DJ Muggs is the mastermind behind the beats and sound of rap group Cypress Hill. I personally believe he is another one of those extremely underrated producers who don’t get mentioned enough. Similar to Mannie Fresh, who basically made the Cash Money sound so popular in the ’90s, Havoc’s dark and grimy New York sound of Mobb Deep, and the bass-thumping sound and drums of KLC for Master P’s No Limit camp, DJ Muggs’ rugged, dark, and haunting beats pair so well with B-Real’s high nasal voice for Cypress Hill. Temple of Boom is one of my top 10, if not top 20, albums of all time, and I will gladly die on this hill defending it. DJ Muggs produced all but one track on that album. Tequila Sunrise, whenever it came on the radio during my childhood years, was always a treat as well.

DJ Muggs has been producing for a long time, as evidenced by his discography, and it’s not all just for Cypress Hill. However, it was to my great surprise when he dropped his Soul Assassins II album just recently. Suffice it to say, it has been on repeat ever since. DJ Muggs stays true to his hardcore 90’s sound. Heck, even that album cover is a reminiscence of the earlier days. Every hip-hop fan from the 90’s to the early 2000’s needs to listen to this. It’s also a good breakaway from today’s flooded sound of trap and mumble rap for those willing to embrace it. Two of the standout tracks for me is Heart of the Assassin and Don’t Trip. It just represents the sound of DJ Muggs so perfectly. As a bonus, B-Real is on both of them.