‘It shows our music is timeless’ – Cypress Hill on being rediscovered on TikTok
Cypress Hill’s 1996 song Illusions went viral on the social media app last year, introducing the hip-hop group to a new set of fans.
A rapper in hip hop group Cypress Hill said their music being picked up by a new generation on TikTok shows it is “timeless”.
Their song titled Illusions has been used in more than 2.5 million posts on the social media app, despite reaching only number 23 in the UK singles chart when it was released in 1996.
TikTok has recently led to a number of artists from the past being rediscovered by a younger generation of fans.
The app has been credited for a revival of the 1990s shoegaze movement, with tracks by the likes of My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive and Duster becoming more popular than ever, after being used in posts by millions of Gen Z fans.
Speaking about the Temples Of Boom cut, Cypress Hill member B-Real told the PA news agency: “It feels good, because it shows that our music is timeless.
“As of late we’ve noticed, in the last few years, in the spot where we actually play that song Illusions, we say make some noise if this is your first time seeing Cypress Hill, and about 70% of the venue, who are young, are out there making that noise.
“That just goes to show that our music is being passed down through generations, much like as when we were coming up, as young kids we were all pretty much into Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin, but it was before our time.
“We got put on to this music by our peers that were maybe older, or relatives, older brothers and sisters, aunts, uncles.
“They thought it was so good and they were like, ‘hey, you like rock music, check this band out’, and we became fans of it, and then we eventually pass it down.
“I believe our music is in that state now where people our age that were into hip-hop, punk and metal now have kids and they’re passing this music down to their kids and stuff.
“That’s why we’re seeing a lot of younger fans at our shows these days, and that feels great, because it means we did our goddamn job.”
The 54-year-old rapper was speaking ahead of Cypress Hill’s Simpsons-inspired performance with the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) at the Royal Albert Hall on Wednesday.
He said Illusions was one of the songs which worked best with the orchestra, and added the band wished they had been able to use the LSO when initially recording the song.
B-Real added: “Playing it with the symphony gave it a whole different life.
“The original version, our fans love it because it’s just so moody and vibey, and the remix is a little more upbeat and they love that.
“But it wasn’t one of our hit songs, Illusions was a single, but it wasn’t a hit song at the time of release, it was a decent single for us.
“Salute to Colorado Symphony for writing it the way they did, because we initially planned to play with drums like the rest of the pieces.
“And on this particular one, we decided to do something very different, it sounds nothing like the remix and nothing like the original, and yet it’s still the same song.
“That’s the one we look forward to people hearing, because it’s such a great vibe.”
