Insane in the brain

Insane in the brain
publication	June 22, 1993
length	3:33
Genre (s)	Hip hop
Author (s)	Louis Freese , Senen Reyes , Lawrence Muggerud
Producer (s)	DJ Muggs
album	Black Sunday
Cover version
1999	Jason Nevins vs. Cypress Hill

Insane in the Brain ( English for " crazy in the head ") is a song by the US rap group Cypress Hill . The song is the first single from their second studio album Black Sunday and was released on June 22, 1993.

content

Song part	Artist
1st verse	B-Real
refrain	B-Real, Sen Dog
2nd stanza	Sen Dog
3rd stanza	B-Real

At Insane in the Brain , B-Real and Sen Dog rap jokingly about the fact that they will soon go nuts and that no one should mess with them. They also glorify their marijuana use and attack the police who are trying to take action against it.

“Insane in the membrane
Crazy insane, got no brain!
Insane in the membrane
Insane in the brain! "

- Excerpt from the refrain from Insane in the Brain

Actually, the song is also directed against the rappers Chubb Rock and Kid Frost , with whom the band had an argument at the time. The title " Insane in the Brain " itself is a gang-related term used by the Bloods and Crips when they were doing something crazy.

production

The song was produced by band member and music producer DJ Muggs , who wrote the lyrics along with the other two group members B-Real and Sen Dog . The song contains several samples of other pieces of music. The neighing of a horse was also incorporated. The music is very similar to the song Jump Around by House of Pain, also produced by DJ Muggs .

Music video

The music video shot for Insane in the Brain was directed by US director Josh Taft. The video has over 120 million views on YouTube (as of April 2020).

It shows the band playing the song performing in the DNA Lounge in San Francisco . People, including B-Real, jump from the stage to crowd surfing into the audience. Some scenes show Cypress Hill rapping the song against a strobe- lit background, which is supposed to symbolize the psychedelic effect of mind-expanding substances like marijuana .

single

Cover design

The single cover is sepia colored . It shows a skull and the words Cypress Hill . In the lower part of the picture there are gravestones and the title insane in the brain .

Track list

1. Insane in the Brain (Radio Edit) - 3:32
2. Insane in the Brain (LP Version) - 3:33
3. Insane in the Brain (Extended) - 4:56
4. Insane in the Brain (Instrumental) - 3:32
5. When the Shit Goes Down - 3:09
6. When the Shit Goes Down (Extended) - 4:12
7. When the Ship Goes Down - 3:09
8. When the Ship Goes Down (Instrumental) - 3:09

Chart successes

Insane in the Brain entered the German charts at number 98 on September 27, 1993 and reached the highest position two weeks later at number 93. Overall, the song was able to stay in the top 100 for three weeks. The song was more successful in Australia (40th), the United Kingdom (21st) and in the United States (19th). The best placement was achieved with 12th place in New Zealand.

Chart placements Charts Top ranking Weeks Chart placements  Germany (GfK) 93 (3 weeks) 3  United Kingdom (OCC) 21st (9 weeks) 9  United States (Billboard) 19th (20 weeks) 20th

Annual charts Charts (1993) placement Annual charts (1993)  United States (Billboard) 65

Sales figures and awards

Insane in the Brain was awarded a gold record in the year of its release for more than 500,000 sales in the United States . In the UK, the single earned a silver record for over 200,000 units sold in 2018. This makes it the group's most commercially successful song.

Country / Region	Award	Sales
Awards for music sales (country / region, Award, Sales)
United States (RIAA)	gold	500,000
United Kingdom (BPI)	silver	200,000
All in all	1 × silver 1 × gold	700,000

At the 1994 Grammy Awards , Insane in the Brain was nominated for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group , but lost to the Digable Planets song Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat) .

Remix with Jason Nevins

In May 1999 the American music producer and remixer Jason Nevins released a remix of the song together with Cypress Hill. This version was sometimes more successful in the charts than the original and reached number 27 in Germany.

Chart placements of the remix (1999)

Charts	Top ranking	Weeks
Chart placements
Germany (GfK)	27 (7 weeks)	7th
Switzerland (IFPI)	28 (5 weeks)	5
United Kingdom (OCC)	19th (3 weeks)	3

Web links

• Lyrics with interpretations on genius.com
• German translation of the lyrics on songtexte.com
• Music video on YouTube

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Cypress Hill - Insane in the Brain - lyrics. genius.com, accessed April 25, 2020 . 
2. ^ How we made Cypress Hill's Insane in the Brain. theguardian.com, February 12, 2019, accessed April 25, 2020 . 
3. ↑ Cypress Hill - Insane in the Brain (Official Video). youtube.com, accessed April 25, 2020 . 
4. ↑ Cypress Hill - Insane in the Brain - single cover. amazon.com, accessed April 25, 2020 . 
5. ^ Cypress Hill - Insane in the Brain. officialcharts.de, accessed on April 25, 2020 . 
6. ^ Cypress Hill - Insane in the Brain. hitparade.ch, accessed on April 25, 2020 . 
7. ↑ ^{a b c d e f} Chart sources: DE AT CH UK US
8. ↑ 1993 annual charts: DE AT CH UK US
9. ^ Gold & Platinum Cypress Hill. riaa.com, accessed April 25, 2020 . 
10. ^ Cypress Hill - Insane in the Brain. bpi.co.uk, accessed April 25, 2020 . 
11. ↑ Jason Nevins vs. Cypress Hill - Insane in the Brain. officialcharts.de, accessed on April 25, 2020 .