Art by Stephany Torres for Remezcla
Cypress Hill had nothing to lose. By the year 1999, the Los Angeles-based hip-hop group had become one of the biggest acts of the genre thanks to their unique style—claustrophobic beats that soundtracked tales of street violence and stoner anthems that were equal parts comedy and gritty storytelling. Yet they made perhaps their biggest contribution to the music when they decided to make a whole album of their greatest hits in Spanish,
Los Grandes Éxitos En Español.
In the process, they helped shine a light on the emerging hip-hop scene in Latin America, giving credence to rappers and DJs from the continent like Control Machete, Tiro de Gracia, Vico C, among others.