B-Real revealed that Cypress Hill’s 1993 hit “Insane in the Brain” wasn’t only a wild celebration anthem—it was initially geared toward Chubb Rock as a diss observe, a revelation that reframes one among Hip-Hop’s most recognizable hooks.

Speaking to SPIN, the Cypress Hill frontman defined that the Grammy-nominated single, which helped catapult the group into mainstream stardom, was born out of a perceived slight from the “Treat ’Em Right” rapper.

“If I’m remembering correctly, it was peeled from a line that I had in one of the other songs,” B-Real stated. “I think it was, ‘Holding the head insane in the brain / You get the bullet and a hole in your head, a f###### hole in your head.’ Muggs had an idea to make that ‘insane in the brain’ part of the chorus.”

The spark was lit when B-Real heard Chubb Rock’s observe “Yabadabadoo,” which he believed referenced Cypress Hill’s earlier work in a dismissive approach.

“He says something like, ‘And you know we had to watcha, time for some lyrics,’ and in our song, we say, ‘Time for some action, just a fraction of friction,’” B-Real defined. “So being young and hot-blooded as I was back then, I took it as a diss.”

At the time, Chubb Rock had dubbed himself “The Flamboyant One,” which impressed B-Real’s opening jab: “To the one on the flamboyant tip/I’ll just toss that ham in the frying pan.”

“Chubb Rock and I never spoke about it,” B-Real admitted. “We still haven’t, and it maybe was a surprise for him to know that song was directed toward him.”

B-Real emphasised that he holds no lingering animosity. “I still got mad respect for Chubb Rock. He was always one of my favorite MCs because he’s really dope. It was just that I felt the need to respond. If I was wrong, I will apologize to my man.”

Released because the lead single from Cypress Hill’s second album, Black Sunday, “Insane in the Brain” turned a cultural juggernaut. Its success helped cement the group’s place in Hip-Hop historical past, mixing rock parts with West Coast grit and Latin taste.

“We didn’t anticipate it being a single,” B-Real stated. “We thought it would just be a really dope song on the album. Who knew Sony was gonna pick it? No one back then bothered to ask us what the song was about. They just thought it was a crazy song—like go crazy and have fun and all this other stuff.”

Now, a long time later, the observe continues to energise crowds and function a reminder of the group’s legacy. “We don’t make the impact without that song, so I gotta say thanks to him,” B-Real added. “‘How I Could Just Kill a Man’ launched us, but ‘Insane in the Brain’ took us to another level.”

Related