Cypress Hill: No Rest for the Wicked Meaning
No Rest for the Wicked Lyrics
So many fools swingin from my sack,
Lets talk about the one who had my back!
Down in the west coast, so lemme kick it
To the motherfucker who calls himself wicked!
No rest, no peace! no sleep,
Doughboy rolling...
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This song is about the argument that Cypress Hill had with another gansta-rapper, Ice Cube, when the latter allegedly stole Cypress Hill's song "Throw Your Set in the
Air" (from their album "Cypress Hill III: Temples of Boom", released in 1995).
According to an interview given by B-Real, Cypress Hill's lead voice, Ice Cube was allowed to hear the recordings of Cypress Hill's track "Throw Your Set in the Air"
when it was in the mixing process. By this time, Ice Cube had a role in the movie "Friday", for which he was supposed to compose a song also. It is said that after
listening to the track, Ice Cube asked B-Real if he could use that song for a song of his own. B-Real refused, for this song was going to be released in the new Cypress
Hill album (he was talking about "Cypress Hill III: Temples of Boom".) After hearing this, Ice Cube asked for listening to the track once again, which he was allowed to,
and then went home. After some time, however, Ice Cube released a song called "Friday", that musically had some many similarities with Cypress Hill's one. In "Friday",
the chorus says: "Throw your neigborhood in the air"; in rap slang, "set" is a synonym for "neighborhood".
That's when the problems began.
That's why Cypress Hill decided to write this song, and included it in the same album that contained their "Throw Your Set in the Air".
The song begins with "Let's talk about the one who had my back", for B-Real and Ice Cube were actually friends till that moment (eventually they became friends again).
Then the song goes on for insulting Ice Cube in many different ways For example, it makes laugh of Ice Cube's real name, O'Shea Jackson. It claims: "Jackson, lemme figure out the name / Jack 'cause you be stealing other n*gg*z game." In this context, "jack" means 'to steal.'
At the end of the first part of the song we can hear: "Cube, better sit back and check yourself;' that's a reference to one of Ice Cube's songs, "Check Yo Self", included
in his album "The Predator" (1993). (Curiously, this album was produced---among others---by DJ Muggs... from Cypress Hill!)
Then the song tells the story about their argument when DJ Muggs states: "Yeah n*gg*, my homie thought he had a homie in you. He let you listen to our mutha**ckin' cut, and you turned around and put some old variety s**t out. What kind of s**t is that? Hmmm..."
Then it goes for more insults to Ice Cube: "F**k it, lemme make this understood / Speakin' on Mama's little 'Boys in the Hood'." B-Real is talking about "Boys N’ the
Hood", a famous Ice Cube's song, included in his album "Death Certificate" (1991). Then it says: "No Vaseline / Just a rope and a chair and gasoline." Is an allusion to
one of Ice Cube's songs, "No Vaseline", included in "Death Certificate". In this song, Ice Cube makes laugh of his former group mates, included Eazy-E, of whom we
heard about in the first verses of "No Rest..." Then it goes like this: "Lench Mob is a friend of mine / But you talked about them niggaz from behind." This is an allusion to
a West Coast rap group call Da Lench Mob. This group was discovered and produced by Ice Cube in his first Album "AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted."
Then the song goes: "Natural Born Bullsh**tta", that is an allusion to an Ice Cube's song called “Natural Born Killazâ€, included in his album "Murder Was the Case OST"
(1994), and featured Dr. DRE in some verses.
Then the song in one of its last verses says: "I got Cube melting in a tray"; I think I don't have to explain that verse, do I? ;-)
More Cypress Hill songs »
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