Look up hits in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Hits may refer to:

Musical works[link]

• Hits (compilation series)
• Hits (The Beach Boys EP) – a number-one EP by The Beach Boys
• Hits! The Very Best of Erasure, album by Erasure
• Hits: Greatest and Others, by Joan Baez
• Hits (Phil Collins album)
• Hits+, album by Kylie Minogue
• Hits (Joni Mitchell)
• Hits (Mauro Scocco album)
• Hits (Pulp album)
• Hits (Spice 1 album)
• Hits (Tony! Toni! Toné! album)
• Hits Collection, album by The Stranglers
• Hits (Mike + The Mechanics album)
• Hits (New Found Glory album)
• Hits (Kylie Minogue album)

Initialisms[link]

• Headend in the Sky, satellite communications facility
• Highway In The Sky, Synthetic vision system for pilots
• HITS algorithm, Hypertext Induced Topic Selection for Web-page rating
• Homicide Investigation Tracking System, murder and rape case database
• Hyperbolic In-Air Tracking System, radio-tracking component at US submarine R&D facility
• High-Impulse Thermobaric Weapons (HITs), a type of explosive that relies on oxygen from the surrounding air.

See also[link]

• Hit (disambiguation)
• The Hits (disambiguation)

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

Aaron Rome
Rome with the Canucks in 2010
Born	(1983-09-27) September 27, 1983 (age 28) Nesbitt, MB, CAN
Height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight	218 lb (99 kg; 15 st 8 lb)
Position	Defence
Shoots	Left
NHL team Former teams	Vancouver Canucks NHL Anaheim Ducks Columbus Blue Jackets AHL Cincinnati Mighty Ducks Portland Pirates Syracuse Crunch Manitoba Moose
NHL Draft	104th overall, 2002 Los Angeles Kings
Playing career	2004–present

Aaron Rome (born September 27, 1983) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was originally selected out of the Western Hockey League (WHL) 104th overall in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft by the Los Angeles Kings. Unsigned by the Kings, he joined the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim organization in 2004, earning most of his playing time with their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliates. In 2007, he played one game with the Ducks during their Stanley Cup-winning playoff season. The following season, he was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets, playing two seasons in the organization between the NHL and AHL. Becoming an unrestricted free agent in July 2009, he signed with the Canucks and established himself as a regular in the team's lineup.

Playing career[link]

Junior[link]

Rome played junior hockey in the Western Hockey League (WHL) from 1999–2004. After debuting in one game for the Saskatoon Blades in 1998–99, he registered 6 assists over 47 games in the following season. During his rookie WHL season, he played alongside older brother Reagan Rome as defensive partners for a short span (Reagan played five games for Saskatoon in 1999–2000 before moving to the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League).^[1][2] Three games into the 2000–01 season, Rome moved from Saskatoon to the Kootenay Ice and finished the season with 2 goals and 10 points. Rome began the 2001–02 season with another new WHL team, the Swift Current Broncos. Playing in his third major junior season, he improved to 7 goals and 31 points. In the off-season, Rome was selected by the Los Angeles Kings, 104th overall in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft. He was scouted as a stay-at-home defenceman with strong positioning and some offensive skills.^[3]

Returning to Swift Current following his draft for the 2002–03 season, he recorded a junior career-high 12 goals and 56 points, ranking eighth among league defencemen in scoring.^[4] Late in the 2003–04 season, he was traded to his fourth WHL team, the Moose Jaw Warriors, where he joined his younger brother, Ashton Rome (also a defenceman).^[2] Between Swift Current and Moose Jaw, he scored a combined 10 goals and 52 points over 69 games. Ranking third among WHL defencemen in point-scoring,^[5] he was named to the WHL East Second All-Star Team.^[6]

Professional[link]

Unsigned by the Kings two years after his NHL draft, he became a free agent in the 2004 off-season. On June 7, 2004, he was signed by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.^[6] He began his professional career with Anaheim's minor league affiliate, the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks of the American Hockey League (AHL) in 2004–05. During that season, he had a second opportunity to play with his brother, Reagan Rome, as the latter was called up from Cincinnati's ECHL affiliate, the Reading Royals, for two games.^[1][2] Playing 74 games in his rookie AHL season, he scored 2 goals and 16 points. He helped Cincinnati to the second round of the 2005 playoffs, adding 3 goals and 6 points over 12 post-season games.

