamble You know what I mean? And for us to be doing it

After, you know, all this time And the only time anyone's heard Any Spanish from Sen or myself Has been on features you know, on other people's music and stuff like that. And, you know, knowing that from the time that we opened up the gate for a lot of people, people have been wrapping their asses off from that time to now. So it's like trying to be competitive and trying to be as good as,

if not, better than everything out there. So it was a little bit of a challenge. That's why it's really special to us because, you know, the way that it came out, I think we were all surprised with how well we felt it came out. It came out when we played it for other people that actually speak Spanish, like as first language and their reaction to it, we thought that was great. So I think it's as good as any of our first four albums. For me, you know, when the Los Grandes Exitos album came out, as we were saying, there wasn't really a lot of Latin hip-hop that was going on at that point. And now, many years later, to see the explosion and to hear it in so many.

dope emcees are out there all over the continent. You know, so it was definitely a welcome challenge because this is something that I think that our fans knew that we can do. They've been waiting for a long time. And it was great to see us rise to the occasion to be able to do an album all new, completely in Spanish. And the reason we keep saying challenge is that,

obviously for me, you know, different for send, But for me, it's not my first language. You know what I mean? Going to school in our school systems here in California, they teach Spanish, but it's very basic, you know. And I never took those Spanish classes. The way I learned Spanish was in the house from hearing my parents speak, them speaking to me in Spanish,

and then eventually learning how to read it and write it myself, you know, whereas you have now a generation of rappers that come from countries where this is their first language. and the way they're fluent in it is different than what ours is, right? So, or at least mine. So that was, that was the real challenge is putting, you know, what we do up against what's out there right now and it being looked at as this is as good as that and respected on that level.

Yeah, the syntax has to be right, man, in order for it to match whatever else is going in the background. Right. I think you guys nailed it. Thank you. They completely nailed it. Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah.

Like, hip hop's not my first language, right? I'm a little older, so I came to it a little differently, but I do remember when you guys came out and I was, you know, checking it out and listening to Latino hip hop over the years. And the way you guys, it just, to me, it just sounds like you guys have been doing this all along. That's what the record sounds like. Thank you, man. Thank you, man.

Thank you very much. And that was, you know, what we were trying to put down. Like, this is not something that we're struggling to do or forcing, ourselves to do with something we do. Let me ask you about where this record falls in your own individual stories, like you as people, as individuals, as from your cultural backgrounds,

like where are you in your lives individually, one by one? where are you in recognition of who you are, where you come from, what you've been doing, and what this record says about you as an individual? I think for me it's a reminder, because I think sometimes with the type of music we put out, obviously the cannabis messaging, some of the other things get pushed aside or forgotten about, like our Latino roots and culture and all that stuff and our pride for it and whatnot. So it's maybe an introduction to those that don't know, a reintroduction to those that forgot in us being us.

You know, this is who we are, how we grew up, you know, in these communities. And, you know, it's a reflection of who we were and who we are now. For me, coming from a Latin jazz background, you know, and understanding, like, Latin rhythms, you know, the fun part for me was, incorporating this part into the music and not following any trends. You know, we kind of said what direction we didn't want to go and which direction we did want

to go and try. And for me, it really showed our range, you know, that we were able to tap into those Latin roots musically, lyrically, and be able to pull it off. Yeah. For me, it's like a representation. of Cyprus Hill and Español, right? It's like everybody always knew that, you know, where we come from and who we are

and coming from a musical family myself and being able to do a record 100% in Español, it's a representation of how proud we are to be, you know, as Latino men, right? And you have to be proud of your culture and who raised you. And, you know, going back to your grandparents and everything, this record is for the,

family kind of like for them to represent you know mexicano in puerto rico and kua and all those things it's it's to uplift a culture kind of you know and i think that most people don't realize that are fans are your music because i know i've interviewed eric we did a whole show about his dad willie bobo and uh sen i've heard you online on social media talking about how your family actually knew celia cruz that you're on on either you're you know on either in this conversation right now, you guys have deep roots into like the very beginning, the foundations of Latin music in this country with the New Yorkan Willy Bobo thing and Celia Cruz from Cuba, knowing the family. I don't think people understand or realize the connection

you guys have to that history. Yeah, well, on my end, when I figured out that my mother and father were actually friends and actually knew Celia was a very big deal. But overall, I think that it's a passing down from whatever that she did to where we are now and acknowledging that connection and realizing that the past is musically rich in our family. That is a very special thing. And Eric, you were talking a little bit too about, you know, your drawing on the Latin jazz route you have, you know, through your dad, Willie Bobo, who played with Tito Puente, who played with Kel Chater, who played with all the greats, all of my favorites. As a Timbali player myself, man, your dad's up there, right? He's like, he's on a pedestal. And it shows in the music

on the record and how you have incorporated all these different cultures, there's hip-hop, there's kumbia, there's all these other things. Authentically, it comes from a very authentic place, What was your perspective? What was your approach and being the music director for the record? I think the approach for me was to be able to try these different styles and incorporate them into our sound. You know, like I mentioned before, we weren't trying to follow a trend or, you know, or say, yeah, we're going to just do like a reggaeton or what's hot right now.

