B Real possesses one of the most instantly recognizable voices in hip-hop. As the voice of Cypress Hill, he established an inimitable style that combined his exaggeratedly nasal delivery, with a devil- may-care attitude and a palpable sense of menace. Though the public at large may only dimly remember Cypress Hill’s chart-topping crossover “Insane In the Brain,” among true hip-hop fans B Real is nothing short of a legend, with a string of indelible albums to his credit. With Smoke N Mirrors, his first proper solo release, he seems to have found a sympathetic home at the venerable New York underground label Duck Down, home to members of the Boot Camp Clik, Smif N’ Wessun, and a host of other NYC rap veterans. Though a number of Duck Down regulars appear on Smoke N Mirrors, most notably Black Moon’s Buckshot on the brooding, Wu-Tang influenced “Everything You Want,” the album remains very much a West Coast affair, and features contributions from legendary left-coast MCs like Too Short and Snoop Dogg, as well as suitably low-rider-ready beats from L.A. underground producer Alchemist and the Death Row veteran Soopafly.