Cannabis Ruderalis

Black Sunday
Studio album by
ReleasedJuly 20, 1993
RecordedFebruary 1992 - April 1993
Genre
Length43:38
Label
Producer
Cypress Hill chronology
Something for the Blunted
(1992)
Black Sunday
(1993)
Cypress Hill III: Temples of Boom
(1995)
Singles from Black Sunday
  1. "Insane in the Brain"
    Released: June 22, 1993[1]
  2. "When the Shit Goes Down"
    Released: 1993
  3. "I Ain't Goin' Out Like That"
    Released: 1993
  4. "Lick a Shot"
    Released: 1994

Black Sunday is the second studio album by American hip hop group Cypress Hill. It was released on July 20, 1993, by Ruffhouse and Columbia Records. The album proved to be a massive success just like their debut, Cypress Hill. The album debuted at #1 on the US Billboard 200, selling 261,000 copies in its first week of sales[2] and became the highest Soundscan recording for a hip hop group at the time. Also, with their previous album, Cypress Hill, still in the charts, they became the first hip hop group ever to have 2 albums in the Top 10 of the U.S. Billboard 200 at the same time. The album went four-times platinum in the U.S. with 3.4 million units sold.[3]

As Cypress Hill advocates for medical and recreational use of cannabis, the booklet of the album contains 19 facts about the history of hemp and the positive attributes of cannabis.

Background[edit]

The first single, "Insane in the Brain", became a crossover hit, starting a following among rock and hip hop audiences. A clean censored version of the album was also made which removes the song "A to the K". The song "Hand on the Glock" is a re-recorded version of the track "Hand on the Pump" from the debut album Cypress Hill.

On July 20, 2023, an expanded edition of the album was released to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the album, featuring five additional songs.[4]

Reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
Calgary HeraldB+[6]
Entertainment WeeklyA−[7]
Los Angeles Times[8]
NME8/10[9]
Orlando Sentinel[10]
Q[11]
Rolling Stone[12]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[13]
The Source4/5[14]
Spin Alternative Record Guide8/10[15]

The single "I Ain't Goin' Out Like That" was nominated for the Grammy Award's Best Rap Performance of the year category.[16]

Rolling Stone - 4 stars - Excellent - "…it's the Cypress combo of stark grooves and cinematic gangsta fairy tales that allows them to rule the streets, a formula not messed with on Black Sunday…"[12]

The Source - 4 stars - Excellent - "…a darker sequel…this album is definitely worth buying as it easily rips the frame out of all those Cypress bandwagon jumpers…"[14]

Track listing[edit]

All tracks are written by Lawrence Muggerud, Louis Freese, and Senen Reyes, except track 2, written by Muggerud, Freese, and Todd Ray. All tracks produced by DJ Muggs, except track 2, produced by T-Ray.

No.TitleLength
1."I Wanna Get High"2:54
2."I Ain't Goin' Out Like That"4:27
3."Insane in the Brain"3:31
4."When the Shit Goes Down"3:08
5."Lick a Shot"3:23
6."Cock the Hammer"4:25
7."Lock Down"1:16
8."3 Lil' Putos"3:40
9."Legalize It"0:46
10."Hits from the Bong"2:40
11."What Go Around Come Around, Kid"3:42
12."A to the K"3:27
13."Hand on the Glock"3:32
14."Break 'Em Off Some"2:44
30th anniversary expanded edition track listing
No.TitleLength
15."Insane in the Brain - Statik Selektah Remix"3:32
16."Lick a Shot - Baka Boys Remix"3:12
17."Hits from the Bong - DJ Muggs 2023 Remix"2:59
18."Scooby Doo"3:40
19."Loco En El Coco - Insane in the Brain (Spanish Version)"3:24
Total length:60:24

Notes

  • Later repressings have a fade at the end of "Insane In The Brain" due to sample clearance issues, & "Lock Down" is omitted.

Personnel[edit]

Cypress Hill[edit]

Additional personnel[edit]

  • T-Ray – producer ("I Ain't Goin' Out Like That")
  • John Gamble – engineer
  • Andy Kravitz – engineer
  • Manuel Lecuona – engineer
  • Jason Roberts – engineer
  • Chris Shaw – engineer, mixing
  • Joe Nicolo – executive producer, mixing
  • Chris Schwartz – executive producer
  • Jay Papke – design
  • Anthony Artiaga – photography

Charts[edit]

Singles[edit]

Year Song Chart positions
Billboard Hot 100 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks Hot Rap Singles Rhythmic Top 40 Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales Hot Dance Music/Club Play
1993
"Insane in the Brain" #19 #27 #1 #16 #5 #16
1994
"I Ain't Goin' Out Like That" #65 #86 #21 - #21 -

