CYPRESS HILL w/ DE LA SOUL & THE PHARCYDE
@ COCA-COLA COLISEUM, TORONTO
MAY 22, 2025
From Saint John, NB to Toronto, ON, Cypress Hill brought their five-date O Canadabis 2025 Canadian Tour to Toronto’s Coca-Cola Coliseum just weeks before the highly anticipated release of their upcoming album, Black Sunday Live At The Royal Albert Hall. Featuring opening sets from The Pharcyde and De La Soul, O Canadabis 2025 Canadian Tour truly was a rapturous celebration of classic alternative hip-hop.
The Pharcyde took the stage as the venue was beginning to fill up. Despite a split with founder Bootie Brown, who also owns the group’s name, original MCs Fatlip and Slimkid3 fronted the ensemble (often performing under the name The Pharcyde Lives—yes, it gets a bit messy) while backed by a DJ. In their 30-min set, they performed with a youthful energy reminiscent of the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, before hip-hop went heavy, serious, and gangsta. The group rapped while dancing across the stage in traditional B-Boy fashion over soulful beats while performing songs like “Bullshit”, “Runnin’”, and the recently released “Timeless”. The highlight came in their penultimate song, “Passin’ Me By”, performed in memory of J Dilla, who’s production on the track was unmistakable as soon as the kick drum punched through the jazzy beat. Despite a slightly muddy mix, The Pharcyde (or The Pharcyde Lives) put on a fun and nostalgic performance.
Maseo took the stage first, running a quick soundcheck behind the turntable while paying homage to underground Toronto hip-hop icons before getting the crowd hyped for De La Soul’s set. With the feeling of an old school block party, it was impossible to not be excited for De La Soul as Posdnuos joined him on stage, performing “Freedom Of Speak”. Posdnuos performed the first series of songs almost as a medley as one song seamlessly bled into the other with an impressively powerful flow and presence. They would perform most of their set as a duo, until none other than Talib Kweli made an unexpected appearance for the remainder of the set. Filling the role of the late Trugoy The Dove, Kweli’s flow fit well with Maseo and Posdnuos and the energy between the three of them was a natural fit. Highlights included “The Grind Date”, “Potholes In My Lawn”, “Stakes Is High”, and a pair of Kweli tracks, “The Blast”, and “Get By”. De La Soul, as a duo and featuring Kweli, certainly brought the energy with a fantastic set that exceeded their reputation as alternate rap legends.
Right before Cypress Hill took the stage, DJ Lord, the group’s DJ, performed a brief set of hip-hop and alternative rock classics alongside instrumental loops. This is probably the only time you’d hear Rage Against The Machine, Zeppelin, and Metallica chopped up with looping beats live – DJ Lord is a modern master of his craft. With the excitement tangibly in the air Eric Bobo got behind the kit as Sen Dog and B-Real took centre stage, opening their set with “The Phuncky Feel One”. The chemistry between the two of them was felt immediately, each with their own signature vocal timbre and stylistic flows, a signature aspect to the Cypress Hill sound that makes them one of the greatest and most enduring rap duos. Their set would continue forward with a momentous rollout of songs, including “Hand On The Pump”, “A To The K”, and “When The Shit Goes Down”, making for a stellar opening run of tracks. In addition to a stacked setlist and the cadences and lyricism of Sen Dog and B-Real, their performance was greatly aided by the addition of Bobo’s live drums and array of percussion, alongside DJ Lord’s live DJing – who would often drop the beat at key moments, while adding his own stylistic flair, and throwing in the occasional motif from the likes of Dr. Dre and Beastie Boys. Through this, Cypress Hill’s performance feels especially powerful and, in your face– not to mention, hip-hop was absolutely made for live drums. In addition to the opening five songs, highlights from their career spanning set included “Lick A Shot”, “Tequila Sunrise”, “Hits From The Bong”, “Illusions”, “I Ain’t Going’ Out Like That”, and “How I Could Just Kill A Man”, which built up into an explosive finale as DJ Lord ripped through the Rage Against The Machine instrumental of their 2000 cover. As their set came to a close, Cypress Hill ended off their show with a massive three song conclusion of “(Rock) Superstar”, “Insane In The Brain”. And a cover of House Of Pain’s “Jump Around”, with De La Soul and The Pharcyde joining them onstage.
All in all, the penultimate show of the O Canadabis 2025 Canadian Tour was a triumphant celebration of alternative hip-hop starring a legendary cast whose influence remains integral to the canon of rap today as much as it did in the ‘90s. All three groups who performed – The Pharcyde, De La Soul, and Cypress Hill – proved their worth as hip-hop veterans of legendary status.
Cypress Hill Links
De La Soul Links
The Pharcyde Links
