Rise Up (Cypress Hill album)

Rise Up is the eighth studio album by Cypress Hill, which was released on April 20, 2010.[4] It is their first album of new material in six years, following 2004's Till Death Do Us Part, and their first to be released on EMI's Priority Records, their first venture away from Columbia, who handled all of their previous releases.

Rise Up
Studio album by
ReleasedApril 20, 2010 (2010-04-20)
Recorded2005–2009
Genre
Length58:11 (Standard edition)
73:00 (Exclusive edition)
LabelPriority
Producer
Cypress Hill chronology
Strictly Hip Hop: The Best of Cypress Hill
(2010)
Rise Up
(2010)
Cypress X Rusko
(2012)
Singles from Rise Up
  1. "Get 'Em Up"
    Released: August 18, 2009[1]
  2. "It Ain't Nothin'"
    Released: January 28, 2010
  3. "Rise Up[2]"
    Released: February 23, 2010
  4. "Armada Latina[3]"
    Released: March 2, 2010

Background edit

There was a gap of six years between Till Death Do Us Part and Rise Up, the longest between studio albums of Cypress Hill's recording career at the time of release. The group commenced work on the record in 2005, but had not entered studio work until 2008.[5] The writing and recording process spanned four years and a number of recording studios and was finished in 2009.

Rise Up was delayed several times before its release. Originally scheduled to be released in 2006, it was later postponed to March 23, 2010 (exactly six years since the release of their last album), then again to April 6. The album's release date was finally set for April 20, 2010.

In terms of the album's musical direction, in March 2010 Cypress Hill emcee B-Real told noted UK urban writer Pete Lewis - Deputy Editor of the award-winning Blues & Soul - "Musically we wanted a bigger sound, a more AGGRESSIVE sound, and something obviously with a lotta DYNAMICS. You know, our sound has always been raw and gritty, ominous and moody... And, while this time we still wanted it to be raw and dark, we also wanted it to be more UPTEMPO. Because, in terms of the live setting, whenever we do songs that are more uptempo and aggressive people do love them and it makes for a great SHOW. So, while making this album, we definitely had the intention of making songs that would translate well to the live aspect of what Cypress Hill is about. So that, when we play these songs out, we're gonna get a magnificent reaction from the crowd!"[6]

Production edit

Rise Up marks a major shift in the group's sound, as it was the first of their albums not produced by founding member DJ Muggs. While Muggs does contribute co-production with DJ Khalil on two songs, B-Real takes on the role as main producer, executive producer and overseer of the project. Other producers include Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park, Jim Jonsin, Pete Rock, Jake One, Sick Jacken and Tom Morello.

Featured guests include Daron Malakian of System of a Down, Pitbull, Everlast, Evidence, Young De, Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave, and Marc Anthony. Other artists like Ill Bill, Apathy, DJ Premier and Slash were also featured as guests but never made the final cut.[7][8]

Reception edit

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Slant Magazine     [9]
AllMusic     [10]
PopMatters          [11]
The Skinny     [12]
DJBooth.net     [13]

The album's introduction single, "It Ain't Nothin'" was released as a free download from the group's official website with a music video by Matt Alonzo. "Rise Up", with Tom Morello, is the second single; it also features as the theme song for Elimination Chamber 2010 and the end-credit track for the Season 3 finale episode of the television show Silicon Valley.

PopMatters said, "As much as B-Real still seems lively, Sen Dog seems to have smoked himself out of being a rapper. He sounds exhausted and unimaginative all over this record. He doesn’t even appear on all of the tracks. This imbalance, coupled with the array of random producers, causes an inconsistency in the LP’s sound that hurts Rise Up."[11]

An early review, Scottish magazine The Skinny offered a largely positive 3 stars (out of 5), noting that the album appears "less playful than its predecessor (2004’s Clash-sampling Till Death Do Us Part) but surprisingly more focused - given Muggs’ notable absence from the producer's chair – [The Hill] source inspired collaborations with Pete Rock, Jim Jonsin and Marc Anthony to reinforce their timeless agenda."