The following season, Anaheim's AHL affiliate was changed to the Portland Pirates and Rome began a two-and-a-half season stint with his new club. He improved to 24 points over 64 games in his second AHL season. During the 2006-07 season, Rome was called up to Anaheim and appeared in his first NHL game on January 2, 2007, a 2–1 loss against the Detroit Red Wings.^[7] Registering 14 minutes of ice time, he had a -1 plus-minus rating and took one shot on goal.^[8] Completing the season with Portland, he tallied 25 points, including an AHL career-high 8 goals. He was recalled once more for the Ducks' 2007 playoff run, appearing in one post-season game. The Ducks went on to win the Stanley Cup that year. As Rome did not play in the Stanley Cup Finals, he did not qualify to have his name engraved on the trophy.^[9] Anaheim did, however, award him a Stanley Cup ring,^[10] as well as the customary day spent with the trophy in the off-season.^[2]

Rome at the Canucks' 2009 training camp

After beginning the 2007–08 season with the Pirates, Rome was traded from the Ducks to the Columbus Blue Jackets, along with Clay Wilson, for Geoff Platt, on November 15, 2007.^[11] Rome was assigned to the Blue Jackets' AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch, immediately following the trade.^[6] After appearing in 41 games with Syracuse, scoring 3 goals and 24 points, he was called up to Columbus on February 26, 2008.^[6] He scored his first NHL goal late in the season against goaltender Dominik Hasek, in a 3–2 loss against the Red Wings on April 3, 2008.^[12] After his first Blue Jackets training camp in September 2008, Rome was placed on waivers.^[13] After clearing,^{[notes 1]} he was assigned to start the season with Syracuse.^[6] He remained with the Crunch until February 2009, when he was recalled by the Blue Jackets for the remainder of the 2008–09 season.^[6] He played eight games with the Blue Jackets, registering one assist. Over 48 games in the AHL, he notched 7 goals and 28 points. Rome remained with the Blue Jackets for the franchise's first playoff season in 2009, competing in one game. Columbus was eliminated in the first round by Detroit.

Rome became an unrestricted free agent in the subsequent off-season and was signed by the Vancouver Canucks on July 1, 2009, to a one-way,^{[notes 2]} one-year contract worth $550,000.^[16] He played the majority of the season with the Canucks, notching 4 assists in 49 games, while also appearing in 7 games with Vancouver's affiliate, the Manitoba Moose; he scored 6 goals and 7 points in the AHL. During a three-game stint with the Canucks that season, he played forward for the first time in his career.^[17] He appeared in one playoff game for the Canucks in 2010, missing nine games due to injury.^[6]

In the off-season, Rome re-signed with Vancouver to a two-year, $1.5 million contract.^[18] He scored for the first time as a Canuck on March 29, 2011, an empty netter in a 3–1 win against the Nashville Predators. It was his first goal in 109 games.^[19] Rome finished the 2010–11 season with an NHL career-high 56 games with a goal and four assists. In the 2011 playoffs, he scored his first NHL post-season goal against Antti Niemi of the San Jose Sharks in Game 2 of the third round – a 7–3 win.^[20] The following game, he was injured off a boarding hit from Sharks forward Jamie McGinn. Rome was sidelined from the rest of the game; McGinn received a five-minute penalty on the play, but did not receive further discipline from the league.^[21]

In game three of the Stanley Cup Finals, Rome sent Boston forward Nathan Horton to the ice with a late hit. Horton sustained a severe concussion and was taken off the ice on a stretcher. Rome was ejected from the game after being assessed a five-minute major penalty for interference and a game misconduct. After a disciplinary hearing the next morning, Rome was assessed a four-game suspension and missed the remainder of the 2011 playoffs.^[22] While Rome and the Canucks maintained that it was a clean hit, the NHL determined that Rome hit Horton over a second after Horton gave up the puck. The NHL considered a hit to be late if it takes place more than half a second after a player loses possession.^[23] The Canucks went on to lose the series three-games-to-four. Rome's play in his second season with Vancouver solidified him as a third-pairing defenceman for the team.^[24]

Rome began the 2011–12 season sidelined after suffering a broken hand during training camp. He returned to the Canucks lineup in early-November after missing the first 14 games of the campaign.^[6] In his first four games back, Rome registered three goals and two assists, matching his points output from entire previous season.^[24] Later in the month, he missed three games with a thumb injury.^[6]

Personal life[link]

Rome was born and raised in Nesbitt, Manitoba, a small community of less than 30 people.^[2] He was the third of four sons born to Dennis and Karen Rome. All four brothers played hockey and made it to the minor professional level; Rome is the only one to compete in the NHL. Ashton Rome is the only other brother to be drafted into the NHL, selected 143rd overall in 2006 by the San Jose Sharks,^[2] and has played in the ECHL and AHL. Eldest brother Ryan Rome competed in the United (UHL) and Central Hockey Leagues (CHL),^[25] while Reagan Rome has played in the ECHL, AHL and in Europe.^[1]

