No Rest for the Wicked

Album: Cypress Hill III: Temples of Boom (1995)
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Songfacts®:

  • This song is about the argument that Cypress Hill had with another gansta rap singer: Ice Cube. Originating when Cube allegedly stole Cypress Hill's song "Throw Your Set in the Air" According to an interview given by B-Real, Cypress Hill's lead voice, Ice Cube was allowed to hear the recordings of the track "Throw Your Set in the Air" when it was in the mixing process. Cypress Hill were producing the song for the movie Friday, in which Ice Cube was acting. After listening to the track, Ice Cube asked B-Real if he could use that song for a song of his own. B-Real refused, for this was a song created for the movie. Ice Cube asked to listen to the track once again, which he was allowed to, and then went home. After some time, Ice Cube released a song called "Friday," that in some part was musically very similar to Cypress Hill's song. In "Friday," the chorus was, "Throw your neighborhood in the air." In rap slang, "set" is a synonym for "neighborhood." That's when the problems began and Cypress Hill decided to write "No Rest for the Wicked," and included it on the same album with "Throw Your Set in the Air."
  • The song is full of references and insults to Ice Cube. For example, it makes fun of Ice Cube's real name, O'Shea Jackson. In one verse it claims: "Jackson, lemme figure out the name - Jack 'cause you be stealing other n-gg-z game." In this context, "Jack" means "To Steal."
  • At the end of the first part of the song we can hear: "Cube, better sit back and check yourself." That's a reference to one of Ice Cube's songs, "Check Yo Self," included on his 1993 album The Predator. Curiously, this album was produced - among others - by DJ Muggs. from Cypress Hill.
  • In one part of the song the story about this argument is told to the listener, yet very briefly and very Cypress Hill-styled. We can hear DJ Muggs stating: "Yeah n-gga, my homie thought he had a homie in you. He let you listen to our mutha--ckin' cut, and you turned around and put some old variety s--t out. What kind of s--t is that? Hmmm..." >>
    Suggestion credit:
    Kike - Lima, Peru, for all above

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