Cypress Hill Performs With the London Symphony Orchestra—Just as ‘The Simpsons’ Predicted 28 Years Ago

“The Simpsons” is known for seeing the future: Fans claim the animated sitcom has predicted an American victory in Olympic curling, a Lady Gaga Super Bowl performance, the discovery of the Higgs boson particle and even Donald Trump’s presidency.

Now, another event from the show has become a reality: a collaboration between the hip-hop group Cypress Hill and the London Symphony Orchestra. On July 10, the two groups performed together at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

“The sound inside the concert hall was immense,” writes the New York Times’ Amelia Nierenberg, adding: “There were also more neck tattoos and vapes than usual at [the venue], which Queen Victoria opened in 1871 as a tribute to her late husband.”

In the 1996 “Simpsons” episode, called “Homerpalooza,” Homer Simpson and his family end up backstage at a music festival. Several tuxedo-clad musicians appear in the doorway behind a coordinator carrying a clipboard.

Cypress Hill feat. London Symphony Orchestra -- The Simpsons

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“Who is playing with the London Symphony Orchestra?” he asks. “Come on, people. Somebody ordered the London Symphony Orchestra. Possibly while high? Cypress Hill, I’m looking in your direction.”

Cartoon versions of the band members mutter amongst themselves. “Yeah, we think we did,” one says. “Do you know ‘Insane in the Brain’?”

“We mostly know classical,” replies a violinist. “But we could give it a shot.”

The band and the orchestra start playing together—and they’re a hit. “Now this, I like,” says Marge. Homer nods in agreement.

Marge and Homer would be pleased to see the two groups back together nearly 30 years later. Cypress Hill—which consists of members B-Real, Sen Dog, DJ Muggs and Bobo—has been an influential hip-hop band since it formed in California in the late 1980s. The group is especially well known for its 1993 hit album Black Sunday, which sold over three million copies.

Meanwhile, the London Symphony Orchestra “regularly dips into pop, rock, gospel music and other genres,” writes the Times. “It commissioned a piece from Soweto Kinch, a jazz saxophonist and rapper, which it performed last year at Printworks, a London dance music venue. The orchestra’s musicians have also accompanied Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, Grizzly Bear and Devonté Hynes, among others.”

Cypress Hill with The London Symphony Orchestra at The Royal Albert Hall. 10/07/24

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The real-life collaboration between the hip-hop group and the orchestra began in 2017, when Cypress Hill posted a video of the “Simpsons” clip on X (formerly Twitter). The London Symphony Orchestra replied, “We mostly play classical … but we’ll give it a shot.”

At last week’s concert, the orchestra performed “unique orchestral arrangements” of Cypress Hill’s most well-known songs, according to the event website.

The evening was “one of those checklist moments,” B-Real tells BBC News’ Colin Paterson. “We’ve played a lot of historical venues throughout our career and stuff like that, but nothing as prestigious as this.”

Julia Binswanger | READ MORE

Julia Binswanger is a freelance arts and culture reporter based in Chicago. Her work has been featured in WBEZ, Chicago magazine, Rebellious magazine and PC magazine.