Cypress Hill

It would be hard to find a better example of a major-label rip-off than this 23-minute remix “album.” Containing only six uninspired rehashings of previously released tracks, Stash is practically over before it begins. Even worse, half the songs were already overhauled (in slightly different form) on Cypress’ 1996 remix effort Unreleased & Revamped. The Hill’s self-titled debut was one of the blue-ribbon rap efforts of the ’90s, a startlingly original work that revolutionized the genre. Sadly, as the band crossed over with the pop hits of Black Sunday, its musical output began a precipitous slide into self-parody that has only snowballed since. Now the group is at the desperate-whore stage of its career, willing to do just about anything to keep the dream alive. No need to wonder what Cypress was smoking when it agreed to Stash, assuming the band had any say. Utterly lacking innovation (even the title blatantly pilfers Kottonmouth Kings’ Hidden Stash), the only possible motivation here is cash. Don’t part with yours. Priced at an outrageous $9, this bag of seeds and stems won’t even produce a mild buzz.