Rome and his wife Adrianne have a son, Grayson. They spend their off-seasons in Brandon, Manitoba.^[7]

Career statistics[link]

• Statistics taken from Aaron Rome's NHL Profile^[26]

Awards[link]

Notes[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Aaron Rome

• Aaron Rome's NHL player profile
• Aaron Rome's biography at Legends of Hockey
• Aaron Rome on TSN.ca
• Aaron Rome's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database

Nathan Horton
Horton with the Bruins in 2012
Born	(1985-05-29) May 29, 1985 (age 27) Welland, ON, CAN
Height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight	215 lb (98 kg; 15 st 5 lb)
Position	Right Wing
Shoots	Right
NHL team Former teams	Boston Bruins Florida Panthers
NHL Draft	3rd overall, 2003 Florida Panthers
Playing career	2003–present

Nathan Horton (born May 29, 1985) is a Canadian professional ice hockey winger who currently plays for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL). During his career, Horton has also played for the Florida Panthers, the Thorold Blackhawks of the Golden Horseshoe Junior Hockey League (GHJHL), the Oshawa Generals of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) and the San Antonio Rampage of the American Hockey League (AHL).

During his only season with Thorold he played in 41 games, scoring 16 goals and 31 assists. With Oshawa he scored 64 goals and recorded 71 assists for his career. Following his time with Oshawa, Horton was drafted by the Florida Panthers and spent his first professional season playing for the team. However, during what would be his second season, the NHL cancelled the season which caused Horton to find another team to play for. Instead of going to Europe as many other NHL players had, he joined the Panthers' AHL affiliate, the San Antonio Rampage. In an injury shortened season, Horton played in 21 games for the Rampage scoring 5 goals and recording 4 assists.

Playing career[link]

Minor Hockey[link]

Horton grew up in Dunnville, Ontario playing much of his minor hockey with the Welland Tigers of the OMHA South Central AAA League until his Bantam year. He graduated to the Thorold Blackhawks Jr.B. club of the OHA's Golden Horseshoe League at age 15. For much of his career with Welland, Horton played up on the "'84" Tigers team with future NHL'ers Dan Girardi, Daniel Paille (current Bruins teammate) and Andre Deveaux.

Junior career[link]

Horton first entered junior hockey as a player for the Thorold Blackhawks. In one season with Thorold he scored 16 goals and registered 31 assists in 41 games.^[1] Prior to the 2001 OHL Draft, a 16–year old Horton stated that if he was drafted first overall by the Mississauga Ice Dogs, he would not report to the team.^[2] He was instead selected second overall in the draft by the Oshawa Generals.^[3] As a rookie in the OHL, Horton totaled 31 goals and 36 assists in 64 games for the Generals.^[4]

To begin the 2002–03 season, Horton missed 13 games out of 22 but still ended up scoring 9 goals with 18 points during that span.^[5] Horton was named to the Canadian national junior team's selection camp in December but was one of the first cuts.^[6] He ended his final season in Oshawa with 33 goals and 35 assists in 54 games.^[4]

2003 NHL Entry Draft[link]

In January 2002, Horton, along with Patrick O'Sullivan and Kevin Klein, was regarded as a top prospect from the OHL for the 2003 NHL Entry Draft.^[7] Eleven months later in December, Horton was called, "an almost sure-fire top five pick" by USA Today.^[8] Midway through the 2002–03 season, Horton was regarded as a top-five North American prospect by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau.^[9] Scouts likened Horton, who considered him a "power forward", to John LeClair who was considered to be one of the best power forwards in the NHL. However, Horton stated that he saw himself to be more like Jeremy Roenick or Peter Forsberg, both of whom were faster than LeClair.^[10]

The Florida Panthers, who originally held the first overall pick but traded it to the Pittsburgh Penguins, selected Horton with the third overall pick. Goaltender Marc-André Fleury (Pittsburgh) and centre Eric Staal (Carolina) were selected before him.^[11]

Florida Panthers[link]

Horton signed with the Panthers on October 6, 2003.^[12] After his signing, Panthers coach Mike Keenan compared Horton to future New York Rangers Hall of Famer Mark Messier.^[13]

