B-Real Takes ‘Smoke N Mirrors’ on the Road With EPMD

When Cypress Hill's B-Real jumps on board EPMD's tour in late March, he realizes that, without the help of Sen Dog and Eric Bobo, the onus will be on him to entertain the audience.

"Yeah I believe there's going to be some pressure," B-Real said during an interview with The BoomBox via telephone from New York City. "Right now I'm not feeling it too much. I think when the ball gets rolling and we actually get out there on tour with the first show, it's going to be a little bit of pressure."

The pressure comes from performing his solo material to new audiences. He recently released the album "Smoke N Mirrors" through his newly formed Audio Hustlaz label in conjunction with Duck Down Records.

"These songs are new. Not everybody knows them. Who knows if anyone's even gonna know them by the time we get on tour. It's basically playing new material to a bunch of people. That's always a gamble. They're either going to love it or they're going to hate it. We're just gonna take it as it comes and work as hard as possible to convert some people."

On his jaunt opening for the rap legends, B-Real is going to bring his Philadelphia protege Young De and DJ Julio G.

"We're looking forward to going out on tour with EPMD, opening up for them," B-Real said. "I believe it's a six-week tour. We're looking forward to going out and playing this record in front of people and seeing what the response is and what not.

"With Cypress there's obviously Sen Dog, myself and Bobo. (DJ) Muggs doesn't tour much with us anymore. We usually bring a pretty live and energetic show between the four of us. With my solo stuff, it's pretty much going to be on my back. But I will have my partner Young De and my DJ Julio G. It should be fun. We're going to have fun."

For those who can't wait for the EPMD dates to be announced, B-REAL will perform a release shows Wednesday, Feb. 25, at SOB's in New York City. B-Real is also set to co-headline the Paid Dues Festival at the NOS Events Center in Southern California on March 28.

"I'm looking forward to playing that," B-Real said about Paid Dues. "Anything without Cypress is pretty much a challenge, so I look forward to it. We'll see how people react to the music."