How I Could Just Kill a Man

"How I Could Just Kill a Man" is the debut single by hip hop group Cypress Hill from their eponymous debut album, Cypress Hill, and was their first major hit in 1991. It was released as a double A-side to "The Phuncky Feel One". The song was also in the movie Juice (1992). It was re-released in 1999 with Spanish lyrics and a new video. It is featured as the first track on their greatest hits compilation Greatest Hits from the Bong. It was voted number 79 in About.com's Top 100 Rap Songs.

"How I Could Just Kill a Man"
Single by Cypress Hill
from the album Cypress Hill
Released	June 29, 1991
Recorded	1990
Studio	Image Recording (Los Angeles)
Genre	Hardcore hip hop West Coast hip hop Latin hip hop gangsta rap
Length	4:08
Label	Ruffhouse Columbia
Songwriter(s)	Louis Freese Lowell Fulson Jimmy McCracklin Lawrence Muggerud Senen Reyes
Producer(s)	DJ Muggs
Cypress Hill singles chronology
"How I Could Just Kill a Man" (1991) "The Phuncky Feel One" (1991)
Music video
"How I Could Just Kill a Man" on YouTube

Towards the end of the song (approximately the 3:48 point) someone is heard saying, "All I wanted was a Pepsi". This quote is taken from the well-known Suicidal Tendencies song, "Institutionalized".

In 2001, Cypress Hill included a sequel to the song on their album Stoned Raiders entitled "Here Is Something You Can't Understand", using the same chorus but with new verses from B-Real, Sen Dog and guest Kurupt.

Samples

Lowell Fulson's 1967 hit "Tramp" is sampled for the guitar and bass. The drums are taken from "Midnight Theme" by Manzel. A majority of samples have not yet been found, although some have been discovered in recent years.

Music video

The music video features cameos by A Tribe Called Quest's Q-Tip and Tim Dog, as well as Ice Cube, with whom the group would later feud.

Track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"How I Could Just Kill a Man" (The Killer Mix)	4:08
2.	"How I Could Just Kill a Man" (clean version)	4:08
3.	"How I Could Just Kill a Man" (instrumental)	4:08

• NOTE: "The Killer Mix" is the uncensored album version of the song.

Chart positions

Chart	Peak position
US	77
US Rap	1

Covers

Rage Against the Machine version

"How I Could Just Kill a Man"
Single by Rage Against the Machine
from the album Renegades
Released	October 20, 2001
Genre	Rap metal funk metal rap rock
Length	4:04
Label	Revelation Epic
Songwriter(s)	Louis Freese Lowell Fulson Jimmy McCracklin Lawrence Muggerud Senen Reyes
Producer(s)	Rick Rubin Brendan O'Brien Rage Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine singles chronology
"Renegades of Funk" (2001) "How I Could Just Kill a Man" (2001) "Killing in the Name" (2009)

The song was covered by American rock band Rage Against the Machine on their cover album, Renegades, where the song was released as a single. Rage Against the Machine performed the song on their DVD, Live at the Grand Olympic Auditorium, accompanied by Cypress Hill.

Track listing

1. "How I Could Just Kill a Man" – 4:04

Chart positions

Chart	Peak position
US Main.	39
US Alt.	37

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)	Gold	500,000‡
‡ Sales streaming figures based on certification alone.

Other versions

Singer Charlotte Sometimes named the first single from her debut album Waves and the Both of Us "How I Can Just Kill a Man" in honor of Cypress Hill, though the songs have no other similarities. The song quickly became a staple on both VH1 and MTV during the summer of 2008 and closed her set on the Vans Warped Tour.

It is also covered by B-star on their album What We Do.

A cover version was released in 1994 by German Hamburger Schule band Cpt. Kirk &. on the album Round About Wyatt, but with the song's title changed to "How He Could Just Kill a Man".

The song appears in the 2004 video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas in the radio station Radio Los Santos.