I Ain't Goin' Out Like That

Album: Black Sunday (1993)
Charted: 15 65
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • "I Ain't Goin' Out Like That" is signature Cypress Hill – drugs and ultra-violence delivered with singalong vibe that makes both things sound like good, clean fun. Cheery even. The song is about selling narcotics and taking out police officers rather than going to jail. It hit airwaves during the Golden Age of gangsta rap when such subject matter was relatively common.
  • "I Ain't Goin' Out Like That" appears on Black Sunday, the second album by Latino hip-hoppers Cypress Hill. It was released as the third of four singles off the record, following "Insane In The Brain."
  • In an October 25, 2018 New York Post interview, Cypress Hill co-founder B-Real said that the group had been peaking on mushrooms when they recorded the vocals for "I Ain't Goin' Out Like That." It was the last piece needed for Black Sunday, so as soon as they were done they had a private listening party with the lights off, still high.
  • Saturday Night Live (SNL) permanently banned Cypress Hill after co-founder DJ Muggs lit up a joint while they performed this song on the show. SNL cut the broadcast out and ejected the band.
  • The UK promotional releases of the album were designed to look like a packet of Rizla rolling papers, which kicked off widespread fan production of bootleg T-shirts. The idea came from Ollie Wealt, the product manager that Columbia assigned to the band. They avoided getting sued but did receive a stern letter from Rizla lawyers.
  • Outlaw, kicking like Billy Ray Cypress Hill

    This is a play on country star Billy Ray Cyrus, who unleashed the cultural phenomenon of "Achy Breaky Heart" in 1992, a little over a year before "I Ain't Goin' Out Like That."
  • "I Ain't Goin' Out Like That" appears in the 2023 Blue Beetle film starring Xolo Maridueña. It's played during the movie's second fight scene while Blue Beetle is rescuing his sister.
  • The industrial band 16Volt covered "I Ain't Goin' Out Like That" on the 1996 Operation Beatbox album, which is composed of electronic and industrial covers of hip-hop songs.
  • "I Ain't Goin' Out Like That" samples "The Wizard" by Black Sabbath.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Al Kooper

Al KooperSongwriter Interviews

Kooper produced Lynyrd Skynyrd, played with Dylan and the Stones, and formed BS&T.

Oliver Leiber

Oliver LeiberSongwriter Interviews

Oliver Leiber talks about writing and producing hits for Paula Abdul, and explains his complicated relationship with his father, the songwriter Jerry Leiber.

Harry Shearer

Harry ShearerSongwriter Interviews

Harry is Derek Smalls in Spinal Tap, Mark Shubb in The Folksmen, and Mr. Burns on The Simpsons.

Don Dokken

Don DokkenSongwriter Interviews

Dokken frontman Don Dokken explains what broke up the band at the height of their success in the late '80s, and talks about the botched surgery that paralyzed his right arm.

Gene Simmons of Kiss

Gene Simmons of KissSongwriter Interviews

The Kiss rocker covers a lot of ground in this interview, including why there are no Kiss collaborations, and why the Rock Hall has "become a sham."

Meshell Ndegeocello

Meshell NdegeocelloSongwriter Interviews

Meshell Ndegeocello talks about recording "Wild Night" with John Mellencamp, and explains why she shied away from the spotlight.