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Eric "Bobo" Correa
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Key Information
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Eric "Bobo" Correa (born August 27, 1968) is an American percussionist best known as a member of Cypress Hill and for his work with the Beastie Boys in the 1990s. He is also a founding member of the industrial metal supergroup Sol Invicto, alongside Deftones guitarist Stephen Carpenter and producer/guitarist Richie Londres.[1]
Early life
[edit]Correa is the son of pioneering Latin jazz percussionist Willie Bobo, who collaborated with legends such as Tito Puente, Miles Davis, and Cal Tjader.[2][3] Influenced by his father's career, Correa began drumming at age four and made his first professional appearance at five, performing on stage with Willie Bobo.[4] Growing up surrounded by music, Correa's early jobs included working at a record store, Music Plus, where he was immersed in albums and cassettes.[4]
Career
[edit]Correa's professional career began in 1986, blending Latin percussion with hip hop and rock.
Beastie Boys
[edit]Correa recorded percussion for the Beastie Boys on Ill Communication (1994) and Hello Nasty (1998), contributing to their fusion of hip hop with rock and funk elements.[4][5] He highlighted working on Ill Communication as one of his proudest studio moments.[4]
Cypress Hill
[edit]Correa joined Cypress Hill as their percussionist in the early 1990s, contributing to their signature sound blending hip hop with Latin percussion and rock influences.[4] He has remained a key member through albums including Rise Up (2010), where he noted the band's refreshed energy after a hiatus for solo projects.[4] In 2024, Cypress Hill collaborated with the London Symphony Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall, performing Black Sunday—a concept originating from a 1996 Simpsons episode.[6][7] The performance was released as a concert film and album in 2025, with Correa serving as musical director.[8][9]
Sol Invicto
[edit]Correa is a core member and percussionist of Sol Invicto, an instrumental cinematic industrial electronic metal project founded in 2008 by Richie Londres, with Correa joining early via his prior collaboration with Londres on Cultura Londres.[1][10] The group also includes Stephen Carpenter (Deftones) on guitar, Dan Foord (ex-SikTh) on drums, and Technical Itch on production.[10]
Initially underground with releases exclusive to the Sol Invicto Comiti private members club (2017–2023), the project transitioned to public distribution in 2024 with the debut EP Loosely Aware via OMYAC Records/ONErpm.[10] The EP was praised for its djent-heavy, percussive doom and chugging riffs, blending Correa's hypnotic conga work with Carpenter's detuned guitars and guest screams from Sean Plague.[1]
In 2025, Sol Invicto released the full public version of Initium ft. Zach Hill (reissue of a 2011 track with extended drums from Death Grips/Hella's Zach Hill) and the ongoing weekly Vault of Shadows Bandcamp series (pay-what-you-want exclusives including "Tokyo Nights", "Under The Surface", etc.).[11]
Other projects and collaborations
[edit]Correa has collaborated extensively, including with the Black Crowes on Amorica (1994), a southern rock album he cited as a proud moment.[4]
In 2008, Correa released his debut solo album Meeting of the Minds on Nacional Records, featuring B-Real and Tony Touch.[4]
In 2012, Correa formed Ritmo Machine with Latin Bitman, releasing the album Welcome to the Ritmo Machine on Nacional Records.[12]
Correa contributed percussion to Cultura Londres, a Latin hip hop project founded by Richie Londres, including the track "Fiesta" on his solo album.[13]
Personal life
[edit]Correa has discussed influences including Public Enemy, Black Sabbath, and Santana, crediting them for Cypress Hill's sound.[4] He has also shared reading Bram Stoker's Dracula amid modern vampire trends.[4]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Supergroup Sol Invicto, Featuring Members of Deftones and Cypress Hill, Drop Djent-Heavy New Music". Vice. November 8, 2024. Retrieved January 30, 2026.
- ^ "Eric Bobo on Dad Willie Bobo's Closet Recordings". Billboard. September 28, 2016. Retrieved January 30, 2026.
- ^ "Cypress Hill's Eric "Bobo" Correa, A TVD Interview". The Vinyl District. February 13, 2023. Retrieved January 30, 2026.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Cypress Hill: Bobo in the Corner". The Skinny. March 30, 2010. Retrieved January 30, 2026.
