The Reyes Brothers
Senen “Sen Dog” Reyes / Ulpiano “Mellow Man Ace” Reyes
Biography
After vowing to one day finally work together, The Reyes Brothers – Senen “Sen Dog” Reyes and younger brother Ulpiano “Mellow Man Ace” Reyes – have joined forces to create their debut album, Ghetto Therapy for Latin Thug Records.
Sen Dog is best known as one-third of rap titans Cypress Hill, while Mellow Man Ace holds the Guinness record for being the first Latin rapper to go platinum, largely off the strength of an infectious song called “Mentirosa” that pioneered the Spanish/English rap style known as Spanglish. Collectively, the brothers’ worldwide album sales exceed a staggering 20 million. Their careers have paved the way for countless others, forever widening and changing the international hip-hop landscape.
Sen and Mellow came from Cuba to the Los Angeles area with their family in the early ‘70s, and quickly discovered a shared love of popular music. “We always had that bond, coming from Cuba [to LA] and listening to Elvis, the Beatles, the Isley Brothers and stuff like that,” recalls Sen. “We always had a strong connection musically.”
By the mid-‘80s, the brothers had formed a rap group called DVX with local friends Louis Freese (B Real) and Lawrence Muggerud (DJ Muggs). When Mellow decided to leave the group and strike out on his own, DVX was renamed Cypress Hill. By the early ‘90s, both Cypress Hill and Mellow Man Ace were known across the globe while helping to put Los Angeles rap on the musical map.
Ghetto Therapy sounds comfortable and natural as if the pair has been recording together throughout their careers. They’re brothers, but by no means are they carbon copies of each other, so their divergent styles mesh together well. A top-notch selection of seasoned technicians helped them achieve their seamless goal. On hand are producers such as DJ Muggs, Warren G, B Real, Fred Wreck (Snoop Dogg), DJ Ace (Ice T), and XL (The Game).
The first single, “We O.G.s” with Warren G celebrates the classic West Coast G-Funk sound and marks the beginning of what should be a fruitful new phase of their friendship with the celebrated Long Beach producer.
“Working with him was one of the highlights of my career,” says Mellow. “To be able to sit in the studio with this guy – I remember being in awe and trying to keep it to myself. With all of the accomplishments of his career, I felt special being in the same room and watching him scratch on the turntables and add his elements to the song.”
The single “H.A.R.D.” was produced by Fred Wreck and is an excellent introduction to the Reyes Brothers vibe. “It’s one of my favorite songs that we put together on the album,” says Mellow. “It’s just so playful, it feels like we’re having fun.”
“Fight Night” features B Real as well as hotly tipped newcomer Bishop Lamont (recently signed to Dr. Dre’s Aftermath label). It’s one of the best examples of how fresh and new everything sounds, an alchemy achieved by combining veterans with talented rookies.
Many have tried to capture the intoxicating “gas/break/dip” energy of West Coast car culture, but few have mastered it in the way that the 808 bass tones of “Traffic” does. There’s a smart use of comedic interludes, which may (or may not) be an unconscious nod/tribute to how masterfully Cypress Hill has handled skits on their releases. In one particularly hilarious interlude, Sen gets Mellow—who doesn’t smoke—lifted.
It must be said, there’s also just a little bit of pimpin’ going on in Ghetto Therapy. There are songs like “Birdie Birdie” and “I Lied,” but then there’s the trombone-tinged pomp of “It’s Official,” which just might become a new player’s anthem. The song features a sprinkling of game from the legendary mack Bishop Don Magic Juan, who declares the collaboration to be “official, like a referee with a whistle!”
On the DJ Muggs-produced “It’s Yours,” eerie minor key strings and raging guitar riffs punctuate the air. “DJ Muggs is like that girl from that film [Don’t Say a Word] that says, ‘I’ll never teeellll!,” jokes Mellow about the top secret nature of his sample sources.
“It’s Yours” is strong evidence of a newly focused Mellow, who explains that after a tumultuous period of life, he has re-dedicated himself to the grind of this music in order to be a strong support to his daughter. “That’s why I’m sounding better than 80% of y’all/And still looking better than 60% of y’all!” he rhymes wryly.
