B-Real

B-Real, real name Louis Freese, was born on June 2, 1970 in Los Angeles.

The son of a Mexican father and a Cuban-Mexican mother, he grew up in the South Gate neighborhood in the southern suburbs of Los Angeles, an environment marked by gangs and violence. As a teenager, he was shot in a drive-by, an experience that prompted him to move away from the streets and concentrate on music.

Cypress Hill, the band that put cannabis at the heart of rap

In 1988, B-Real co-founded Cypress Hill with DJ Muggs and Sen Dog. The group quickly became one of the most distinctive acts in American rap, blending distinctive nasal flows, psychedelic production and overtly pro-cannabis lyrics. Their self-titled debut album, released in 1991, sold over two million copies in the United States.

Cypress Hill was one of the first rap groups to publicly campaign for the legalization of cannabis, at a time when the subject was still largely taboo in the music industry. They performed regularly at Amsterdam's High Times Cannabis Cup festival and became key figures in global cannabis culture.

An assertive and militant relationship with cannabis

B-Real doesn't just sing about cannabis - he makes it a central part of his public and entrepreneurial identity. He is co-founder of Dr. Greenthumb, a legal cannabis brand with several dispensaries in California, including one in Los Angeles.

He also hosts The Smoke Box, a YouTube show where he entertains celebrities and artists over a joint, in a converted van. Guests include Snoop Dogg, Action Bronson and members of Metallica.

Cypress Hill and cannabis: a lasting influence

Beyond their music, Cypress Hill helped normalize cannabis use in American popular culture in the '90s, paving the way for a generation of artists who would tackle the subject unabashedly. Today, B-Real remains one of the most respected figures at the intersection of rap and the cannabis industry.