Against the Minnesota Wild on October 24, Horton recorded his first career point with an assist on an Ivan Novoseltsev goal.^[14] Horton recorded his first career goal on November 1 against the San Jose Sharks.^[15] In the next game for the Panthers against the Los Angeles Kings, Horton scored his second goal in as many games.^[16] On January 9, 2004, Horton became the first rookie in NHL history to record a goal on a penalty shot, scoring against Philadelphia Flyers goalie Jeff Hackett.^[17] Three seasons later, on October 22, 2006, Penguins rookie Jordan Staal matched the feat and surpassed Horton as the youngest player to score; Staal was 183 days younger than Horton was when he scored.^[18] Four days after his penalty shot goal, Horton suffered a torn rotator cuff and labrum which would potentially end his season.^[19][20] At the time, he was third on the Panthers with 10 goals.^[21] Following an examination by surgeon Tony Miniaci, Horton was told that he could rehabilitate naturally and did not require surgery on his shoulder.^[22] He returned to the Panthers in early March and scored in one of his first games back against the Tampa Bay Lightning.^[23] However, his shoulder troubles continued and it was determined that surgery was required.^[22] Horton ended his rookie campaign with 14 goals and 8 assists in 55 games.^[4]

The 2004–05 NHL season ended up being locked out which forced Horton and other players to sign with other teams. Horton eventually signed with the Panthers' AHL affiliate, the San Antonio Rampage^[24] after a controversy ensued as to whether junior hockey eligible players such as Horton were obligated to return to their junior teams.^[25] Despite not signing with the Rampage until October 29, Horton still participated in their training camp.^[26] Seven minutes into his second AHL game, Horton scored his first goal of the season.^[27] He recorded his first career AHL assist on a Gregory Campbell goal.^[28] On December 3, 2004, against the Houston Aeros, Horton scored both of the Rampage's goals to help the team win in overtime.^[29]

Horton in 2007

For the second straight season, the Panthers did not allow Horton to play for the Canadian national junior team. He and Houston Aeros defenceman Brent Burns were the only two players not allowed to play for the team.^[30] Days before the announcement that Horton would not play for Team Canada, he suffered another shoulder injury which allegedly played into the Panthers' decision.^[31] Horton suffered the shoulder injury in a fight in December and missed 14 games. He was informed he would again have to undergo surgery.^[32] In 21 games for San Antonio, Horton scored 5 goals and recorded 4 assists.^[4]

Entering the 2005–06 season, Horton stated in response to a question about his shoulders, "I feel better. I feel stronger, bigger."^[33] In the season opener against the Atlanta Thrashers, Horton scored the first goal for the Panthers.^[34] Through the first games of the season, Horton was tied for the team lead in goals.^[35] On November 8, 2005, Horton was placed on injured reserve because of a knee injury.^[36] He was activated on December 1^[37] and scored in his first game back against the Washington Capitals to help the Panthers win 3–2.^[38] Horton added 2 goals against the Chicago Blackhawks in the Panthers' next game to bring his season total to 10 in 17 games.^[39] Against the Nashville Predators on December 13, Horton recorded his first career hat trick and stated after the game that, "It's a pretty nice feeling. I felt like there was no one on me. I just tried to get it to the net and it went in every time."^[40] Despite missing 10 games to injury, Horton was tied with teammate Olli Jokinen for the team lead in goals with 16 after 38 games.^[41] Against Washington on January 9, Horton and Joe Nieuwendyk scored a goal in the shootout to help the Panthers win 4–3.^[42] Two days after his shootout goal, Horton was promoted to the Panthers' first line.^[43] Despite his promotion to the first line, Horton's name was mentioned in a potential trade with the Vancouver Canucks;^[44] however, nothing materialized. In a 6–2 win over the Ottawa Senators, Horton scored 2 goals including one on a rebound, after which he said, "It just popped right out to me. It was a long time coming for goals for me. I got lucky tonight and hopefully they keep going in."^[45] In March, Horton began playing in penalty kill situations for the first time in his career.^[46] Also against the Lightning, Horton scored the Panthers' only goal with his 27th goal of the season.^[47] Horton completed the season playing 71 games, scoring 28 goals and adding 19 assists.^[4]

Following the 2005–06 season, Horton's rookie contract expired. He was re-signed by Florida on July 12, 2006, to a one-year, $1.1 million contract.^[48] Against the Boston Bruins, Horton scored his first goal of the season to help the Panthers win 8–3.^[49] He scored his third goal of the season on October 18 in a 5–2 loss against the Washington Capitals, who the Panthers had not lost to in regulation since the 2004–05 season.^[50] After Horton was called for a second-period penalty against Atlanta, coach Jacques Martin demoted Horton to the fourth line in an attempt to send a message to Horton.^[51] Before long, however, Horton was again promoted to the first line, with Finnish players Olli Jokinen and Ville Peltonen. They gave Horton the name "Nathan Hortonen" in an attempt to make his name Finnish.^[52] Against the Montreal Canadiens on November 16, Horton assisted on all goals that Jokinen recorded.^[53] Against Tampa Bay on February 17, Horton scored the game winning goal for Florida, 29 seconds into overtime.^[54]

