Cypress Hill IV is the fourth studio album by American hip-hop group Cypress Hill. It was released on October 6, 1998, by Ruffhouse and Columbia Records. The skeletons on the cover are posing as the three wise monkeys (see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil). Rappers MC Eiht and Barron Ricks were featured on the album. The album went Gold in the U.S with over 500,000 units sold.
"16 Men Till There's No Men Left", "Checkmate", and "Lightning Strikes" are featured in the 1999 PC game Kingpin: Life of Crime. Alongside the full versions of these tracks, instrumental versions with the vocals removed were used as backing tracks. Cypress Hill also provided some of the voice acting for the game.
Reception
IV received mixed reviews from critics, with AllMusic giving it a strongly negative review.
Rolling Stone - 3.5 Stars (out of 5) - "Cypress Hill's most bangin' LP since their 1991 debut.… Cypress Hill still name-check firearms, threaten rivals and smoke more weed than a congregation of Rastas. But the obsessions are means to an end."
The Wire - "…they come out fighting. Red eyed, rabid and slobbering with skunk-fueled menace.… gangsta rap's future as a musical force is secure."
Rap Pages - 4 (out of 5) - "Like previous albums…IV's fabulous formula of speakerphone tones by B-Real and sporadic comments by Sen Dog resembles 'How I Could Just Kill A Man'."
Track listing All tracks produced by DJ Muggs
Bonus tracks Rags to Riches is included as a bonus track on some editions of the album, which is actually a Baron Ricks song, credited to Baron Ricks featuring Cypress Hill & Self Scientific. It was separately released on his 12-inch vinyl single Rags to Riches / Harlem River Drive.
Personnel B-Real - vocals Sen Dog - vocals DJ Muggs - arranger, producer, mixing Eric "Bobo" Correa - bass, percussion, backing vocals MC Eiht - vocals Chace Infinite (of Self Scientific) - vocals Barron Ricks - vocals Mike Sims - Bass, Guitar Troy Stanton - engineer Reggie Stewart - bass Sean Evans - art direction Dean Karr - photography Manuel Lecuona - mastering
Charts
YearChartPeak position1998Billboard Canadian Albums31998Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)171998French Albums Top 10071998German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)171998Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)141998The Billboard 200111998Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums111998UK Official Albums Chart Top 10025
Certifications
References
External links