- ^ "Eric Correa Discography". Discogs. Retrieved January 30, 2026.
- ^ "Hip-hop band Cypress Hill makes 1996 Simpsons joke come true". The Guardian. July 10, 2024. Retrieved January 30, 2026.
- ^ "Cypress Hill set for London Symphony Orchestra gig — just like 'The Simpsons' predicted in 1996". New York Post. July 10, 2024. Retrieved January 30, 2026.
- ^ "Cypress Hill and the London Symphony Orchestra: Black Sunday Live at the Royal Albert Hall, the feature-length concert film". Cave Hollywood. April 15, 2025. Retrieved January 30, 2026.
- ^ "Cypress Hill: "It's not the time to be talking about partying. We need to be educating people"". Rocking.gr. May 6, 2025. Retrieved January 30, 2026.
- ^ a b c Adams, Gregory (November 8, 2024). "Hear DEFTONES and CYPRESS HILL side project SOL INVICTO's djent-spiked debut EP". Revolver. Retrieved January 30, 2026.
- ^ "Sol Invicto (Deftones, Cypress Hill, Etc.) Begin New Weekly Song Showcase With "You Can't Come Back"". ThePRP. October 23, 2025. Retrieved January 30, 2026.
- ^ "Eric Bobo Discography". Discogs. Retrieved January 30, 2026.
- ^ "Sol Invicto Exclusive Interview with Richie Londres for Deftones.Ru". Deftones.Ru. March 26, 2010. Retrieved January 30, 2026.
External links
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Media related to Eric Bobo at Wikimedia Commons
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Eric "Bobo" Correa
View on Grokipediafrom Grokipedia
Early life
Family background
Eric "Bobo" Correa was born on August 27, 1968, in Queens, New York City.[6] He grew up in Spanish Harlem, also known as El Barrio, a vibrant neighborhood with deep roots in Puerto Rican and Latin American communities.[6][7] Correa's paternal heritage traces back to Puerto Rico through his father, William Correa Jr., better known as the renowned Latin jazz percussionist Willie Bobo, who was born on February 28, 1934, to Puerto Rican parents in Spanish Harlem.[8][9] Willie Bobo passed away on September 15, 1983, at the age of 49, from brain cancer, leaving a profound mark on the family when Correa was just 15 years old.[9][8] The death of Correa's father significantly altered family dynamics, prompting the young Correa to step into a leadership role by taking over his father's jazz band as a means to help hold the family together during this challenging period.[10]Introduction to music
Eric "Bobo" Correa, born into a musical family with Puerto Rican roots through his father, the renowned Latin jazz percussionist Willie Bobo, began drumming at the age of four under his father's direct guidance.[11] This early initiation immersed him in the rhythms of Latin percussion from a young age, as his father taught him the fundamentals of congas, timbales, and other instruments central to the tradition.[12] At just five years old, Correa made his first public performance, joining his father on stage during one of Willie Bobo's live sets, marking a precocious entry into the world of performance.[13] Growing up in Spanish Harlem, New York City, his childhood was steeped in a vibrant musical environment where jazz luminaries like Art Blakey frequently visited their home for rehearsals, exposing him to improvisational Latin jazz sessions and the rich tapestry of Afro-Cuban percussion influences.[13] These home practices fostered a deep, intuitive connection to the genre's polyrhythmic structures and expressive techniques. The death of Willie Bobo in 1983, when Correa was 15, profoundly shaped his trajectory, prompting him to take over leadership of his father's band for a year and solidifying his commitment to percussion as a formal pursuit.[12] This transition from informal family training to a more structured engagement with music honored his early influences while propelling him toward professional development in Latin jazz traditions.[8]Career
Early professional work
Eric "Bobo" Correa began his professional career as a session percussionist in New York's Latin and jazz music scenes during the mid-1980s.[12] Following the death of his father, the renowned Latin jazz percussionist Willie Bobo, in 1983, Correa leveraged his father's extensive network of industry connections to gain entry into professional opportunities.[12][8] He assumed leadership of his father's band for a period, performing and preserving the group's Latin jazz repertoire rooted in Nuyorican traditions.[8] These early endeavors included collaborations with established artists in the New York scene, where Correa honed his skills on congas, timbales, and other percussion instruments, building a foundation for his versatile style.[12] By the late 1980s, Correa's work began incorporating elements of hip-hop and rock fusion through session contributions, marking his transition toward broader genre explorations.[12]Time with Beastie Boys
