This two-CD set is ostensibly divided into a rap disc, Skull, and a rock disc, Bones, but one listen to "(Rap) Superstar" demonstrates that the fusion of rock and hip-hop is encoded into Cypress Hill's DNA.

Featuring foreboding minor key strings that indicate group member/producer DJ Muggs has listened to more than his fair share of Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir," the song gives B-Real a platform to rant about the evils of the music industry. It's part of a long line of hip-hop songs that deal with the fact that (surprise!) record company people are shady. This rap veteran rhetorically asks, "So you wanna be a rap superstar?/ Live large?/ Big house?/ Five cars?/ You're in charge?/ Comin' up at the world ya don't trust/ Gotta look over your shoulder constantly."

Structurally, the tune is a rock song. The beat is simple (no more complicated than what Tommy, Marky or Richie Ramone used to pound out), the attitude is angry (much like the filth and fury of the Sex Pistols or Guns 'N Roses) and the chorus is catchy and anthemic. "(Rap) Superstar" (RealAudio excerpt) essentially functions as a "We're Not Gonna Take It" for aging multiplatinum hip-hop artists who are jaded and cynical but who still know how to rock the casbah.

The rock/rap mix is simply made more obvious with the version of the song that closes the Bones disc, "(Rock) Superstar" (RealAudio excerpt). In it, the string section is still intact and the beat remains the same, but by the second verse the song becomes drenched in crunchy, multilayered guitars — guitars that wouldn't sound out of place at a slumber party hosted by Limp Bizkit's Fred Durst. The same is true of the other songs on Bones, especially "Valley of Chrome," "A Man," and "Dust," which get less bounce to the ounce, but more crunch to the punch.

The thing is, this L.A.-based crew doesn't really need the extra guitars to cross over because their audience has always consisted of kids who equally love angst-filled rock and hip-hop. Their headlining gig during the 1993 Lollapalooza festival demonstrated this fact, and their previous four studio albums make it even more evident.

The reason they've attracted that audience is that their attitude is pretty rock 'n' roll, with each album — including this one — celebrating the glories of weed, rebellion and sex. (Previous song titles, such as "I Wanna Get High" and "How I Could Just Kill a Man," speak for themselves, and their biggest hit, "Insane in the Brain," is an ode to herb that somehow became an MTV staple in 1993.) Furthermore, their album covers — complete with skulls, crossbones, graveyards, temples, runes, etc. — look more metal than the artwork for most contemporary metal bands.

Like "(Rap) Superstar," many of the songs on the Skull disc ("What U Want From Me," "Certified Bomb" [RealAudio excerpt] and "Worldwide") exude a rock vibe without needing to sample any guitars or bring a live band into the studio. In fact, when they do so on the Bones disc, Cypress Hill sound like they're trying too hard. Even at their best, the songs on the Bones disc just don't gel; at worst, they sound silly and a bit Korny.

For instance, "Valley of Chrome" contains an explosive guitar-laden chorus that features second-string rapper Sen Dog (whose constipated rapping style still hovers at the caricature level) aggressively screaming "Bring in on!" It's kind of like when Dee Dee Ramone inexplicably rechristened himself Dee Dee King, picked up a ghetto blaster and pursued a career in hip-hop. Just like we didn't really want to see our favorite Ramones bassist dressed in an Adidas jumpsuit trying to be a "Funky Man," we really don't want to hear Sen Dog howling at the moon like he's straight outta Pantera.