As a child and as a teenager, some of my weekends weren't spent with the practially non-existent friends, but in these shops. I often caught flack from my girlfriends later in life, as I tended to shop better than they did, even (or especially) when we were out to buy them clothes - that's because I learned from the best. We would go around, she would have her conversations, I'd buy something if I was after it - and having pined for Skull & Bones, I had bought it, merely a month before going to Bratislava.
The first thing I noticed was that the album was separated into two sections: Skull and Bones. The Skull part had 11 tracks, while the Bones had a mere 6. Further, the album had two versions of what, even from the tracklist, appeared to be the same song. These were the legendary twin singles, a high point in Cypress Hill's career: (Rap)/(Rock) Superstar.
The sound in Skull & Bones surprised me with its clarity. The grittiness, the static-y, almost lo-fi beats and the overall delicious dusty, dirty sound was gone - everything was crystal clear, coming through easily. There was little noise and it was polished to perfection. That was the first surprise*.
The second surprise was actually spoilered by the album name: Skull & Bones. A moment's thought after I had found out why they were separate yielded that: Skull is full of rap songs and nothing else. In some way, rap comes from your cerebral, it's a mental thing, you have to think about what you're saying, work your rhymes. Plus, the art of freestyling (making up lyrics on the spot) also is done "off the top of the dome." Therefore, Skull was rap. Bones, however, was Cypress Hill's balls-out assault and full-on venture into rap metal, or, metal rap. Every song on that part was backed by an otherwise hip-hopified metal track, full of the distorted guitars and fat bass, the goodness I was used to, and the reason why Trouble opened Stoned Raiders. It was called Bones as a reference to both the fretboard, and the fact that you think rap*, but you feel metal in your bones.
The Skull section was chock-full of goodies. From the delicious (Rap) Superstar detailing the dark side of the music industry, to the brainless fun of Can I Get a Hit? and Certified Bomb, to the tired but indignant Stank Ass Hoe*, it's one hell of a ride. Of course, the rightful posturing in Another Victory, the representin' tracks Highlife and We Live This Shit also easily got stuck in my head. Perhaps, however, the bitterness in What U Want from Me hit the hardest, or rather, it would in the upcoming years; but back then, it felt like premonition.
Throughout this side of the album, Cypress Hill had a fine layer of veneer that not only came from getting where they were, but also, their shifting focus. Their heavily gangsta raps and tales from the streets were gone, and in their place was reflection in the vein of From the Window of My Room. Some of it had to deal with the byproducts of fame (Stank Ass Hoe being a prime example), some of them just the Cypress Hill brand of depressive, but overall, Skull was in harmony with my state of being at the time. I did feel renewed, changed and bettering with every obstacle, be it myself or others, and I did feel the need for something mindless to make me laugh... I did posture that I, NoVA, was who I said I was, even though I actually wasn't, because writing raps was another jailbreak method.
But then there was the other side of the coin, Bones.
I wasn't expecting what came when Valley of Chrome kicked off with heavy guitars and then just steamrolled into a energetic, teeth-smashing metal rap track. I thought at first that it might be a one-off like Lightning Strikes had been, or something like Stoned Raiders*. I was in for a very pleasant surprise when the trend continued. Unfortunately, I've never considered Valley of Chrome as a song that hit its mark.
There is, after all is said and done, one very crucial difference between the genres being blended, the same difference that had put nu-metal in the crosshairs of every puritan and critic out there - fundamental structure. Rap, by nature, is rhythmic, as it's all about the beat, the flow. Metal is largely melodic, depending on riffs and memorable passages rather than words. As such, Bones has its miss moments: Sen Dog-centric A Man being the clearest one in memory. However, the other songs, such as the insanely catchy Get Out of My Head, the legendary Can't Get the Best of Me, and finally the epic closer, (Rock) Superstar more than makes up for the weakness in the
That said, Dust is one of the best songs I've ever heard. Simple yet effective riff, the nearly double-time rhymes strung up in a glorious chain, magnificent flow and damn good interplay between B-Real and Sen Dog on the third verse... it is undoubtedly a very high point in the album.
To his day, Skull & Bones remains one of my favourite albums. One of my happiest memories is when my sister heard Certified Bomb playing, and wanted to hear more. It didn't take, of course, but we did end up dancing in the middle of the living room to the song, singing along to whatever lyrics we knew. A point of light in a world of darkness.
*Footnotes: 1- Well, actually, Stoned Raiders was a very clear album in terms of production and overall sound, so it had been IV that had hit me on the head with its gritty sound. I just wasn't expecting things to improve as much as they had on Skull & Bones.
2- The expression, "I'm feelin' it" is often used not to indicate that one is indeed "feeling" something, but as an approval, which is a mental faculty.
3- In which B-Real carries a singular rhyme throughout the entire damn track. Impressive, to say the least.
4- Stoned Raiders features three songs with the same rock/metal flavor: Trouble, Amplified and Catastrophe. To a lesser degree, however, It Ain't Easy might also count.
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