Skull & Bones (album)

Skull & Bones is the fifth studio album by American hip hop group Cypress Hill, released on April 25, 2000, by Columbia Records. The album's genre and style are divided into two discs — a pure hip hop disc ("Skull") and a nu metal/rap metal disc ("Bones"). It also features guest appearances from Everlast, Eminem, N.O.R.E., Christian Olde Wolbers and Dino Cazares of Fear Factory, Brad Wilk of Rage Against the Machine, and Chino Moreno of Deftones.

Skull & Bones
Studio album by
Cypress Hill
ReleasedApril 25, 2000
Recorded1999–2000
StudioAmeraycan Studios, North Hollywood, Los Angeles, California[1]
Genre
Length64:27
LabelColumbia
ProducerDJ Muggs
Cypress Hill chronology
IV
(1998)		 Skull & Bones
(2000)		 Live at the Fillmore
(2000)
Singles from Skull & Bones
  1. "(Rap) Superstar / (Rock) Superstar"
    Released: February 29, 2000[2]
  2. "Highlife / Can't Get the Best of Me"
    Released: October 31, 2000[3]

Background

Cypress Hill landed a slot supporting The Offspring and MxPx on the Conspiracy of One tour.[4] The song "(Rock) Superstar" was a radio hit on both rap and rock stations. It was once performed live by the band with Slash, Duff McKagan and Matt Sorum, former members of the rock band Guns N' Roses. The Intro includes a sample from Ralph Bakshi's film Wizards.

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[6]
Entertainment WeeklyC+[7]
RapReviews6/10[8]
Rolling Stone[9]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[10]
  • Rolling Stone - 3.5 stars out of 5 - "A bipolar breakdown…proving hip-hop is more like T2…capable of morphing into anyone they wanna be."[9]
  • CMJ - "Proves rather convincingly that Cypress Hill still packs a mighty punch."[11]
  • Vibe - "Marks the first major shift in the group's direction....Half of [the album] is a head-banging jam session....Songs like '(Rap) Superstar' prove that the group still has that winning formula."[12]
  • The Source - 3.5 mics out of 5 - "May be their most drastic turn yet.… Cypress' flavor runs thick across the disc.… They break down the barriers in order to transcend the industry-imposed terms of alternative and rap…another set for the weeded."[13]
  • Rap Pages - "May be the best album you hear for the next 2 years.… [It] is so artistically good that it [will] stay in your personal rotation…"[14]
  • Mojo - "Finds them sticking a finger in the air and finding the wind blowing in the direction of thrash-metal."[15]
  • NME - 7 out of 10 - "Picks up where the groggy metal/rap melange of '98s Cypress Hill IV left off.… It's business as usual.… They do hip-hop and they do funk-metal rawk…evolving slowly."[16]

Track listing

Skull & Bones

Skull (Disc 1)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Intro"Muggerud1:52
2."Another Victory"Freese, Muggerud3:11
3."(Rap) Superstar" (feat. Eminem and Noreaga)Freese, Muggerud4:53
4."Cuban Necktie"Freese, Muggerud4:13
5."What U Want from Me"Freese, Muggerud, Reyes3:50
6."Stank Ass Hoe"Freese, Muggerud5:09
7."Highlife"Freese, Muggerud, Reyes3:53
8."Certified Bomb"Freese, Muggerud, Reyes4:03
9."Can I Get a Hit"Freese, Muggerud2:47
10."We Live This Shit"Freese, Muggerud, Reyes4:20
11."Worldwide"Freese, Muggerud, Reyes2:45
Bones (Disc 2)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Valley of Chrome"Freese, Muggerud, Reyes4:04
2."Get Out of My Head"Freese, Muggerud3:31
3."Can't Get the Best of Me"Correa, Freese, Muggerud, Reyes, Wilk4:15
4."A Man"Correa, Freese, Reyes, Fleener, Zambrano3:08
5."Dust"Correa, Freese, Muggerud, Reyes, Fleming3:56
6."(Rock) Superstar" (feat. Chino Moreno and Everlast)Freese, Muggerud, Reyes4:37

All tracks produced by DJ Muggs.

Notes

The untitled instrumental segue after "Stank Ass Hoe" was re-used for the track "Heart of the Assassin" on the 2000 DJ Muggs produced album Soul Assassins II.

Personnel

Cypress Hill

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[43] Platinum 100,000^
Finland — 12,445[44]
United Kingdom (BPI)[45] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[46] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. "Skull & Bones".
  2. "Rap Superstar - Cypress Hill". AllMusic. Retrieved February 21, 2015.
  3. "Highlife: Can't Get the Best of Me". Retrieved May 16, 2014.
  4. "Tour Archive: 2000". Offspring.com. Archived from the original on 9 December 2004.
  5. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Cypress Hill - Skull & Bones". AllMusic. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
  6. Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. ISBN 9780857125958.
  7. Weingarten, Marc (19 May 2000). "Skull & Bones". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2019-01-13.
  8. Juon, Steve 'Flash' (29 May 2000). "Cypress Hill: Skull & Bones". RapReviews.com. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
  9. Blashill, Pat (11 May 2000). "Cypress Hill: Skull & Bones". Rolling Stone. No. RS 840. Straight Arrow. p. 132. ISSN 0035-791X. Archived from the original on 14 March 2008.
  10. Sheffield, Rob (2004). "Cypress Hill". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian David (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 9780743201698.
  11. "Skull & Bones". CMJ New Music. Great Neck, NY: College Media. 1 May 2000. p. 23. ISSN 1074-6978. Retrieved 21 October 2011.
  12. "Skull & Bones". Vibe. InterMedia Partners. June 2000. p. 223. ISSN 1070-4701. Retrieved 21 October 2011.
  13. "Skull & Bones". The Source. New York. June 2000. pp. 218–20. ISSN 1063-2085. Retrieved 21 October 2011.
  14. "Skull & Bones". Rap Pages. Beverly Hills: LFP. June 2000. p. 42. ISSN 1063-1283. Retrieved 21 October 2011.
  15. "Skull & Bones". Mojo. Bauer Media. June 2000. p. 113. ISSN 1351-0193. Retrieved 21 October 2011.
  16. "Skull & Bones". NME. IPC Media. 29 April 2000. p. 33. ISSN 0028-6362. Retrieved 21 October 2011.
  17. "Australiancharts.com – Cypress Hill – Skull & Bones". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
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  27. "Charts.nz – Cypress Hill – Skull & Bones". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
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  33. "Cypress Hill Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
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  45. "British album certifications – Cypress Hill – Skull & Bones". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
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