Crucial Conflict

Crucial Conflict fused the cannabis ethos of Cypress Hill with an idiosyncratic hopalong hip-hop aesthetic rooted in Old West imagery, launching onto the airwaves in 1996 via the marijuana tribute “Hay.” The quartet—Wildstyle, Kilo, Coldhard, and Never—came of age on Chicago’s West Side, where they first took up rapping simply to fill idle hours amid the city’s tougher neighborhoods. After inking a deal with the UNIV imprint in 1996, the group climbed to the R&B Top Five upon the June arrival of The Final Tic, an album certified gold before the year ended. Good Side, Bad Side appeared in 1998. Following a decade marked by label disputes and side work on regional ventures, the ensemble resurfaced with Planet Crucon in 2008. Although no further studio recordings materialized, the members sustained a steady presence on stage, among other highlights performing at the 2015 SXSW festival as part of Twista’s Midwestern Artists Showcase.