For the second straight season, Horton's name was brought up in trade offers; however Canadian sports writer, Bruce Garrioch called it "doubtful" that Horton would be traded^[55] despite Horton being unhappy playing in Florida.^[56] Against Tampa Bay on March 28, Horton scored two goals, which brought his season total for goals against the Lightning up to 8.^[57] In the Panthers' next game against the Lightning, Horton had 1 goal which made it 9 goals and 3 assists for him against Tampa Bay in the 2006–07 season. The goal also gave Horton his career-high 31st goal on the season.^[58] He ended the season with 31 goals and 31 assists in 82 games.^[4]

Horton re-signed with the Panthers on June 21, 2007, to a six-year, US$24 million contract.^[59] despite previous rumours he would not.^[60] Through seven games for the Panthers to open the 2007–08 NHL season, Horton recorded 3 goals and 3 assists, during which he had a four-game point streak.^[61] Horton scored the only goal for the Panthers in a 2–1 loss against the Carolina Hurricanes on November 18.^[62] Against the Washington Capitals on November 28, Horton along with teammates Olli Jokinen, Kamil Kreps and Stephen Weiss scored shootout goals to help Florida win the game.^[63] For the first time since March 2007, Horton scored 2 goals in a game to help the Panthers win over the Atlanta Thrashers on December 28.^[64] Horton and linemate David Booth combined for three goals against the New York Islanders, of which Horton scored two.^[65] In the Panthers' 5–3 win over the Ottawa Senators on January 22, 2008, Horton recorded 4 assists,^[66] which was a career–high.^[67] Horton scored against Vancouver Canucks goalie and former Panther Roberto Luongo in a shootout to help the Panthers win 4–3, giving them their first win over Vancouver since 1999.^[68] Horton scored a goal against the Washington Capitals to help Florida win 4–2 in the game after Richard Zednik suffered a neck injury in which he had his external carotid artery cut by a skate.^[69] Twenty-two seconds into overtime against the Boston Bruins on March 5, Horton scored to give the Panthers a 1–0 victory.^[70] Four days later on March 9, Horton scored again in overtime with 23 seconds left, causing the Miami Herald to nickname him the "King of Overtime".^[71] On April 5, Horton scored his 100th career goal.^[72]

Horton standing next to teammate Ville Peltonen in 2009

Prior to the start of the 2008–09 NHL season, Panthers head coach Peter DeBoer, who first saw Horton play at seven years old, said about his hopes for Horton, "If I'm looking for guys to do more, he wouldn't be at the top of the list. If he can give us 30-plus, I'd be happy with Nathan. There's a group of guys underneath him that I think can make a lot bigger jumps than I need out of Nathan Horton goal-wise."^[73] Horton was also moved from his position of right wing to centre before the season. After playing a few games at centre, Horton said, "It's not as easy as wing. You can play wing and all you have to concentrate on is getting the puck and shooting it. At center, you have more responsibilities."^[74] Against the Nashville Predators on November 1, Horton played in his 300th career game, but failed to record a point.^[75] On November 26, Horton suffered a deep cut in his leg after it was stepped on by a skate. At the time of the injury, Horton had 6 goals and 7 assists.^[76] In early December, the Ottawa Sun reported that the Panthers might have been looking to trade Horton after he was reportedly unhappy playing for the team.^[77] Horton returned to the lineup on December 17 after missing eight games. After the game, Horton commented, "I'm excited to play. It's kind of a different Panthers team than the past. It's really changed in a matter of a month. Things are going good now, and everybody's really buying into what Pete has been telling us all year."^[78] On January 17, Horton recorded 3 assists to help the Panthers defeat Tampa Bay, 4–3.^[79] For the second time during the season, Horton's name came up in trade rumours, this time with the Chicago Blackhawks.^[80] In early March, days after the trade deadline, Horton suffered a finger injury that forced him to have surgery.^[81] He returned to the lineup on March 23, recording an assist in a Panthers loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.^[82] Horton ended the season with 22 goals and 23 assists in 67 games.^[4]

Boston Bruins[link]

Horton was traded to the Boston Bruins on June 22, 2010 along with Gregory Campbell for Dennis Wideman, the Bruins first round pick (15th overall) in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, and third round pick in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.^[83] He got off to a great start in his first season in Boston, with seven goals and six assists, including a six game point streak, in the first 12 games of the season. He finished second on the team in goals and fourth in assists.