You know, we needed to represent ourselves. at Cypress Hill in this genre. And all the styles that we incorporated are styles that we all listen to outside of this. So we have an understanding, you know, and we're fans of it. So we were able to incorporate the cumbia thing and put that into hip-hop. It was like seamless. And we did it organically and authentically. and that was very, very important

and that was important for me to help bring that out. We'll be back with the guys from Cypress Hill right after this break. And now more with Cypress Hill. And we have a real treat because the guys were also joined by their longtime DJ, DJ Lord.

So I asked him how he was finding his place in this music and in the bands live performances. Well, I've always been a fan of doing things different and basically I found it as another level. Coming from hip-hop background with Public Enemy, but been with rock bands, house music, I'm a fan of music, but approaching this from like a white belt level and like B was saying, we had no expectations and it came together all organic. I came straight from the airport, straight to the studio and we start working on tracks immediately because my room wasn't ready. It was that kind of vibe in the studio.

We start sifting through samples because in my, you know, in my thing, I wasn't going to use stock samples like the average turntabeless. It had to be different. We're doing something different. It had to make a statement. It's for the culture like Sendog said. We were searching for samples. And if you check out the samples on the record that are cut, they're all in key to the track. And it was great to be able to have that.

Hip-hop, you know, turntable is thing with the music because a lot of newer hip-hop, you know, they have forgotten about the DJ. They don't really show that part. And the DJ has always been an integral part of hip-hop. So we needed to also show that and that part in the music. It was very, very important. And I think because, as Lord stated, you know, We took sounds that were in key to the music.

He not just became like the cuts. He became an instrument on the song. Like the turntable work that he did is as much as any instrument as the instruments that were played to make the actual music. So it just blended in great. And like Eric said, you know, we wanted to highlight turntableism because it is the backbone of hip hop in the first place. So, you know, in a time where you don't hear that much scratching and cutting in songs, we have one of the greatest on the planet right now to do so. So we wanted to unleash him, you know.

And this is one of the first records where Bobo's drummed on everything, and a lot of the turntableism has come from the DJ that is with us. You know what I mean? And it's like a very powerful record in that way, where we all put energy to it. and salute to Lord because those cuts are fucking amazing. I'm going to talk a little bit about the moment that we're in right now when this record comes out.

You know, when we talk about on Alt-Latino, we talk about Latino communities plural because, you know, as you know, and most people, a lot of people don't know. It's that we are not a monolith. A lot of different cultures for a lot of different places here in the United States. It creates this really beautifully diverse community. I just wonder what you guys think right now in this moment.

Like, where do you think we are right now? Where are the communities right now? Are we on the defensive? Are we fighting back? Are we under attack? Where does this record land at this moment? I mean, I think it's all the above. And it's something that, you know, we're used to in that regard,

that you're constantly fighting for yours, constantly being attacked. And the rest that goes with it, you know, to be complacent and sit and do nothing. you know, when you're active, you can't really do that. We just got to use our platforms as much as we can to speak against it and stand for ourselves. You know what I mean? Stand for our culture. Stand for our people. And be there for other communities as well.

And like you said, you know, the Latino peoples is a diverse community. It's different in every place that you go. Different slang, different terminology, even though the base of the, the language is Spanish, there's different styles of communication in these different places. So, you know, we're trying to generalize a message that works for everybody and, you know, trying to stand up, you know. Are there any specific tracks on the record that you think addresses the moment that we're in? I mean, most specifically, probably watch at trucha, you know.

A lot of it is written on metaphor, but speaking to what is right now. I think you're going to hear more music speaking, you know, about what's going on right now on the heels of all this. Like, not just our shit, but like other people that are making hip hop and Spanish and seeing what's going on with ice and all this shit. There's plenty of artists that are coming up on the underground, you know, addressing things like that. There's these guys called Coyote back home in Los Angeles. There are two young brothers from Hawthorne, hardcore hip-hop. and they flip in English and Spanish, and they're definitely talking about what's going on right now.

And they're just some of the voices that are in the community, talking about what's going on. And I think it's just going to keep extending so that we're all constantly telling each other to be aware of what's going on and don't live with the blinders on. The other thing I think this record deals with very, very artfully and creatively is the aspect of Afro-Latiniidad. which is still, I can't believe it,

like all these years later, all these decades later, we're still having to talk to people to try to get people to understand that you can be both Latino and Black at the same time, right? It's just mind-boggling that that's, you know, that we're still talking about this. Is that also part of the message that you put out with this record?

