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How I Could Just Kill a Man

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"How I Could Just Kill a Man"
Single by Cypress Hill
from the album Cypress Hill
ReleasedJune 29, 1991
Recorded1990
StudioImage Recording (Los Angeles)
Genre
Length4:08
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)DJ Muggs
Cypress Hill singles chronology
"How I Could Just Kill a Man"
(1991)
"The Phuncky Feel One"
(1991)
Music video
"How I Could Just Kill a Man" on YouTube

"How I Could Just Kill a Man" is the debut single by hip hop group Cypress Hill from their eponymous debut album, Cypress Hill, and was their first major hit in 1991. It was released as a double A-side to "The Phuncky Feel One". The song was also in the movie Juice (1992). It was re-released in 1999 with Spanish lyrics and a new video. It is featured as the first track on their greatest hits compilation Greatest Hits from the Bong. It was voted number 79 in About.com's Top 100 Rap Songs.[2]

Towards the end of the song (approximately the 3:48 point) someone is heard saying, "All I wanted was a Pepsi". This quote is taken from the well-known Suicidal Tendencies song, "Institutionalized".

In 2001, Cypress Hill included a sequel to the song on their album Stoned Raiders entitled "Here Is Something You Can't Understand", using the same chorus but with new verses from B-Real, Sen Dog and guest Kurupt.

Music video

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The music video features cameos by A Tribe Called Quest's Q-Tip and Tim Dog, as well as Ice Cube, with whom the group would later feud.

Track listing

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No.TitleLength
1."How I Could Just Kill a Man" (The Killer Mix)4:08
2."How I Could Just Kill a Man" (clean version)4:08
3."How I Could Just Kill a Man" (instrumental)4:08
  • NOTE: "The Killer Mix" is the uncensored album version of the song.

Chart positions

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Chart Peak
position
US 77[3]
US Rap 1[4]

Covers

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Rage Against the Machine version

[edit]
"How I Could Just Kill a Man"
Single by Rage Against the Machine
from the album Renegades
ReleasedOctober 20, 2001
Genre
Length4:04
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Rage Against the Machine singles chronology
"Renegades of Funk"
(2001)
"How I Could Just Kill a Man"
(2001)
"Killing in the Name"
(2009)

The song was covered by American rock band Rage Against the Machine on their cover album, Renegades, where the song was released as a single. Rage Against the Machine performed the song on their DVD, Live at the Grand Olympic Auditorium, accompanied by Cypress Hill.

Track listing

[edit]
  1. "How I Could Just Kill a Man" – 4:04

Chart positions

[edit]
Chart Peak
position
US Main. 39[6]
US Alt. 37[6]

Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[7] Gold 500,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Other versions

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Singer Charlotte Sometimes named the first single from her debut album Waves and the Both of Us "How I Can Just Kill a Man" in honor of Cypress Hill, though the songs have no other similarities. The song quickly became a staple on both VH1 and MTV during the summer of 2008 and closed her set on the Vans Warped Tour.

It is also covered by B-star on their album What We Do.

A cover version was released in 1994 by German Hamburger Schule band Cpt. Kirk &. on the album Round About Wyatt, but with the song's title changed to "How He Could Just Kill a Man".

The song appears in the 2004 video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas in the radio station Radio Los Santos.

References

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  1. ^ Molanphy, Chris (March 31, 2020). "La Vida Loca Edición". Hit Parade | Music History and Music Trivia (Podcast). Slate. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
  2. ^ "Top 100 Rap Songs". Archived from the original on 2015-04-05. Retrieved 2008-03-03.
  3. ^ "Cypress Hill Album & Song Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved February 21, 2015.
  4. ^ "Cypress Hill Album & Song Chart History: Rap Songs". Billboard. Retrieved February 21, 2015.
  5. ^ "The Best Rap-Rock Songs". Complex.
  6. ^ a b "Artist Chart History - Rage Against the Machine > Singles". Billboard. Retrieved 2008-10-29.
  7. ^ "American single certifications – Cypress Hill – How I Could Just Kill a Man". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved October 10, 2021.