The Reyes Brothers 'Ghetto Therapy' album

THE REYES BROTHERS--Senen “Sen Dog” Reyes (Cypress Hill, SX10) and younger brother Ulpiano “Mellow Man Ace” Reyes--will now release their debut album GHETTO THERAPY October 3, 2006 through Latin Thug Records in conjunction with Koch Entertainment. The album was originally due out in June.

“My family and I came to this country from Cuba with nothing but the clothes on our backs. We were able to make a home here and to create a life for ourselves and a future for our families,” says Sen Dog. “The opportunity to meet, thank and perform for the men and women who are serving in our armed forces who defend our country and our way of life is a privilege and an honor. Mellow and I are damn proud to be able to share our record with them.” After their time with the troops, THE REYES BROTHERS will return to Los Angeles to headline at The Key Club on Sunset Strip on November 3.

“Ghetto Therapy is by no means a comeback album for either of the group’s members,” heralded Barry Codell in The Source (June 2006), “but instead the beginning of a new chapter for some of Latin Hip-Hop’s all-time best.” The long-player’s divergent styles mesh together seamlessly, sounding as if Sen Dog and Mellow Man Ace have been recording together much of their careers. To help them achieve this effect, they tapped a top-notch selection of seasoned technicians such as producers such as DJ Muggs, Warren G, B Real, Fredwreck (Snoop Dogg, Eminem, 50 Cent), DJ Ace (Ice T) and XL (The Game).

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 the new single “Traffic” do (The single is impacting radio now with a video to be directed by Estevan Oriol to be shot soon). Other highlights on the album include the DJ Ace-produced “H.A.R.D.”--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.”) Elsewhere, there’s “Fight Night” featuring 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.

Ghetto Therapy features guest appearances by Warren G, Bishop Don ‘Magic’ Juan and Dr. Dre’s next superstar Bishop Lamont and is executive produced by Sen Dog and Mellow Man Ace. Individual tracks are produced by DJ Muggs, Fredwreck, DJ Ace, B Real (who also makes a guest spot) and 17 year old super sensation Scoop DeVille, son of legendary Latin hip-hop artist Kid Frost. Snoop Dogg collaborator Dave Aron engineers throughout.

“We planned it for four years, talked about it for three more and now it's here,” says Mellow Man Ace about Ghetto Therapy. “I told y'all get on board, we saved you a seat and we're servin’ filet and shrimp prepared by Fredwreck, Dave Aron, B Real, DJ Muggs and flown in by DJ Ace. Hold on tight and don't forget your CD cover can be used as a floatation device if you experience drowning from the aqua-boogie"

LATIN THUG RECORDS is a brand new music label fronted by luminaries of the Latin rap game Sen Dog (CEO) and Mellow Man Ace (Vice President of A&R), along with President Fred Sherman and Vice President of Operations Marvin ‘Big Marv’ Sheleby. Founded as an outlet to produce and distribute quality rap, hip-hop and rock projects with street element appeal, GHETTO THERAPY will be released by LATIN THUG RECORDS in partnership with Seattle-based Hawino Records, distributed by Lightyear / WEA.

Says Latin Thug CEO Sen Dog, “Since we were a break dance crew with B Real in high school, it’s always been a dream of mine to work with my brother and I knew one day it would happen. To have it happen on Latin Thug Records, my own label, makes it even sweeter. After so many years in the game, you see how things are done, both the right way and the wrong way. I've always wanted to create a situation that was artist-friendly but also had its hustle on. Latin Thug Records is about creating hits and bringing those hits to the heads in Los Angeles, across the USA and around this whole world.”

Havana, Cuba-born Mellow Man Ace aka The Godfather of Latin Rap, burst on to the scene in 1983 with his #1 smash hit single “Mentirosa” (Liar), a significant mark in the musical landscape as it was one of the first Latin hip-hop songs to cross over into the mainstream. In 2002 he was inducted into the Hip-hop Hall Of Fame. Not only his brother in rhythm and rhyme, but Mellow’s true life brother Sen Dog also has a significant place in hip-hop as a member of rap icons Cypress Hill, another major force to bring Latin hip-hop to the fore-front paving the way for future hard-hitters like Big Pun and Fat Joe, while continuing to play a very active role in today’s music landscape.

LATIN THUG RECORDS President Fred Sherman is a music industry veteran with a decade-long tenure at MCA Records/Universal Music Group, first at Universal Music and Video Distribution and then at Universal Music Special Markets. He left to launch his own DVD label, Cult DVD and released numerous titles from documentaries ranging from Milton Berle and Andy Kaufman to music releases from Cypress Hill, Snoop Dogg, Fear Factory and more.

Marvin "Big Marv" Sheleby, is a Los Angeles based entrepreneur who grew up on the tough Southside of Los Angeles along side Sen Dog, Mellow Man Ace and B Real. Known for his legendary Backyard BBQ's, ‘Big Marv’ also co-produced many DVD projects with Fred Sherman and is himself a Los Angeles cult icon.

Other artists on the LATIN THUG RECORDS roster confirmed to release albums in the future are Asesino, a Spanish metal group fronted by Dino Cazares (formerly of Fear Factory) and Tony Campos of Static-X, SX-10, the hard-core metal band fronted by Sen Dog, O Brown, a burgeoning Latin rapper straight out of South LA via way of Belize, N.M.E., another hard-core outfit from South Gate, CA, and solo albums from both Mellow Man Ace and Sen Dog proper.

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/Koch Entertainmnet.

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.

“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/Koch Entertainment. 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.

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The Reyes Brothers - Ghetto Therapy