You know, that's hard to say because the imagery would have you look at it and show that it's, It's kind of showing like sort of like a Mexican representation with the Aztec character within the artwork, right? But we are Afro-Latino without doubt. I think it's not necessarily something addressed. I think it comes out in the music, naturally, and it's not something that we talk about to exploit or to, you know, sort of raise up as a cause. But I think it's something that we should because a lot of my...

us are Afro Latino, San myself, Bobo, you know, we're all definitely that and it is something that's real. That's for sure you go to any one of these countries that is Spanish speaking, you're going to see Afro Latinos there. And that's just a fact. When we speak Spanish depending on the style of music, I think you hear it there. So, for instance, with some of the stuff with the cumbia track, it sounds more Colombian or Mexican, right? but like when you go to, let's just say Latin lingo or Armada Latina, that seems more Afro-Cuban style than these other songs. So it's just wherever we're snapping in musically, it takes us in that direction.

I want to follow up on that question because Sendog, you've got an album out right now with Kemmo the Blacksican and Negroes de la Rasa, specifically dealing with your Afro-Latinidad. Where are you right now in your sense of self-discovery? and retouching on those roots? Well, my sense of rediscovery, I've always known, you know, that we are of African descent,

and I've always been proud of that, you know what I mean? But we went to make that record, and both of us, Kimo and I are both, you know, Afro Latinos, right? And we just had to make up something that outright definitely represented that brand of people. But in reality, We are Latinos and we are African also.

And it's very important that the race and the rest of the world also, that we're more than we are more than we are we're seeing. Where I'm going, we're a much a dream, being a chef with a fair and terraign. The new, no, I'd have nothing.

One day, I'd say that there'd a plata, a chamba, me valid where it's where a newdo grand is what's what I want to go back to something that you touched on at the beginning when you talked about the explosion of Latin music, and I think the most visible expression of that right now was the popularity of the Bad Bunny participation in the Super Bowl,

and it raised the level and awareness of Latin music of all kinds, I think, even to the point where I was seen on social media, and I was seeing a lot of African-American folks who didn't really know or weren't hip to the idea that there was some African culture in Puerto Rican music or in Puerto Rican culture, or at least the African heritage. And I've seen that over the years, like we talked about. Like sometimes there's a sense that you can't be both at the same time. And sometimes that still exists, from my perspective, do you think that music is the way to enlighten people? Do you think that something like this, like your album,

The Rise in Latin music, which just about all has African heritage, no matter where it comes from, do you think that this is the kind of thing that will maybe close that gap a little bit, you think? I think music definitely bridges the gap because, I mean, realistically, unless you're doing the knowledge on that, like looking for it, for yourself, you're oblivious to it until someone puts you on to it.

And then you kind of question it. you hear it, you know, and then, God willing, you become a fan of it, and then understand a little bit more of where all this comes from. Some people don't want to know, but other people are more open to it, you know, open souls, they hear it and they're like, oh, man, that makes sense. That's why this calls to me, you know what I mean? And I think just more time, more people talking about it, more acknowledgement of it, more embracing of it, you'll see the understanding

grow and it won't be such a surprise to anybody anymore. But yeah, I mean, the foundations of all the Latino music that's based off of, let's say, salsa, and merengue and the rest are based off of African rhythms

and the foundation of it. You know, what could deny that? Yeah, it's not a, It shouldn't even be a white and black thing or whatever like that because to me Latinos are of all colors, you know, and it's very important to unify. Music unifies no matter what language it is. And I think it's important for Latinos to realize that, you know, we are all one, you know, we really are. and there shouldn't be any separation.

Yeah, I don't know if you guys ever take a step back to look at that, but from where I said, you guys from the beginning have been examples of that, of bridging that gap. And I think this record, this new record, as well as your records, Sand Dogg, I think that it's a huge step forward in a very, very important moment when Latin music has such a spotlight on it. I think this record really accomplishes that in a big way. And thank you, thank you.

Honored to have you on the show and talk about the... record this week. Thank you. Thank you for having us. And thank you for the love on that. You know, we feel it's special and, you know, God willing, everybody else feels the same way, you know. Thanks a lot, guys. Right on. Thank you for your time. Thanks so much to the guys from Cyphers Hill. Be Real, Sendog, Eric Bobo, and DJ Lord. It was a genuine honor to talk to these guys, these pioneers who were still making powerful music. You have been listening to Alt Latino.

Our audio editor is Noah Caldwell. The executive producer of NPR music is Surreal Mohamed. Sunali Menta is executive director. And don't forget, we'd love to hear from you. Have you heard a band that you think we should know about maybe a cool single floating out there somewhere on the internet? Do you want to tell us about your favorite corner bar, your favorite taco stand, your favorite paletta vendor?

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