Released 29 June 1991 Recorded 1990 Label Ruffhouse
Columbia | Format CD
cassette
vinyl Length 4:08 | |
Genre Hardcore hip hop
West Coast hip hop | ||
"How I Could Just Kill a Man" is the debut single by hip hop group Cypress Hill from their eponymous debut album, Cypress Hill, and was their first major hit in 1991. It was released as a double A-side to "The Phuncky Feel One" and the music video featured cameos by A Tribe Called Quest's Q-Tip and Ice Cube, with whom the group would later feud. It was re-released in 1999 with Spanish lyrics and a new video. It is featured as the first track on their greatest hits compilation "Greatest Hits From the Bong". The song was also featured on the 2004 video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, appearing on the West Coast hip hop station Radio Los Santos. It was voted #79 in About.com's Top 100 Rap Songs.
Contents
Towards the end of the song (approximately the last 30 seconds) someone is heard saying, "All I wanted was a Pepsi". This quote is taken from the well-known Suicidal Tendencies song, "Institutionalized".
In 2001, Cypress Hill included a sequel to the song on their album Stoned Raiders entitled "Here Is Something You Can't Understand", using the same chorus but with new verses from B-Real, Sen Dog and guest Kurupt.
Track listing
Rage Against the Machine version
The song was covered by rap metal band Rage Against the Machine on their cover album, Renegades, where the song was released as a single. Rage Against the Machine performed the song on their DVD, Live at the Grand Olympic Auditorium, accompanied by Cypress Hill.
Track listing
- "How I Could Just Kill a Man" – 4:04
Other versions
Singer Charlotte Sometimes named the first single from her debut album Waves and the Both of Us "How I Can Just Kill a Man" in honor of Cypress Hill, though the songs have no other similarities. The song quickly became a staple on both VH1 and MTV during the summer of 2008 and closed her set on the Vans Warped Tour.
It is also covered by B-star on their album What We Do
A cover version was released in 1994 by German Hamburger Schule band Cpt. Kirk &. on the album "Round About Wyatt", but with the song's title changed to "How He Could Just Kill A Man".