Eric "Bobo" Correa joined the Beastie Boys in 1992 as their touring and recording percussionist following a successful audition recommended by a mutual friend, marking a pivotal step in his career during the early 1990s.[14] He first performed with the group on their national "Check Your Head" tour that year, providing live percussion support alongside keyboardist Money Mark and other collaborators.[13] Correa's contributions to the Beastie Boys' 1994 album Ill Communication were significant, where he played percussion on multiple tracks, including the instrumental "Bobo on the Corner," which highlighted his Latin-infused rhythms, as well as timbales on the hit single "Sabotage."[15][16] His work infused the album's eclectic mix of hip-hop, punk, and funk with dynamic percussion elements, earning co-writing credits on select tracks like "Bobo on the Corner" and "Get It Together."[15] During the mid-1990s, Correa continued as a key member of the Beastie Boys' live ensemble, participating in major tours such as the 1994 Lollapalooza festival and international performances, including a notable television appearance in Paris playing "Sure Shot."[17] He balanced this role with emerging commitments to Cypress Hill, performing double duty on world tours that showcased his versatile percussion style in high-energy hip-hop settings.[17] Correa also contributed percussion to the Beastie Boys' 1998 album Hello Nasty, appearing on tracks such as "Super Disco Breakin'," "The Move," "Remote Control," and "Song for Junior," adding rhythmic depth to the group's experimental sound.[18][19] By the late 1990s, as the Beastie Boys scaled back touring, Correa shifted focus to his full-time role with Cypress Hill, though he maintained occasional recording ties with the group.[14]Role in Cypress Hill
Eric "Bobo" Correa joined Cypress Hill in 1994 as their percussionist, primarily to bolster the group's live performances during their extensive world tours. His addition came shortly after his stint with the Beastie Boys, bringing established hip-hop touring expertise to the lineup. This move marked the beginning of Correa's over three-decade tenure with the band, where he became an integral part of their rhythmic foundation. Correa provided percussion contributions to Cypress Hill's releases starting in the mid-1990s, including the EP Unreleased & Revamped (1996), as well as full-length albums like IV (1998) and Skull & Bones (2000). His work on these projects incorporated layered drum and percussion elements that enhanced the group's dense, atmospheric production style. In live settings, Correa's role has been pivotal in fusing Latin percussion traditions—drawing from his jazz heritage—with Cypress Hill's hard-hitting hip-hop beats, creating a distinctive, energetic sound that distinguishes their concerts. This blend adds rhythmic complexity and cultural depth, elevating the band's performances beyond standard rap setups. Correa continues as a full-time member of Cypress Hill as of 2025, actively participating in their ongoing tours across North America and Europe. The group released a concert film and album documenting their 2024 collaboration with the London Symphony Orchestra, Black Sunday Live at the Royal Albert Hall, on June 6, 2025, where Correa served as musical director for Cypress Hill. The performance fulfilled a joke from the 1996 The Simpsons episode "Homerpalooza," in which Cypress Hill mistakenly books the LSO.[5] This release, issued on June 6, 2025, by Mercury Studios, underscores Correa's versatility in adapting hip-hop to symphonic contexts. In a February 2024 interview, he addressed topics including cannabis legalization advocacy and the 50th anniversary of hip-hop's origins.Other projects and collaborations
