On today in Hip Hop historical past, West Coast stoner legends Cypress Hill dropped their second and most profitable album, Black Sunday. Launched on July 20, 1993, the venture debuted at No. 1 on each the Billboard 200 and the High R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts, shifting a then-record 261,000 copies in its first week—the best SoundScan tally for a rap group on the time.
A lot of Black Sunday’s success was fueled by its lead single, the anthemic “Insane within the Mind,” which grew to become a genre-bending crossover smash. With its funky, mind-warping manufacturing and signature nasal circulation from B-Actual, the monitor cemented Cypress Hill’s place in each Hip Hop and rock circles, incomes reward from each rap heads and metalheads alike. Their aggressive sound, punk-influenced aesthetic, and pro-cannabis message resonated with a brand new fan base that prolonged far past conventional rap audiences.
Critically, the album was well-received throughout the board, garnering glowing evaluations and even a Grammy nomination. The group’s cultural affect hit a brand new excessive when Black Sunday tracks have been featured in cult classics like How Excessive, the place Cypress Hill even made a cameo. Through the years, the album’s influence has solely grown, incomes triple platinum certification from the RIAA and racking up greater than 3.4 million in gross sales.
Thirty-one years later, Black Sunday stays a blazing milestone in rap historical past—and a vital soundtrack for people who smoke and Hip Hop purists alike.
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