B-Real revealed that Cypress Hill’s 1993 hit “Insane in the Brain” wasn’t just a wild party anthem—it was originally aimed at Chubb Rock as a diss track, a revelation that reframes one of Hip-Hop’s most recognizable hooks.
Speaking to SPIN, the Cypress Hill frontman explained that the Grammy-nominated single, which helped catapult the group into mainstream stardom, was born out of a perceived slight from the “Treat ’Em Right” rapper.
“If I’m remembering correctly, it was peeled from a line that I had in one of the other songs,” B-Real said. “I think it was, ‘Holding the head insane in the brain / You get the bullet and a hole in your head, a f###### hole in your head.’ Muggs had an idea to make that ‘insane in the brain’ part of the chorus.”
The spark was lit when B-Real heard Chubb Rock’s track “Yabadabadoo,” which he believed referenced Cypress Hill’s earlier work in a dismissive way.
“He says something like, ‘And you know we had to watcha, time for some lyrics,’ and in our song, we say, ‘Time for some action, just a fraction of friction,’” B-Real explained. “So being young and hot-blooded as I was back then, I took it as a diss.”
At the time, Chubb Rock had dubbed himself “The Flamboyant One,” which inspired B-Real’s opening jab: “To the one on the flamboyant tip/I’ll just toss that ham in the frying pan.”
“Chubb Rock and I never spoke about it,” B-Real admitted. “We still haven’t, and it maybe was a surprise for him to know that song was directed toward him.”
B-Real emphasized that he holds no lingering animosity. “I still got mad respect for Chubb Rock. He was always one of my favorite MCs because he’s really dope. It was just that I felt the need to respond. If I was wrong, I will apologize to my man.”
Released as the lead single from Cypress Hill’s second album, Black Sunday, “Insane in the Brain” became a cultural juggernaut. Its success helped cement the group’s place in Hip-Hop history, blending rock elements with West Coast grit and Latin flavor.
“We didn’t anticipate it being a single,” B-Real said. “We thought it would just be a really dope song on the album. Who knew Sony was gonna pick it? No one back then bothered to ask us what the song was about. They just thought it was a crazy song—like go crazy and have fun and all this other stuff.”
Now, decades later, the track continues to energize crowds and serve as a reminder of the group’s legacy. “We don’t make the impact without that song, so I gotta say thanks to him,” B-Real added. “‘How I Could Just Kill a Man’ launched us, but ‘Insane in the Brain’ took us to another level.”