Cypress Hill - Live at Rock Im Park 1999 [Blue & White]

Cypress Hill brought a cloud of smoke and a mountain of bass to Germany's Rock im Park festival in 1999, and this live set captures the crowd losing its mind on blue and white vinyl.

By the end of the nineties the Los Angeles crew had become that rare hip hop act equally at home on rock festival bills, their heavy, menacing grooves and stoner humor winning over metalheads and rap fans alike. Rock im Park, the Nuremberg twin of the famous Rock am Ring, was exactly the kind of stage where that crossover appeal exploded.

B-Real's nasal snarl and Sen Dog's barking ad-libs trade punches through a set stacked with hits. Hand on the Pump keeps the early energy high, Lightning Strikes lands with real weight, and Insane in the Brain turns the whole field into one bouncing, chanting mass. Dr. Greenthumb, then a fresh single, arrives as a celebratory singalong, and percussionist Eric Bobo gets his own solo spot to show off the rhythmic engine behind the band.

The recording keeps the rough edges intact, crowd roars and all, which is exactly how a festival set should sound.

For fans who only know the studio albums, it's a vivid reminder of why Cypress Hill were one of the great live acts of their era.