Hip-hop group Cypress Hill partnered with Z2 Comics to create a graphic novel, Cypress Hill: Tres Equis, which is inspired by the group's acclaimed 1991 self-titled debut.
"Art has always been a major influence in our lives and our music. As kids, we would read comic books that were full of heroes achieving the impossible. 30 years later, I would have never thought we would get a chance to tell our story this way," Cypress Hill member B Real said in a press release. Sen Dog added, "The story of Cypress Hill in a graphic novel is the perfect way to illustrate the time and place where the group was born."
An official synopsis for the Cypress Hill: Tres Equis graphic novel reads,
1991: XXX years ago, a trailblazing trio made music history blending East Coast hip-hop fundamentals with West Coast chicano swagger to form a sound all their own. Before they became icons, Louis and Senen were just a couple teenage cholos from around the way, trying to stay out of trouble -- Until a series of chance encounters with both sides of the law changed their path forever. Guest-starring Officer O'Malley, Sister Maggie, and many more!
Hip-hop scholar Gabriel Alvarez, who will co-write the graphic novel, likened the partnership between Cypress Hill and 2 Comics to "nachos and cheese," noting, "It's been fun reconnecting with Noah and every time I see the Cypress artwork I'm blown away. It's incredible. I can't wait to get my own copy. Thank you Z2 for making a dream come true. And thank you Cypress Hill for making some of the greatest music I've ever heard."
"Growing up I had two loves: comic books and hip-hop music. I've been fortunate to spend the last 25 years working around hip-hop, as a journalist and music executive, but never got the opportunity to realize my dreams of making a comic," co-writer Noah Callahan-Bever added. "So to get to scratch that itch -- and to do it in collaboration with, Cypress Hill, one of the greatest rap groups of all time; and Gabriel Alvarez, one of my mentors from Ego Trip, as well as the all-star line-up of artists that Z2 has assembled -- is undeniably a professional grail moment."
Cypress Hill: Tres Equis is written by Noah Callahan-Bever and Gabriel Alvarez, and illustrated by Felix Ruiz, Jefte Palo, Juan Gedeon, Damion Scott, Angel Hernandez and Paris Alleyne. The graphic novel is available in three formats: a standard 160-page softcover, a deluxe hardcover edition, and a strictly limited super deluxe edition, which are available in both English and Spanish.
The deluxe and super deluxe editions also include an exclusive LP edition of Cypress Hill's self-titled debut on green vinyl, which features all-new cover art by Ricardo Lopez Ortiz, as well as special edition art prints by Ortiz, Scott and Gedeon. All versions are available now for pre-order.
The standard edition will be released in comic shops and bookstores everywhere in August, with deluxe and super deluxe editions available exclusively through Z2 comics.
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