During the first round of the 2011 NHL Playoffs, Horton scored a game-winning overtime goal for the Bruins in both games five and seven to help the Bruins win the series over the Montreal Canadiens.^[84] A third period goal by Horton against the Tampa Bay Lightning, the only goal of game 7, later sent the Bruins to the Stanley Cup Finals.^[85]

In game three of the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals, Horton was hit with late check to the head by Vancouver Canucks defenseman Aaron Rome. Rome received a five-minute major for interference and a game misconduct. Horton seemed concussed and unresponsive as he was carried out on a stretcher and put into an ambulance. He was moving all his extremities in the ambulance.^[86] He was later diagnosed with a severe concussion and missed the remainder of the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals. Rome was suspended for 4 games following the hit.^[87] The NHL stated that if the series were to be completed in fewer than seven games, then any remaining games on the suspension would be served at the start of the following season. Although Horton missed the remainder of the finals, the Bruins went on to win the series in game seven, and he hoisted the Stanley Cup in Vancouver on June 15.

Personal life[link]

Horton married Canadian model Tammy Plante, the great-niece of NHL goaltending great Jacques Plante, on July 7, 2007.^[88] They have two sons, Dylan and Zachary.

Career statistics[link]

Regular season and playoffs[link]

• All statistics are from NHL.com.^[1]

Awards[link]

OHL[link]

NHL[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Nathan Horton's NHL player profile
• Nathan Horton's biography at Legends of Hockey
• Nathan Horton's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (July 2010)

Cypress Hill
Cypress Hill performing at Bonnaroo in 2006
Background information
Also known as	DVX (Devasting Vocal Excellence)
Origin	South Gate, California, United States
Genres	Hip hop, rap rock, alternative hip hop, west coast hip hop
Years active	1988–present
Labels	Ruffhouse, Columbia, Sony Music, Priority, EMI
Associated acts	Soul Assassins, Tom Morello, Everlast, Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg, Slash, House of Pain, Xzibit, Funkdoobiest, Adil Omar, Young De, Travis Barker, Psycho Realm, La Coka Nostra, Rusko, Rage Against the Machine, Fergie, La Coka Nostra
Website	CypressHill.com
Members
B-Real DJ Muggs Sen Dog Eric Bobo
Past members
Mellow Man Ace

Cypress Hill is an American hip hop group from South Gate, California. Cypress Hill was the first Cuban-American/Latino hip hop group to have platinum and multi-platinum albums, selling over 18 million albums worldwide. It is one of the most well-known groups in West Coast rap and was critically acclaimed for their first two groundbreaking albums.^[1]

History[link]

Formation (1988)[link]

Senen Reyes (also known as Sen Dog) and Ulpiano Sergio Reyes (also known as Mellow Man Ace) are brothers who initially lived in South Gate, California. In 1971, their family had immigrated to the United States, settling in the Los Angeles neighborhood of South Gate. In 1988, the two brothers teamed up with Lawrence Muggerud (also known as DJ Muggs) and Louis Freese (also known as B-Real) to form a hip-hop group named DVX (Devastating Vocal Excellence). The band soon lost Mellow Man Ace to a solo career, and changed their name to Cypress Hill, after a street in South Gate.^[2]

Early works and mainstream success (1989–1995)[link]

After recording a demo in 1989, Cypress Hill signed a record deal with the major label, Columbia Records. Their self-titled first album was released in August 1991. The lead single was the double A-side "The Phuncky Feel One"/"How I Could Just Kill a Man" which received heavy airplay on urban and college radio. The other two singles released from the album were "Hand on the Pump" and "Latin Lingo", the latter of which combined English and Spanish lyrics. The success of these singles led to the album selling two million copies in the US alone. The group made their first appearance at Lollapalooza on the side stage in 1992.

Black Sunday, the group's second album, debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 in 1993, recording the highest Soundscan for a rap group up until that time. Also, with their debut still in the charts, they became the first rap group to have 2 albums in the top 10 of the Billboard 200 at the same time. With "Insane in the Brain" becoming a crossover hit, the album went triple platinum in the U.S. and sold about 3.25 million copies.

The band headlined the Soul Assassins tour with House of Pain and Funkdoobiest as support, then performed on a college tour with Rage Against the Machine and Seven Year Bitch. In 1993, Cypress Hill also had two tracks on the Judgment Night soundtrack, teaming up with Pearl Jam on the track "Real Thing" and Sonic Youth on "I Love You Mary Jane".

