Today in Hip-Hop: Cypress Hill Drop ‘Black Sunday’ Album

On this day, July 20, in hip-hop history…

1993: Cypress Hill, one of the most infamous West Coast hip-hop forces of the 1990s, released their second and most highly-acclaimed album Black Sunday on July 20, 1993.

The group maintained a high profile, being the first Cuban-American/Latino hip-hop group to have multiple Platinum albums, as awarded by the RIAA. Black Sunday attributed greatly to this legacy, recording the highest numbers on SoundScan for a rap group at that time, and also going triple-platinum in the United States, selling over 3.4 million albums.

The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, selling 261,000 copies in the first week. Interestingly enough, with their self-titled debut album, Cypress Hill, still in the Billboard charts, Cypress Hill became the first group to have two albums in the Top 10 of the Billboard 200 chart.

The album appealed to many demographics, being regarded as a successful crossover from hip-hop to rock. Iconic tracks like “Hits from the Bong” and “I Wanna Get High” furthered the acclaim of Cypress Hill, being featured in several well known films such as How High.

50 Great Albums From Rappers With Poetic Flows