Insane In The Brain

"Insane in the Brain" is a 1993 song by American hip hop group Cypress Hill, released as the first single from their second album, '' Black Sunday'' (1993). In addition to hitting number one on the US rap chart, the song also was a mainstream hit, reaching number 19 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in 1993. It earned a gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America and sold 600,000 copies domestically.

Origins and structure

According to B-Real, the song was actually a diss song aimed at Chubb Rock. The group felt Chubb had ridiculed their style on his 1992 album, ''I Gotta Get Mine Yo''. DJ Muggs credited "Jump Around" by House of Pain, also produced by himself, as a major influence.

The song is built around many samples: a drum break from organist George Semper's cover version of Lee Dorsey's "Get Out of My Life, Woman"; a sample of James Brown grunting from the opening of his song "Say It Loud – I'm Black and I'm Proud"; a sample of the line "insane in the brain" from Cypress Hill's own song "Hole in the Head"; the opening keyboard from Sly and the Family Stone's "Life", a sample of the line "I think I'm going crazy" from the Youngbloods' "All Over the World (La La)" which concludes the track.

The origin of the most prominent sample, repeated throughout the song, has been a matter of dispute. DJ Muggs initially claimed the sample was a pitched blues guitar, although shortly after, he claimed that the sound is a horn. Many sources claim that it was actually a sample of a horse from Mel and Tim's "Good Guys Only Win in the Movies", but during an interview with ''Sound on Sound'' in December 2018 on the production techniques used, DJ Muggs refuted the sample:

That's weird, everybody thinks that's a horse, but it isn't. I've seen that a bunch of times on these sample sites. That's a sound I made from a blues guitar pitched. At the time I used to run some sounds through guitar amps. When I heard that horse thing, I was like, 'Oh, that sounds just like it.' Honestly to God, those sample sites get a lot wrong. They have some shit right, but I'll go, 'I never used that.' I don't know where they gather their information. Sometimes, they're spot on, but sometimes, I'm like, 'Yo, you guys are off.'

However, less than two months later in an interview with British newspaper ''The Guardian'', Muggs then claimed the sound effect was made by a horn and not a guitar. This has since caused disbelief that Muggs is telling the truth and that the sample may well be the horse from Mel and Tim's "Good Guys Only Win in the Movies", as Muggs has claimed himself that he has "a foggy memory when it comes to the samples used on 'Insane in the Brain'" due to the fact that at the time of the song's production, "there was a lot of weed smoked."

In 2008, the song was ranked number 34 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop.

According to a live interview aired on Double J during a feature of the ''Black Sunday'' album,
Classic Albums Cypress Hill – Black Sunday
/ref> "insane in the membrane" was a localised gang term used at the time by the Crips when doing something crazy. It was then appropriated into this song. A 2019 interview with ''The Guardian'' elaborated further that both Bloods and Crips used a similar phrase as an informal insanity plea upon arrest. The Double-J interview also notes that B-Real was a member of the Bloods.

Critical reception

Jesse Ducker from Albumism described "Insane in the Brain" as a "upbeat, pulsing, almost circus-like track." Larry Flick from ''Billboard'' wrote, "One of the hip-hop community's leading acts returns with a slammin' romp. Resting on a beat-bed of loopy samples and nimble scratches, act drops rhymes that are even sharper than on previous efforts. A head-bobbin' midtempo groove leads them into a brain-embedding hook that will help knock down urban and pop radio doors." A reviewer from ''Music & Media'' commented, "If you think you're going slightly mad, you haven't heard this Hispanic gangsta rap outfit yet. They drive you nuts, introducing neighing horses as backup singers." Andy Beevers from ''Music Week'' rated it three out of five, calling it an "excellent new single from LA's celebrated smokers" and "a tough funky track." He added that "it sounds similar to the House Of Pain hits, but not as commercial." James Hamilton from the magazine's ''RM'' Dance Update described it as a "Public Enemy-ish mildly jaunty jolting jiggly roller". Another editor, Richard Russell wrote, "While this covers pretty much the same ground as the debut LP, it will help to satiate the appetite of countless Cypress fans hungry for new material. B-Real's nasal whine is now one of the most distinctive sounds in hip hop, here complaining about "cops trying to snatch his crops". Tom Doyle from ''Smash Hits'' gave the song four out of five, saying, "Any single that begins with someone murmuring "Don'tchoo know I'm loco?" is sure to be good." He stated further that Cypress Hill "are the best American rap stars for ages".

Music video

A music video for the track was filmed at San Francisco's DNA Lounge. It was directed by American director Josh Taft and features the group performing at what appears to be a rave, makes heavy use of strobing effects and "psychedelic" colorations, alongside numerous shots of marijuana usage, all of which seemingly corresponds with the album's drug-filled recording process, as described by the group. The video was later published on Cypress Hill's official YouTube channel in October 2009. It has amassed more than 177 million views as of October 2022.

Covers

* American rock band The Connells covered the song for the 2002 album '' When Pigs Fly: Songs You Never Thought You'd Hear''.

Track listings

* UK CD single
#"Insane in the Brain" (Radio Edit) – 3:32
#"Stoned Is the Way of the Walk" – 2:46
#"Something for the Blunted" – 1:15
#"Insane in the Brain" (Extended Version) – 4:56

* 1999 remix CD1
#"Insane in the Brain" (Jason Master Blaster Edit) – 4:06
#"Insane in the Brain" (Jason Master Blaster Club Mix) – 5:02
#"Insane in the Brain" (Da Funky Chunky Mix) – 6:36

* 1999 remix CD2
#"Insane in the Brain" (Nevins' Asylum Edit) – 3:40
#"Insane in the Brain" (Nevins' Asylum Club Mix) – 6:06
#"Insane in the Brain" (The Funky French B-Boy Remix) – 5:40

Charts

Weekly charts

Jason Nevins Remix

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

External links

*
* AllMusic entry

{{DEFAULTSORT:Insane In The Brain
1993 singles
Cypress Hill songs
Songs about drugs
Songs about mental health
1993 songs
Ruffhouse Records singles
Columbia Records singles
Songs written by DJ Muggs
Songs written by B-Real
Songs written by Sen Dog
Song recordings produced by DJ Muggs