It’s arguable that with Ghetto Therapy, the pressure was more on Mellow to come correct both with his concepts and his lyrics. To the world at large, and to himself, Mellow had more to prove. He clearly stepped it up, and for that his brother Sen is definitely grateful.
“I’ve really got to give props to my brother on this album,” says Sen. “He’s been working really hard on his career. From being a big-time successful crossover artist right at the beginning, to where you didn’t hear from him for a long time but he was still putting out albums, I’m really proud of the way he came off on this album and the energy that he put into it. You can see that rap-wise, he’s still an incredible MC.”
“I’m glad we took the time to do it,” he continues. “I’m especially proud of this collaboration. We wanted to do something with feeling that meant something.”
As if it weren’t rewarding enough to record this album together after all of these years, the fact that The Reyes Brothers have done it on their own independent record label Latin Thug Records is significant. This ensures all of their hard work directly benefits their families through this ownership. Latin Thug is also home to artists such as newcomers Jay Killa and O Brown as well as Sen’s band SX10 and expects a productive year in 2006.
Sen continues, “Our label has enabled me to realize this dream and make these projects a reality. We've created a true partnership between our artists and our label that allows the strengths of each to come together as one.”
“It’s not about us getting rich behind it,” Sen explains. “It’s about keeping the culture alive and making sure it thrives to where our children and grandchildren understand the hip-hop community and what we did in it. Keep your ears and mind open for us!”
Energized from the creative chemistry of the sessions that produced this album, Sen Dog and Mellow Man Ace look forward to more Reyes Brothers releases (including a Spanish album). They’re also both plotting solo albums to be released on Latin Thug Records. Music is one of those great, universal healers, and whether one is firing up blunts, drinking a little Patron, or merely ready to feel good, there’s a satisfying cure to be found in some honest-to-goodness Ghetto Therapy.
www.ghettotherapy.com
JANUARY 3, 2007
THE REYES BROTHERS WRAP VIDEO FOR “TRAFFIC”
DIRECTED BY ESTEVAN ORIOL
THE REYES BROTHERS--Senen “Sen Dog” Reyes (Cypress Hill, SX10) and younger brother Ulpiano “Mellow Man Ace” Reyes (Latin Hip-Hop Hall of Fame inductee for first Latin hip-hop crossover hit single “Mentirosa”)--just completed the video for “Traffic” with renowned director and photographer Estevan Oriol (Blink 182, Cypress Hill, Xzibit). Shot in sections of downtown Los Angeles, Compton and the Reyes Brothers’ hometown of South Gate, CA, the video captures the intoxicating “gas/break/dip” energy of West Coast car culture, along with the party atmosphere of an incredible backyard BBQ filled with girls, pitbulls, roosters, low-lows and all the homies.
“I know anytime we do something with Steveo (Estevan), its gonna be hot,” says Sen Dog. “He’s been working with us on this project since the beginning and he really got what my brother and I were feeling when we wrote ‘Traffic’ and put that on film.” Adds Mellow Man Ace, “Estevan really took our lyrical vision and brought it to life.”
“I've known the Reyes Brothers since 1989,” states Estevan Oriol. “Sen hit me up to do their press shots and album design. Once we knocked that out the next project was the video. The Reyes brothers came to us at S.A. Studio (that’s me, Mr. Cartoon and Lil lucky) to do it all: One, because we can and two, they wanted all the imaging to be consistent. ‘Traffic’ was picked as the single and it was on! Time to show the people of the world a little slice of LA. I had a blast making this video for the homies and can't wait till the next one.”
The video for “Traffic” will be available in the coming weeks and will be serviced to outlets across the country. The track appears on The Reyes Brothers’ debut album Ghetto Therapy, just released October 3, 2006 through Latin Thug Records in conjunction with Koch Entertainment. It features additional vocals and production by Atlanta’s Slip Matola and can now be heard on Los Angeles’ major hip-hop station Power 106 (105.9 FM), along with other stations across the country. Ghetto Therapy is currently at #62 with a bullet on Billboard’s R&B album chart.
View the video for “Traffic” now at:
www.latinthugmusic.com
www.ghettotherapy.com
www.latinthugmusic.com
www.myspace.com/reyesbros