Certifications[edit]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[39] Gold 35,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[40] Platinum 100,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[41] Platinum 15,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[42] Gold 25,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[43] Platinum 300,000^
United States (RIAA)[44] 4× Platinum 4,000,000

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Insane in the Brain [Single] - Cypress Hill". AllMusic. Retrieved February 21, 2015.
  2. ^ "我要发高端贴之 SOUNDSCAN历周冠军专辑销量!" [SOUNDSCAN album sales!] (in Chinese). baidu.com. 1993: 7 Aug. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
  3. ^ Kearney, Christine (16 April 2010). "NY: Still Smokin', Cypress Hill Battle To Keep Fans". The Drug War Headline News. Marijuana.com. Reuters. Archived from the original on 2011-11-12. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
  4. ^ "Black Sunday Expanded 30th Anniversary Edition Coming July 20". Cypress Hill | Official Website. 2023-07-07. Retrieved 2023-07-21.
  5. ^ Huey, Steve. "Black Sunday – Cypress Hill". AllMusic. Retrieved October 19, 2011.
  6. ^ Tremblay, Mark (August 8, 1993). "Recent Releases". Calgary Herald.
  7. ^ Sinclair, Tom (July 30, 1993). "Black Sunday". Entertainment Weekly (181). New York. ISSN 1049-0434. Archived from the original on October 14, 2012. Retrieved October 19, 2011.
  8. ^ Hunt, Dennis (July 18, 1993). "Cypress Hill's Pot-Laced Hip-Hop High". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
  9. ^ Batey, Angus (July 24, 1993). "Cypress Hill – Black Sunday". NME. London: 34. Archived from the original on June 10, 2000. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
  10. ^ Gettelman, Parry (August 13, 1993). "Cypress Hill". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
  11. ^ "Cypress Hill: Black Sunday". Q (85). London: 105. October 1993. ISSN 0955-4955.
  12. ^ a b Diehl, Matt (September 16, 1993). "Cypress Hill: Black Sunday". Rolling Stone (665). New York: 64. ISSN 0035-791X. Archived from the original on November 4, 2007. Retrieved October 19, 2011.
  13. ^ Sheffield, Rob (2004). "Cypress Hill". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 206. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  14. ^ a b "Cypress Hill: Black Sunday". The Source (48). New York: 82. September 1993. ISSN 1063-2085.
  15. ^ Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig, eds. (1995). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
  16. ^ "Cypress Hill - Black Sunday CD". CDUniverse.com. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
  17. ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 1993". Q. Bauer Media. January 1994. p. 83. ISSN 0955-4955. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
  18. ^ "The Albums of the Year". Melody Maker. IPC Media. 1 January 1994. p. 77. ISSN 0025-9012. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
  19. ^ "1993 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll". The Village Voice. New York. 3 January 1994. p. 5. ISSN 0042-6180. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
  20. ^ "The Top 50 LPs of 1993". NME. IPC Media. 25 December 1993. p. 66. ISSN 0028-6362. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
  21. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Cypress Hill – Black Sunday". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  22. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Cypress Hill – Black Sunday" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  23. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Cypress Hill – Black Sunday" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  24. ^ "Charts.nz – Cypress Hill – Black Sunday". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  25. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Cypress Hill – Black Sunday". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  26. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Cypress Hill – Black Sunday". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  27. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  28. ^ "Cypress Hill Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  29. ^ "Cypress Hill Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  30. ^ "Top 100 Albums 1993" (PDF). Music Week. January 15, 1994. p. 25. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
  31. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1993". Billboard. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  32. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1993". Billboard. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  33. ^ "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles 1994". Australian Record Industry Association Ltd. Archived from the original on October 25, 2015. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
  34. ^ "Top Selling Albums of 1994". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
  35. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1994". Billboard. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  36. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1994". Billboard. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  37. ^ "Canada's Top 200 R&B; albums of 2002". Jam!. Archived from the original on November 6, 2003. Retrieved March 28, 2022.
  38. ^ "Top 100 rap albums of 2002 in Canada". Jam!. Archived from the original on October 12, 2003. Retrieved March 28, 2022.
  39. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1994 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
  40. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Cypress Hill – Black Sunday". Music Canada. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
  41. ^ "New Zealand album certifications – Cypress Hill – Black Sunday". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
  42. ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Black Sunday')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
  43. ^ "British album certifications – Cypress Hill – Black Sunday". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
  44. ^ "American album certifications – Cypress Hill – Black Sunday". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved July 7, 2023.

External links[edit]

Leave a Reply