How I Could Just Kill a Man

"How I Could Just Kill a Man"
"How I Could Just Kill a Man"
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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

"How I Could Just Kill a Man"
"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
Music video
	"How I Could Just Kill a Man" on YouTube

"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.^[2]

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.

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^[3]
US Rap	1^[4]

Covers

Rage Against the Machine version

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

"How I Could Just Kill a Man" – 4:04

Chart positions

Chart	Peak position
US Main.	39^[6]
US Alt.	37^[6]

Certifications


Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)^[7]	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.

References

^ Molanphy, Chris (March 31, 2020). "La Vida Loca Edición". Hit Parade | Music History and Music Trivia (Podcast). Slate. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
^ "Top 100 Rap Songs". Archived from the original on 2015-04-05. Retrieved 2008-03-03.
^ "Cypress Hill Album & Song Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved February 21, 2015.
^ "Cypress Hill Album & Song Chart History: Rap Songs". Billboard. Retrieved February 21, 2015.
^ "The Best Rap-Rock Songs". Complex.
^ ^a ^b "Artist Chart History - Rage Against the Machine > Singles". Billboard. Retrieved 2008-10-29.
^ "American single certifications – Cypress Hill – How I Could Just Kill a Man". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved October 10, 2021.

[Molanphy_2020-1] Molanphy, Chris (March 31, 2020). "La Vida Loca Edición". Hit Parade | Music History and Music Trivia (Podcast). Slate. Retrieved November 28, 2023.

[2] "Top 100 Rap Songs". Archived from the original on 2015-04-05. Retrieved 2008-03-03.

[auto-3] "Cypress Hill Album & Song Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved February 21, 2015.

[auto1-4] "Cypress Hill Album & Song Chart History: Rap Songs". Billboard. Retrieved February 21, 2015.

[5] "The Best Rap-Rock Songs". Complex.

[US_singles-6] "Artist Chart History - Rage Against the Machine > Singles". Billboard. Retrieved 2008-10-29.

[United_StatesCypress_HillHow_I_Could_Just_Kill_a_MansingleCertRef-7] "American single certifications – Cypress Hill – How I Could Just Kill a Man". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved October 10, 2021.

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