by John BushBlending Cypress Hills weed philosophy with a self-styled hopalong hip-hop sound based on the Old West, Chicagos Crucial Conflict hit the airwaves in 1996 with the marijuana ode Hay. Members Wildstyle, Kilo, Coldhard, and Never grew up on Chicagos west side and began rapping as a way to pass time on the mean streets. Signed to the UNIV label in 1996, the foursome hit the R&B Top Five with the June release of The Final Tic, which went gold later that year. Good Side, Bad Side followed in 1998.