what advice would you give to your
younger self to my younger self don't
trust that one dude today I'm talking to
be real a pioneer and founding member of
the group Cypress Hill they've sold over
20 million records with songs like
insane in the brain and rock superstar
and with the first Latino group to go
platinum in rap now at age 49
not only is b-real still touring and
recording music he's also an
entrepreneur media host and an activist
do you remember what your first hip-hop
memory was it was on 1580 KDAY awhile
was am station and they were the only
ones playing hip-hop music on the radio
in Los Angeles maybe anywhere time they
played Run DMC here we go I thought this
this is dope that was the first thing
that like punched me in the face and got
my attention I've heard you say that
music has saved your life you just paint
the picture of what was going on when
Sun Dogg and mugs kind of pulled you
into the group you know I started
hanging out with gangsters and became a
gangster and you know I was really
running around wild while they were
still trying to pursue that the passion
of getting a record deal they felt like
you know was their duty to come get me
out of the neighborhood and get me back
on the mic or writing that definitely
saved my life because the the trajectory
and again you know you're either going
to prison or in the grave music and
those guys pretty much saved my life
the lyrics portrayed the violence that
was going on around you but she never
glorified that why was that important to
you I felt like you know we had to come
with a message that was making people
aware of what was going on and then the
choice you could make to either go right
or left because I thought you know this
is nothing to glorify I mean I've lost
friends you know they were close to me
due to the gang violence we already know
that possibly our day comes at the end
of a barrel with a bullet coming out of
it whether it's a rival or a police
officer there is a way out I'm proof of
that you guys kind of became celebrities
pretty quickly the thing that pushed
kill a man over the top and gave it
extra life and extra boost was the fact
that Chuck D and the bomb squad were
putting together the music for the movie
juice which was Tupac's first world
it was bubbling on the mix show play and
then that movie blew that song up out
the water and hollow Cypress Hill to
everybody at that point what was the
biggest challenge but now you couldn't
go anywhere without being reckoned it
was surreal because we went from being
able go to the mall and not be
recognized to be incognito no one gave a
[ __ ] who we were to now when it went
into the malls and we were like the
Beatles I did not realize you know what
that song to do what it would do for us
and how it would change our lives
[Music]
your voice is one of the most
distinctive and music how did you come
to have that that voice I was rapping in
this voice to start and the guys did not
like it at all they said you better come
up with something where you're gonna be
writing raps for send on so we're all
big fans of this rapper named Ram LZ you
know he had this crazy star where he'd
be rapping like this more
buh-buh-buh-buh-buh
and then he come all the way up here and
things I said okay I'm gonna try to
pitch my boys like him the guys liked it
I didn't think they would like it I
barely liked it that's how it came about
and it took me some years to get used to
actually doing it I went to a an opera
singer for four lessons on how to
breathe and project you know without
straining my voice of stuff like them
but I got used to it and I started
embracing it and I learned to like it
myself you talked about the Latin
influence and obviously both of you guys
speaking Spanish on Latin lingo why was
that important for you guys
realistically the lane for Latin rappers
was very small at the time so we just
wanted to be known as a pop group so we
would just sprinkle our Latin flavor
here and there and not not overdo it to
not get put in that box like the Latin
rapper box because if you got put in
that box at that time you were going
nowhere that fan base didn't exist
Latins that were spanish-speaking Latins
in this country
we're only listening to spanish-speaking
music not bilingual stuff and especially
not any rap [ __ ] that took time guys
like Kidd frosted mellow Manny's open
those doors we went through it and
kicked the door open and you know made a
gaping door for others to come behind
but now labels are like we definitely
know where to market them now there is
definitely a lane for them now we need
to sign them up you've been pretty
consistent not only with the music being
entrepreneur still finding time to tour
it so one of the other
the real TV why was it important to you
to be a interviewer and have
conversations with other people people
know me from Cyprus nobody knows some of
these young folks don't know what
Cypress Hill is they'll know me from the
smoke box you're due from the smoke box
yeah I have fun doing it most of the
time you know when the guest is open
it's a great conversation in it
sometimes is educational as long as
people still want to come and do it
and I'm having fun doing it you know
we're gonna continue to keep rolling
like where does that hunger come from to
not slow down you're as old as you feel
right so if I one day I get like Danny
Glover and Lethal Weapon I'm getting too
old then off then I'll just retire but
you know for me as long as I feel good
it can healthy I mean I love doing it
and I think if you love it and you take
care of yourself you go as long as you
want
hip-hop is like any other music and it's
ageless you can do hip-hop no matter how
and old you are it's about relating to
people you know what I mean in the older
artists have something to teach and
that's relatable appreciate you saw most
three five thank you very much