The South Gate based, stoner rap group Cypress Hill is by definition not an influential group. Not only is their music the work of brain-fried pot-mongers but they can be considered a hip-hop gimmick for basing their long career on one main theme. The ability to express the admiration for weed is an often act, groups across the world base their success on the magical plant we call marijuana, so to say that Cypress Hill is anything special is an understatement.
That being said, Cypress Hill, those wonderful rappers who gave us “Insane in the Membrane” and “Dr. Greenthumb” can be attributed to at least one act of greatness throughout their tumultuous careers. They are going to host the 2010 Smoke Out festival.
Smoke Out is a traditional music festival but its quirk is aiming its acts to mary-jane laced acts each year to promote the educational and reasonable promotion of marijuana throughout the country. It usually draws thousands of fans and will rock the city of San Bernardino for the second year in a row on October 16, 2010.
One surprising and exciting factor about this year’s festival has shaken the Southern California music scene and is sure to fill out the fairgrounds with a mass of red eyed youngsters. No it isn’t the fact that alternative rock legends, Incubus, are headlining the show or that surfacing DJ, Deadmau5 has decided to perform. It’s not even the fact that at the same time Incubus is playing, Deadmau5 and Erykah Badu will be playing on different stages at the same time.
Yup, the reason everyone is so stoked about Smoke Out this year is because MANU CHAO, yes the Latin rock god himself, is coming to perform. He sings in several different languages and has sold out arenas, stadiums and bull fighting rings around the world. Many believe that although he performs with the veil of reggae music that he is on the inside the culmination of punk music. A man who delivers his messages of immigration, love, drugs and third world life with no regard in his music. The last time he was remotely close to the west coast was in 2008 when he performed at Austin City Limits festival. Who knows when he’ll be back? Take this opportunity and when you do, thank Cypress Hill.