B-Real
| B-Real | |
|---|---|
_(5106185121).jpg) |
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Louis Freese |
| Also known as | Dr. Greenthumb |
| Born |
June 2, 1970 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Origin | South Gate, California |
| Genres | Hip hop |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1988–present |
| Labels |
Columbia Ruffhouse Duckdown Records Goliath |
| Associated acts | Cypress Hill, Psycho Realm, Kush, Prophets of Rage |
Louis Freese (born June 2, 1970), better known by his stage name B-Real, is an American rapper and actor. He is best known for being the lead rapper in the hip hop group Cypress Hill.
Born in L.A. to a Mexican father and a Cuban mother, B-Real moved with his sister and mother out of his father's home to South Gate at the age of five. He later ended up in the small town of Bell, California. Before dropping out of Bell High School, he befriended future Cypress Hill members Sen Dog and Mellow Man Ace (who forwent staying with the group to go solo).
After being introduced to DJ Muggs by Julio G the KDAY Mixmaster, B-Real and Sen gained interest in Muggs's concept of an album based on experiences from Cypress Ave in South Gate. The group was signed with Ruffhouse/Columbia records in 1991, and made their influential debut that year. B-Real would use fictional stories telling of life-threatening experiences as material for the group's self-titled debut album, and subsequent releases.
Cypress Hill's trademark sound - an eccentric combination of B-Real's exaggeratedly high-pitched nasal vocals and DJ Muggs's distinctive beats - led to the trio becoming the first Latin rap group to have Platinum and multi-Platinum albums. They remain the best-selling Latin rap group to date. Speaking in March 2010 to noted UK urban writer Pete Lewis, Deputy Editor of the award-winning Blues & Soul, B-Real stated: "Fortunately I guess the fact we were able to achieve what we achieved, being Latino but without really exploiting that side of it, showed like a whole generation behind us how you could have that success without being labelled as just one THING. Because back in the day, when you were labelled 'a Latino rapper', the record companies would only try to market you to that Latin fan-base which didn't really EXIST yet!... So yeah, it feels good to see people recognizing us as some of the pioneers that opened the doors for a lotta these other Latino rappers to come through."
Aside from Cypress Hill, B-Real has been involved in several other musical projects. In 1996, he contributed to the soundtrack for the movie Space Jam. In 2002, he teamed up with Mellow Man Ace and Son Doobie for the short-lived Serial Rhyme Killas, which released one 12" single in 2002. The group recorded a full-length debut album, entitled Deluxe Rapture, but it was never released. B-Real formed a rap metal group, Kush, with Deftones guitarist Stephen Carpenter and Fear Factory members Christian Olde Wolbers and Raymond Herrera. According to B-Real, Kush is more aggressive than other bands in the genre. He was also previously a member of the group The Psycho Realm, and in 2007 announced that he would collaborate with Sick Jacken once again on a new album. He revealed in an interview that he plans on recording a "V.S." album of Cypress member DJ Muggs. In 1998, he appeared as a newborn baby singer for The Rugrats Movie, reported as a minor role.
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