Is this yet another prediction from The Simpsons? An old reference and stoner joke from an old series has this exact mashup – and seeing as Trump is president just like they said, who am I to challenge it?
There’s always been something theatrical about Cypress Hill. There’s always a sense of performance, of building an atmosphere that feels larger than the room it’s played in. So when the idea of pairing them with the London Symphony Orchestra became reality, it felt like one of those collaborations that could either collapse under its own weight or, just maybe, elevate both sides. The good news is it’s the latter.
What you get here is not just hip-hop with strings stapled on top, nor a polite orchestra covering beats from the sidelines. This feels like a genuine collision of worlds, both parties giving as much as they take. The orchestra is full-bodied, cinematic, sweeping across the tracks with a kind of grandeur that hip-hop doesn’t always get given. Meanwhile, Cypress Hill lean into it rather than fighting against it, their delivery sharp and unfazed, as if this sort of thing was always meant to be happening behind them.
It works because the core of Cypress Hill’s music has always had a cinematic quality. Those rolling basslines, eerie samples, and hard snares translate surprisingly well into orchestral arrangements. When the brass section punches through a hook, or the strings swell beneath a verse, it doesn’t feel tacked on. It feels inevitable. Tracks that already carried menace now sound positively operatic, like the soundtrack to some sprawling urban epic.
There’s a novelty factor, of course – but it doesn’t wear thin. If anything, the deeper into the performance you go, the more you buy into it. The orchestra isn’t just following orders, they’re part of the energy, adding tension, release, and genuine dynamics. At points, it almost tips into film score territory, but then B-Real’s voice cuts through, nasal and instantly recognisable, and the whole thing snaps back into place. That contrast is what gives the record its bite – and let’s be honest, the London Symphony were never going to put their reputation to something trite.
Not every moment is perfect. There are times where the balance isn’t quite right, where the sheer wall of orchestral sound threatens to drown out the intricacy of the beats. And Cypress Hill’s delivery, always a little laid-back, can occasionally feel almost too casual against the bombast behind them. But those are minor quibbles when the overall effect is so arresting.
What’s most surprising is how cohesive it feels. You’d expect some awkward seams, some sense of “project piece” or stunt casting, but it never feels like that. Instead, it’s immersive. You stop thinking about the experiment and just sink into the sound of it. There are moments of pure spectacle, crescendos where the orchestra swells like a tidal wave, and there are moments of unexpected subtlety, where a quiet woodwind passage reshapes the mood of a track you thought you knew inside out.
The setlist itself is smart, drawing from different corners of their catalogue and reworking it without losing what made the songs land in the first place. It’s not a greatest-hits package, though there are plenty of crowd-pleasers. It’s more of a re‑imagining, asking you to hear familiar tracks through an entirely different lens. The fact that it works so consistently is a testament to both the band and the orchestra. The last time I enjoyed a re-working as much as this was Evanescence’s own orchestral album.
By the time it ends, you’re left with something that feels genuinely unique. It’s a reminder of Cypress Hill’s longevity, their ability to adapt without losing identity, and a reminder that orchestras don’t have to be relegated to film scores or concert halls. Put the two together, and you get something that’s both raw and refined, chaotic and carefully orchestrated.
It could have been a gimmick. Instead, it’s a statement – one that manages to honour both the grit of hip-hop and the grandeur of symphonic music. It’s big, bold, and strangely beautiful.
Author: Tom, Cardiff Store
