Ice Cube and Cypress Hill still do it better than most

It's the biggest hip hop tour of 2023 so far, and a line-up like this will take some beating.

Californian icons Ice Cube and Cypress Hill are in town, 29 years after their last co-headline tour of Australia, and they're gonna show us that these legends of the game still have plenty of fire in their belly.

With all respect to The Game, a West Coast hip hop superstar in his own right, his last-minute withdrawal from this tour seems like a blessing when A.B. Original rip through their searing set of hardcore hip hop.

'Take Me Home', '2 Black 2 Strong', 'King Billy Cokebottle' and 'January 26' sound enormous on tonight's massive stage, a stage that Briggs and Trials are not even remotely intimidated by. They own every inch of it, and deliver a set that's relentless and world class.

It has been many years since most of us saw A.B. Original play live, long enough for some to have forgotten just how potent a force these two men are together. With new music on the way and plenty left to say, we can only hope they'll be in our faces a hell of a lot more in the coming year.

It won't surprise you to hear that Cypress Hill's B-Real, one of the defining voices of both 90s hip hop and stoner culture, ambles onstage smoking a joint tonight.

What might surprise you, however, is that he's an indefatigable force who does not miss a beat all night. A poster child for the functioning stoner.

Cypress Hill's set is marred by poor sound, a technical issue they acknowledge and apologise for. Thankfully it's not enough to entirely kill the vibe, which is laidback, intense and euphoric in different parts.

B-Real barely stops for a breath as he punches through versions of stoner anthems 'Roll It Up, Light It Up, Smoke It Up', 'I Wanna Get High', 'Cisco Kid', 'Dr. Greenthumb', and 'Hits From the Bong'. The crowd passes around a comically enormous inflatable joint, as the air fills with the smell of… well you can probably guess.

Sen Dog, an equally key part of Cypress Hill who provides rock solid support to B-Real for much of the show, gets a chance to really shine on 1998 track 'Tequila Sunrise' and 'Latin Lingo' from the group's formidable 1991 debut.

'Hand On The Pump' and 'How I Can Just Kill A Man' from that same record goes down a treat with the crowd, both still sounding super vital over 30 years from their release.

When those technical issues get too much to bear, and DJ Lord is taken out of commission for a moment, Sen Dog, B Real and percussionist Eric Bobo deliver an impressive version of 'I Ain't Goin' Out Like That', showing supreme class under pressure.

'Rock Superstar' is an epic song that reminds us just how much extravagant, blockbuster sounding hip hop was being made in the early 2000s. Even in a set packed to the brim with classic songs, their 1993 anthem 'Insane In The Brain' closes out the set on an even greater high (no pun intended) than they'd hit previously tonight.

Forget what you think you know about stoners, there's no childish skits or goofing around here – it's all business. Theirs is such a solid, no bullshit show. All four members earn their keep across an hour jam-packed with iconic songs, all of them as potent as ever.

Ice Cube has a legacy like few others. Thirty-five years on from N.W.A.'s ground-breaking album Straight Outta Compton – a record that terrified as many as it inspired – he's making sure we don't forget who started this gangsta shit.

He wastes no time getting to the point, ripping through Dr Dre collabs 'Natural Born Killaz' and 'Hello', before taking us way back with 'Check Yo Self' and 'Friday', two iconic and thrilling throwbacks that truly make it feel like the mid-90s all over again. At least for those of us in the crowd who were alive at the time.

If his pre-set playlist wasn't enough, Cube further shows his love of funk and soul with a version of 'Bop Gun (One Nation)', before WC, Cube's right-hand man for the entire set, fires up and delivers killer verses on Westside Connection tunes 'Bow Down' and 'Gangsta Nation'.

'You Know How We Do It' closes out this part of the set, after which Cube says the fun is over and it's time for things to get serious. He's not lying, what comes next feels like a significant gear shift and one that gives this set extra depth.

He delivers a couple of 2000s cuts, 'Why We Thugs' and 'Gangsta Rap Made Me Do It', and does so with a palpable fury. The party isn't over, it's just paused, as he fires off missives about the hypocrisy of blaming hip hop for societal ills while ignoring the systematic forces that drive some young black men to crime.

It's not a point he labours, and these songs won't be highlights for many tonight, but it's an important spot of shade among the brightness of the rest of his set and one that sees him dig deep for some of his most incendiary performances of the night.

Anyone expecting a cavalcade of N.W.A. hits might be disappointed, but high energy versions of 'Straight Outta Compton' and 'Gangsta Gangsta' get everyone screaming along.

Cube spends a decent chunk of time reflecting on the legacy of his infamous group and just how wild it was to be a teenager in "the world's most dangerous group".

He also talks about leaving the group before ripping through a vicious 'No Vaseline', the diss track he felt compelled to write and that he claims is still the greatest diss track ever written. You don't get to be Ice Cube without that kind of confidence.

'You Can Do It' very much brings back the party vibe and even though we all see it coming from a mile off, no one can deny how good it feels to hear that Isley Brothers sample that signals the start of set closer 'It Was A Good Day'.

The quality of Cube's material speaks for itself, but it's his ability as a performer that keeps him such a relevant force in 2023.

He raps with a clarity that sees him stand head and shoulders above so many of his peers. You can make out every single word he says in every song, so crisp is his delivery. We can't be sure if rapping made him a better actor, but it's very possible that acting has made him a better rapper.

The stage show is extremely understated. Just the two MCs, a couple of screens projecting well-crafted visuals, and lighting that is bold and effective but not particularly flashy. Its simplicity is effective.

The show is generally well paced, and the between song banter is sharper and more gripping than you'll see at most rap shows. It's still riddled with cliche – it has literally never mattered which side of a crowd is louder – and, honestly, it's not even all that funny, but it pushes the set along nicely.

His best moment of chat comes with the declaration that hip hop at its best when we're sharing stories and seeing the similarities in our stories, despite how great our differences might seem.

It's a fitting comment. Brisbane is a far cry from Los Angeles in the 80s. For most of us, these stories do not necessarily echo our lived experiences. But there are undoubtedly parts of his art that resonate strongly with some, and for those who can't necessarily relate, we can at least listen and learn.

There are roughly 13,000 people here tonight, relishing the stories and songs of one of the world's great modern-day poets, and Ice Cube gives us every reason to buy a ticket again when he inevitably returns.

"I remember when they said hip hop was a fad," he says towards the end of tonight's set. "That it wouldn’t last. Now it’s the biggest genre in the motherfucking world."

If experienced campaigners like Ice Cube and Cypress Hill can continue setting an example as strong as this, there's no reason the genre can't get bigger and better across the next 35 years.

Original story link https://www.abc.net.au/doublej/music-reads/features/ice-cube-cypress-hill-ab-original-review-2023-brisbane-live/102159986

Story by Dan Condon