DJ Muggs

Originating from New York yet operating out of California, producer DJ Muggs played a foundational role in shaping a singular dark and atmospheric brand of hip-hop during the 1990s through his status as an original Cypress Hill member, later broadening his scope across subsequent decades to encompass trip-hop, dancehall, alternative rock, and dubstep. Alongside nine Cypress Hill studio albums, five of which achieved gold or platinum certification, he supplied landmark successes to House of Pain with “Jump Around” and to Ice Cube with “Check Yo Self” alongside Das EFX, in addition to cuts for Funkdoobiest, Xzibit, Super Cat, and further acts. Launching the Soul Assassins collective in 1997 yielded his first Top 20 placement via the opening entry in a series of ensemble-driven long-players. His initial foray into trip-hop arrived via the 1999 Tricky joint Juxtapose and the 2003 solo album Dust, with a later return to the idiom a decade on through the band Cross My Heart Hope to Die. After the 2005 partnership with Wu-Tang Clan’s GZA on Grandmasters, Muggs has issued multiple projects with underground rappers such as Planet Asia, Roc Marciano, Mach-Hommy, and Tha God Fahim. He further integrated dubstep and trap on the 2013 release Bass for Your Face while delivering the atmospheric instrumental album Dies Occidendum in 2021 under the alias the Black Goat.

Lawrence Muggerud entered the world in Queens, New York City, before relocating to Los Angeles at age 14. His earliest professional work came as DJ for the rap outfit the 7A3, whose sole album surfaced in 1988, after which he co-established DVX (Devastatic Vocal Excellence) alongside Sen Dog, Sen Dog’s brother Mellow Man Ace, and B-Real. Following Mellow Man Ace’s exit for solo pursuits, the remaining trio adopted the name Cypress Hill. Muggs handled a track on Mellow Man Ace’s 1989 debut and oversaw the complete 1991 Cypress Hill album, a foundational hardcore rap release certified double platinum that inspired numerous copyists. He also oversaw two of 1992’s largest rap successes, House of Pain’s “Jump Around” and Ice Cube with Das EFX’s “Check Yo Self,” plus material for Yo-Yo, Funkdoobiest, and ragga vocalist Daddy Freddy. Cypress Hill’s follow-up, 1993’s Black Sunday, outperformed the debut on the strength of the breakout single “Insane in the Brain.”

Throughout the mid-’90s Muggs stayed busy with Cypress Hill, House of Pain, and Funkdoobiest while also producing or remixing tracks for Janet Jackson, U2, Super Cat, Salt-N-Pepa, and additional artists. He assembled the Soul Assassins collective and issued Muggs Presents the Soul Assassins, Chapter I on Columbia Records in 1997, drawing guest turns from Dr. Dre, Mobb Deep, KRS-One, Goodie Mob, and other prominent names. Between Cypress Hill projects he joined Tricky and Dame Grease for 1999’s Juxtapose, after which Soul Assassins II arrived in 2000 featuring Kurupt, Everlast, and Dilated Peoples. Soul Assassins next released Mixtape Vol. One in 2002 with appearances by Snoop Dogg and Jayo Felony.

Muggs joined the Anti- roster, an independent imprint distributed by Epitaph, and delivered the solo album Dust in 2003. Merging trip-hop and alternative rock, the set included contributions from Greg Dulli, Amy Trujillo, and Josh Todd of Buckcherry. He produced Cypress Hill’s 2004 album Till Death Do Us Part yet subsequently stepped away from the group to pursue separate endeavors. Founding Angeles Records, he released the mixtape The Last Assassin with Chace Infinite and circulated several mid-2000s mash-up mixtapes. Linking with GZA produced the 2005 album Grandmasters, followed by an instrumental edition in 2006 and a remix album in 2007.

Muggs teamed with Sick Jacken of Psycho Realm and Cynic for 2007’s Legend of the Mask and the Assassin and with Planet Asia for 2008’s Pain Language, while also venturing into film scoring with Graeme Revell for the Street Kings soundtrack. The third Soul Assassins album, Intermission, appeared in 2009. Although he remained part of Cypress Hill, he co-produced only two tracks on that year’s Rise Up. Additional collaborations included the 2010 full-length Kill Devil Hills with Ill Bill of Non Phixion and production on Bambu’s The Los Angeles, Philippines Mixtape.

After twenty-five years in the business, Muggs’ sonic palette kept shifting. The 2012 EPs Sound Clash Business and Sound Boy Killa reflected his adoption of trap and dubstep, a direction expanded on the 2013 Ultra Records album Bass for Your Face featuring Freddie Gibbs, Dizzee Rascal, Roc Marciano, and Chuck D. He simultaneously launched the band Cross My Heart Hope to Die with vocalist Brevi, co-producer Andrew Kline, and curator Sean Bronner; the group blended trip-hop and shoegaze across the self-titled 2013 EP and 2014’s Vita e Morte, both issued on Alpha Pup Records, and supplied production to two albums by South African rave-rap act Die Antwoord.

Entering an especially fertile stretch, Muggs returned to stark underground hip-hop via an extended run of collaborative albums on Soul Assassins Records. Work with Meyhem Lauren yielded 2017’s Gems from the Equinox and the following year’s Frozen Angels EP, while he also contributed production to releases by Westside Gunn and Vinnie Paz. He resumed primary production duties for Cypress Hill on 2018’s Elephants on Acid. Soul Assassins: Dia del Asesinato, carrying appearances from MF DOOM, Raekwon, and Kool G Rap, and the Roc Marciano project KAOS both surfaced that same year.

The year 2019 proved especially active for Muggs. Hells Roof with Lil’ Eto arrived early, followed by two albums with Mach-Hommy (Tuez-Les Tous and Kill Em All), Medallo with New Jersey rapper Crimeapple, another EP with Meyhem Lauren titled Members Only, and Dump Assassins with Tha God Fahim. In 2020 he released the concise album Kilogram with Al Divino, then the solo LP Winter featuring verses from Cappadonna, Boldy James, RLX, and others. Death & the Magician, a collaboration with Rome Streetz, arrived in 2021. That year also saw his debut instrumental full-length under the name DJ Muggs the Black Goat, Dies Occidendum, issued on Sacred Bones, plus a further EP with Divino titled Kilo and the full-length Rammellzee with Flee Lord.