The group later played at Woodstock 94, introducing new member Eric Bobo, son of Willie Bobo and formerly a percussionist with the Beastie Boys. Rolling Stone magazine named the group as the best rap group in their music awards voted by critics and readers. Cypress Hill played at Lollapalooza for two successive years, topping the bill in 1995. They also appeared on the "Homerpalooza" episode of The Simpsons. Prior to Bobo joining the crew, Panchito "Ponch" Gomez sat in as a percussionist when not acting.

Their third album III: Temples of Boom was released in 1995, selling 1.5 million copies and reaching number 3 on the Billboard 200 on the strength of the hit single "Throw Your Set in the Air".^{[citation needed]} Cypress Hill also contributed a track "I Wanna Get High" to the High Times sponsored Hempilation album to support NORML.

Continued career (1996–2002)[link]

Sen Dog took a break from the band to form a Los Angeles based rap rock band SX-10.^[3] Meanwhile in 1996, Cypress Hill appeared on the first 'Smokin' Grooves' tour, featuring Ziggy Marley, The Fugees, Busta Rhymes and A Tribe Called Quest. The band also released a nine track EP Unreleased and Revamped with rare mixes. In 1997, band members focused on their solo careers. Muggs released Soul Assassins: Chapter 1 featuring contributions from Dr. Dre, KRS-One, Wyclef Jean and Mobb Deep. B-Real appeared with Busta Rhymes, Coolio, LL Cool J and Method Man on "Hit Em High" from the multi-platinum Space Jam Soundtrack. He also appeared with RBX, Nas and KRS-One on "East Coast Killer, West Coast Killer" off Dr. Dre's Dr. Dre Presents the Aftermath album, and contributed to an album entitled The Psycho Realm with the band of the same name. Though the focus that year was not on group efforts, the band played Smokin' Grooves with George Clinton and Erykah Badu.

Cypress Hill released IV in 1998 which went gold in the U.S., on the backs of hit singles "Tequila Sunrise" and "Dr. Greenthumb." Sen Dog also released the Get Wood sampler as part of SX-10 on the label Flip. In 1999, Cypress Hill helped with the PC crime video game Kingpin: Life of Crime. Three of their songs from the 1998 IV album were in the game ( "16 Men Till There's No Men Left", "Checkmate" and "Lightning Strikes"). B-Real also did some of the voices of the people in the game. Also in 1999, the band released a greatest-hits album in Spanish, Los grandes éxitos en español. In 2000, Cypress Hill then fused genres with their fifth album, Skull & Bones, which was a two-disc album. The first disc, "Skull" was composed of rap tracks while "Bones" explored further the group's forays into rock. The album reached the Top 5 on the Billboard 200 and number 3 in Canada. The first single was "Rock Superstar" for rock radio and "Rap Superstar" for urban radio. Following the release of the album, Cypress Hill (along with MxPx) landed a slot opening for The Offspring on the Conspiracy of One tour. The band also released Live at the Fillmore, a concert disc recorded at the Fillmore (in San Francisco) in 2000. Cypress Hill continued their experimentation with rock on the Stoned Raiders album in 2001. However, its sales were a disappointment, as the disc did not even reach the top 50 of the U.S. album charts. In 2001, the group appeared in the film How High.

[edit] Till Death Do Us Part (2003–2007)

Cypress Hill recorded "Just Another Victim" for WWE as a theme song for Tazz. At the time, WWE was using original music for almost all of the wrestlers, so this was an unusual step for the company to take, but it remains one of the more memorable songs to emerge from the wrestling organization. The band released Till Death Do Us Part on March 23, 2004. The album saw the band experiment with reggae especially on the lead single "What's Your Number". The track features Tim Armstrong of Rancid on guitar and backup vocals. It is based on the classic song "The Guns of Brixton" on The Clash's London Calling and has proven to be a success on the modern rock charts. However, the album represented a further departure from the signature sound of their first four albums. The album also features appearances by Damian Marley, son of Bob Marley, Prodigy of Mobb Deep and producers the Alchemist and Fredwreck.

In 2004, the song How I Could Just Kill A Man was included in the popular video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas created by Rockstar Games, playing on West Coast hip hop radio station Radio Los Santos. In December 2005 a best of compilation album titled Greatest Hits From the Bong was released including 9 hits from previous albums and 2 new tracks. The group's next album was tentatively scheduled for an early 2007 release. In the summer of 2006, B-Real appeared on Snoop Dogg's single "Vato", which was produced by Pharrell Williams.

