Black Sunday (Cypress Hill album) explained

Black Sunday
Type:studio
Artist:Cypress Hill
Cover:Cypress Hill-Black Sunday.jpg
Released:July 20, 1993
Recorded:February 1992 – April 1993
Length:43:38
Prev Title:Something for the Blunted
Prev Year:1992
Next Year:1995

Black Sunday is the second studio album by American hip hop group Cypress Hill. It was released on July 20, 1993, by Ruffhouse and Columbia Records. The album proved to be a massive success just like their debut, Cypress Hill. The album debuted at #1 on the US Billboard 200, selling 261,000 copies in its first week of sales[1] and became the highest Soundscan recording for a hip hop group at the time. Also, with their previous album, Cypress Hill, still in the charts, they became the first hip hop group ever to have 2 albums in the Top 10 of the U.S. Billboard 200 at the same time. The album went four-times platinum in the U.S. with 3.4 million units sold.[2]

As Cypress Hill advocates for medical and recreational use of cannabis, the booklet of the album contains 19 facts about the history of hemp and the positive attributes of cannabis.

Background

The first single, "Insane in the Brain", became a crossover hit, starting a following among rock and hip hop audiences. A clean censored version of the album was also made which removes the song "A to the K". The song "Hand on the Glock" is a re-recorded version of the track "Hand on the Pump" from the debut album Cypress Hill.

On July 20, 2023, an expanded edition of the album was released to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the album, featuring five additional songs.[3]

Reception

The single "I Ain't Goin' Out Like That" was nominated for the Grammy Award's Best Rap Performance of the year category.[4]

Rolling Stone - 4 stars - Excellent - "…it's the Cypress combo of stark grooves and cinematic gangsta fairy tales that allows them to rule the streets, a formula not messed with on Black Sunday…"

The Source - 4 stars - Excellent - "…a darker sequel…this album is definitely worth buying as it easily rips the frame out of all those Cypress bandwagon jumpers…"

Track listing

Notes

Personnel

Cypress Hill

Additional personnel

Charts

Year-end charts

Chart (1993)Position
UK Albums (OCC)[9] 96
US Billboard 200[10] 33
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[11] 19
Chart (1994)Position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[12] 93
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[13] 12
US Billboard 200[14] 98
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[15] 98
Chart (2002)Position
Canadian R&B Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)[16] 162
Canadian Rap Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)[17] 82

Singles

YearSongChart positions
Billboard Hot 100Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & TracksHot Rap SinglesRhythmic Top 40Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles SalesHot Dance Music/Club Play
1993
"Insane in the Brain"
  1. 19
  1. 27
  1. 1
  1. 16
  1. 5
  1. 16
1994
"I Ain't Goin' Out Like That"
  1. 65
  1. 86
  1. 21
-
  1. 21
-

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 我要发高端贴之 SOUNDSCAN历周冠军专辑销量!. zh . SOUNDSCAN album sales! . 1993: 7 Aug . baidu.com . 19 October 2011.
  2. News: Kearney. Christine. 16 April 2010. NY: Still Smokin', Cypress Hill Battle To Keep Fans. The Drug War Headline News. Marijuana.com. Reuters. 19 October 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20111112135402/http://www.marijuana.com/drug-war-headline-news/145107-ny-still-smokin-cypress-hill-battle-keep-fans.html. 2011-11-12.
  3. Web site: 2023-07-07 . Black Sunday Expanded 30th Anniversary Edition Coming July 20 . 2023-07-21 . Cypress Hill Official Website . en-US.
  4. Web site: Cypress Hill - Black Sunday CD . CDUniverse.com . 19 October 2011.
  5. News: The 50 Best Albums of 1993 . . 83 . January 1994 . Bauer Media . 0955-4955 . 19 October 2011.
  6. News: The Albums of the Year . . 77 . 1 January 1994 . IPC Media . 0025-9012 . 19 October 2011.
  7. News: 1993 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll . . 5 . 3 January 1994 . New York . 0042-6180 . 19 October 2011.
  8. News: The Top 50 LPs of 1993 . . 66 . 25 December 1993 . IPC Media . 0028-6362 . 19 October 2011.
  9. Top 100 Albums 1993. Music Week. January 15, 1994. 25. April 20, 2022.
  10. Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1993. Billboard. October 9, 2020.
  11. Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1993. Billboard. October 9, 2020.
  12. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20151025122130/http://i.imgur.com/LHigR9p.jpg. The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles 1994. Australian Record Industry Association Ltd.. October 25, 2015. May 19, 2022.
  13. Web site: Top Selling Albums of 1994. Recorded Music NZ. February 9, 2022.
  14. Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1994. Billboard. October 9, 2020.
  15. Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1994. Billboard. October 9, 2020.
  16. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20031106073523/http://www.jamshowbiz.com/JamMusicCharts/2002_r&b2.html. November 6, 2003. Canada's Top 200 R&B; albums of 2002. Jam!. March 28, 2022.
  17. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20031012032336/http://www.jamshowbiz.com/JamMusicCharts/2002_rap.html. October 12, 2003. Top 100 rap albums of 2002 in Canada. Jam!. March 28, 2022.