Commercial edit

Rise Up debuted on the Billboard 200 on April 28 at #19 selling 18,000 copies.[14] The next week it fell over 50 spots to #72 on the Top 200 albums.[15] In its third week the album fell off the Top 100 to #105 and has sold 31,000 copies to date.[16]

Track listing edit

Rise Up[17]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."It Ain't Nothin" (featuring Young De)B-Real4:01
2."Light It Up"Pete Rock3:17
3."Rise Up" (featuring Tom Morello)
  • Freese
  • Reyes
  • Tom Morello
  • Ferm
  • Tom Morello
  • B-Real
3:50
4."Get It Anyway"
Jim Jonsin4:20
5."Pass the Dutch" (featuring Evidence and The Alchemist)3:20
6."Bang Bang"
B-Real3:49
7."K.U.S.H."4:57
8."Get 'Em Up"B-Real3:52
9."Carry Me Away" (featuring Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park)
  • Freese
  • Reyes
  • Mike Shinoda
Mike Shinoda4:07
10."Trouble Seeker" (featuring Daron Malakian of System of a Down)
  • Freese
  • Reyes
  • Daron Malakian
Daron Malakian3:39
11."Take My Pain" (featuring Everlast)
  • DJ Muggs
  • DJ Khalil
3:36
12."I Unlimited"B-Real4:25
13."Armed & Dangerous"
3:27
14."Shut 'Em Down" (featuring Tom Morello)
  • Freese
  • Reyes
  • Morello
  • Morello
  • B-Real
3:26
15."Armada Latina" (featuring Pitbull and Marc Anthony)Jim Jonsin4:04
Total length:58:11
Exclusive edition bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
16."Dead Man's Gun" (featuring Young De)4:01
17."Rise Like Smoke"3:45
18."Strike the Match"3:33
19."Get Higher"4:30
Total length:73:00

Sample credits[17]

Personnel edit

Charts edit

Release history edit

Country Date
China April 13, 2010
Germany April 16, 2010
France April 17, 2010
Australia April 19, 2010
United Kingdom
Canada April 20, 2010
Hungary
United States
Japan April 21, 2010
Brazil April 23, 2010

References edit

  1. ^ iTunes Store
  2. ^ iTunes Store
  3. ^ iTunes Store
  4. ^ Home – Cypress Hill
  5. ^ Cypress Hill Albums, Discography | Billboard.com
  6. ^ Cypress Hill interview by Pete Lewis, 'Blues & Soul' April 2010
  7. ^ Cypress Hill Coming Back With New Album, Label | Billboard.com
  8. ^ Cypress Hill To Return With Help From Slash, Tom Morello And Mike Shinoda » MTV Newsroom
  9. ^ Jones, Huw (April 20, 2009). "Slant Magazine". Slant Magazine. Retrieved April 20, 2010.
  10. ^ Jeffries, David. "Review: Rise Up". AllMusic. Retrieved April 22, 2010.
  11. ^ a b Baird, Saxon (May 6, 2010). "Cypress Hill: Rise Up". PopMatters. Retrieved December 18, 2014.
  12. ^ Muzz, Emil. "Review: Rise Up". The Skinny. Retrieved April 22, 2010.
  13. ^ Slavik, Nathan. "Review: Rise Up". DJBooth.net. Retrieved July 27, 2011.
  14. ^ Hip Hop Album Sales: The Week Ending 4/25/2010 | Get The Latest Hip Hop News, Rap News & Hip Hop Album Sales | HipHopDX
  15. ^ Hip Hop Album Sales: The Week Ending 5/3/2010 | Get The Latest Hip Hop News, Rap News & Hip Hop Album Sales | HipHopDX
  16. ^ Hip Hop Album Sales: The Week Ending 5/9/2010 | HipHopDX
  17. ^ a b Rise Up (booklet). Priority. 2010.
  18. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Cypress Hill – Rise Up" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  19. ^ "Ultratop.be – Cypress Hill – Rise Up" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  20. ^ "Ultratop.be – Cypress Hill – Rise Up" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  21. ^ "Cypress Hill Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  22. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Cypress Hill – Rise Up" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  23. ^ "Lescharts.com – Cypress Hill – Rise Up". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  24. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Cypress Hill – Rise Up" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  25. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  26. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Cypress Hill – Rise Up". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  27. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  28. ^ "Cypress Hill Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  29. ^ "Cypress Hill Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  30. ^ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2010". hitparade.ch. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  31. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2010". Billboard. Retrieved August 2, 2020.

External links edit