In 2007 Cypress Hill toured with their full line up as a part of the Rock the Bells tour, held by Guerilla Union, and headlined with Public Enemy, Wu-Tang Clan, Nas, and a reunited Rage Against the Machine. Other acts included Immortal Technique, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, The Roots, EPMD, Pharoahe Monch, Jedi Mind Tricks, Erykah Badu, MF Doom, Sage Francis, Brother Ali, The Coup, Blue Print, Lucky I Am, Living Legends, Felt, Cage, Mr. Lif, Grouch & Eligh, Slightly Stoopid, and Hangar 18.

[edit] Departure from Sony and Rise Up (2008–present)

On July 25, 2008, Cypress Hill performed at a benefit concert at the House of Blues Chicago, where a majority of the proceeds went to the Chicago Alliance to End Homelessness.^[4]

In August 2009, a new song by Cypress Hill, titled "Get 'Em Up", was made available on iTunes. The song is featured on the Madden NFL 2010 video game.^[5]

In November 2009, a new version of Guns N' Roses classic "Paradise City" performed by Cypress Hill, Slash and Fergie was made available as a bonus track to Slash's single "Sahara" off Slash's solo album Slash.

Cypress Hill's eighth studio album, Rise Up, features contributions from Everlast, Tom Morello, Daron Malakian, Pitbull, Marc Anthony and Mike Shinoda.^[6] The album was released on Priority Records/EMI Entertainment, as the group was signed to the label by new Creative Chairman Snoop Dogg on January 15, 2010. The album was finally released on April 20, 2010.^[7] The album's introduction single, "It Ain't Nothin'" was released as a free download from the group's official website. The song "Rise Up" was featured at WWE's pay-per-view, Elimination Chamber, as the official theme song for that event, and was released as the third single for the album, with "Armada Latina" being fourth. The song also appeared in the trailer of the movie The Green Hornet.

Cypress Hill commenced its Rise Up tour in Philadelphia on April 10, 2010. Julio G had replaced DJ Muggs for the tour. Muggs had been absent due to working on several other projects, including separate albums with B-Real and Sen Dog. The group was supposed to stop in Tucson, Arizona but canceled the show in protest of the recent immigration legislation. At the Rock en Seine festival in Paris on August 27, 2010 they said in an interview that they would wait and see what happens with the legislation before going back there.^[8] Cypress Hill performed at the Reading and Leeds Festivals in late August 2010, on the 28th at Leeds and the 29th at Reading.

In summer 2012, Cypress Hill and Dubstep artist Rusko will be releasing a collaborative EP entitled 'Cypress X Rusko'.

Style[link]

Rapping[link]

One of the band's most striking aspects is B-Real's exaggeratedly high-pitched nasal vocals.^[2] In the book Check the Technique B-Real describes his nasal style, saying his rapping voice is "high and annoying... the nasal style I have was just something that I developed... my more natural style wasn't so pleasing to [DJ Muggs and Sen Dog's] ears"^[9] and talking about the nasal style in the book How to Rap, B-Real says, "you want to stand out from the others and just be distinct... when you got something that can separate you from everybody else, you gotta use it to your advantage."^[1] Sen Dog's voice is deeper, more violent and often shouted alongside the rapping; his vocals are often emphasized by adding an additional background/choir voice to say them. Sen Dog's style is in contrast to B-Real's, who says, "[Sen's] voice is so strong", and "it all blends together" when they are both on the same track.^[9]

Both B-Real and Sen Dog started writing lyrics in both Spanish and English and B-Real was inspired to start writing raps from watching Sen Dog and Mellow Man Ace writing their lyrics,^[9] and originally B-Real was going to just be the writer for the group rather than a rapper.^[9] Their lyrics are noted for bringing a "cartoonish" approach to violence by Peter Shapiro and Allmusic.^[2][10]

Production[link]

The sound and groove of their music, produced by Muggs, is notable for its spooky sounds and stoned aesthetic; with its bass-heavy rhythms and odd sample loops ("Insane in the Brain" is notable for having a pitched-altered horse neigh looped in its chorus), it carries a psychedelic value, which lessened in the later albums.^[2][10]

The band is also known for involving rock instruments. In their songs – this has caused the band to sometimes be classified as a rap rock group.^[2] The double album Skull & Bones consists of a pure rap album ("Skull") and an entire CD of rap/rock songs ("Bones"). Also in IV, there is "Lightning Strikes" which doesn't truly use electric guitars, but a synthesized version of it. In the live album Live at The Fillmore some of the old classics are played in a rock/metal version, with Sen Dog's band SX-10 and Eric Bobo playing the rock instrument.