Review: This new live release from Californian hip-hop veterans Cypress Hill captures their full-scale collaboration with the London Symphony Orchestra, recorded in July 2024 and reworking their landmark Black Sunday album alongside key tracks from across their catalogue. Conducted by Troy Miller, the performance adds sweeping arrangements and new sonic dimensions to classics like 'Insane in the Brain', 'I Ain't Goin' Out Like That' and 'Hits From the Bong', while tracks like 'How I Could Just Kill a Man' and '(Rock) Superstar' are reimagined with widescreen drama. The orchestra doesn't dilute the impact i instead, it sharpens it, with strings and brass accentuating the menace and clarity of DJ Muggs' original production. 'Dr. Greenthumb' and 'Illusions' sit particularly well in this new context, showing how elastic the group's material can be without losing its edge. It's a new release that avoids the usual crossover pitfalls i the arrangements are built with detail and respect for the original tracks, and B-Real's delivery stays sharp throughout. A rare example of a classical-meets-rap performance that feels earned, not novelty i and a reminder of just how deep this group's catalogue runs.
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