Cypress Hill

The acclaimed "Dead Presidents" soundtrack, an enticing survey of '60s and '70s soul, continues its strong local sales, coming in at No. 9 on The Times' Southern California album chart. The 74-minute collection is built around old hits ranging from Isaac Hayes' "Walk On By" to Aretha Franklin's "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man" to James Brown's "The Payback."

CYPRESS STILL: With Cypress Hill coming to town for a Universal Amphitheatre show next Sunday, word was coming in from the road that the hemped-up hip-hop trio was splitting. In fact, reports from some shows were that the group had already broken up in everything but name, as rapper B Real was the only member actually performing. Not true, says Cypress Hill manager Happy Walters.

The rap group Cypress Hill's latest homage to pot-smoking, "Black Sunday," is the area's biggest-selling album by far, debuting at the top of three of The Times' Southern California album charts--pop, R&B and rap. Being a hometown group, Cypress Hill was expected to do well locally. Its strength around the country--at No. 1 on all three of the national charts, too--was a surprise.