In 2008, Eric "Bobo" Correa co-founded the industrial metal project Sol Invicto alongside producer Richie Londres and Deftones guitarist Stephen Carpenter, blending heavy metal with drum and bass elements.[20][21] The group has released experimental works like the Initium series and, as of 2025, continues to produce new material, including the single "Nothing" featuring Correa on percussion.[22] Correa joined the hip-hop and Latin fusion group Ritmo Machine in 2012, partnering with Chilean producer Latin Bitman to create a sound merging turntablism, percussion, and electronic beats.[11] Their collaborative album Welcome to the Ritmo Machine, released that year on Nacional Records, showcased Correa's rhythmic contributions across tracks blending Latin rhythms with hip-hop grooves.[23] Correa has pursued solo releases emphasizing his percussion-driven style fused with hip-hop production. His debut album Meeting of the Minds arrived in 2008 on Nacional Records, featuring guest appearances from Cypress Hill's B-Real and others, highlighting Correa's ability to bridge Latin percussion with rap verses.[24] In 2021, he collaborated with producer Stu Bangas on Empires, an instrumental project incorporating dense beats and live drumming. This was followed by Escape the Matrix in 2024, again with Bangas and additional contributions from Psycho Les, exploring futuristic soundscapes through percussion and electronic elements. Beyond group efforts, Correa has worked directly with producers like DJ Muggs on various tracks, including contributions to Cypress Hill's ongoing catalog where Muggs handles production.[12] His partnership with Latin Bitman extended Ritmo Machine's fusion approach into individual tracks emphasizing global beats. In 2016, Correa discovered a collection of unreleased tapes recorded by his father, Latin jazz percussionist Willie Bobo, in the 1970s, leading to the posthumous album Dig My Feeling!.[12] This project was featured in a PBS SoCal Artbound segment, illuminating Willie Bobo's improvisational style and Correa's role in preserving his legacy through curation and release on Verve Records.[13] As of 2025, Correa remains active in Cypress Hill's productions, contributing percussion to their live album Black Sunday Live at the Royal Albert Hall with the London Symphony Orchestra, reinterpreting classics like "Insane in the Brain" in orchestral arrangements conducted by Troy Miller.[25] This release highlights Correa's ongoing role in innovative projects.Musical style and influences
Percussion techniques
Eric "Bobo" Correa demonstrates mastery of traditional Latin percussion instruments, including congas, timbales, and bongos, drawing from the Latin jazz heritage established by his father, Willie Bobo, a pioneering percussionist in the genre. Influenced by this lineage and masters such as Tito Puente, Mongo Santamaria, Buddy Rich, and Max Roach, Correa began drumming at age two or three and incorporates techniques emphasizing dynamic phrasing and tonal variation on these instruments to evoke the improvisational flow of Latin jazz.[2] Correa adapts these traditional methods to live hip-hop and rock settings by layering subtle Latin rhythms beneath heavier beats, ensuring the percussion supports rather than dominates the ensemble. In performances with Cypress Hill and earlier with the Beastie Boys, he employs congas and timbales to infuse hip-hop tracks with organic swing, creating a hybrid groove that bridges cultural styles without overwhelming the core rhythm.[26] This approach evolved from collaborations like the 1993 Judgement Night soundtrack, where he fused Latin elements with rock acts such as Pearl Jam and Slayer.[26] In his work with the industrial project Sol Invicto, Correa integrates electronic enhancements to his percussion, processing traditional sounds through drum 'n' bass effects and tribal filters for a denser, industrialized texture. This involves sampling and looping conga and bongo patterns alongside synthesizers, expanding the rhythmic palette into experimental realms while retaining Latin roots.[27] Correa's live tours highlight his emphasis on rhythmic complexity and improvisation, where he varies patterns nightly to introduce polyrhythms and unexpected accents, adding depth to structured hip-hop sets. He balances leading the percussion line with supportive spacing, allowing for spontaneous interplay that enhances the overall energy.[26] A notable example of his fusion innovations occurred in 2024, when Correa performed with Cypress Hill alongside the London Symphony Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall, adapting his percussion to orchestral arrangements of tracks from Black Sunday for a symphonic hip-hop reinterpretation. This built on prior symphony collaborations, such as with the San Diego Symphony in 2023, where his timbales and congas dialogued with string sections to elevate rhythmic layers.[28][29]Fusion of genres
Eric "Bobo" Correa's musical contributions are marked by a distinctive fusion of Latin jazz percussion with hip-hop rhythms, particularly evident in his work with Cypress Hill, where he infuses beats with timbales and congas to create a hybrid sound that bridges West Coast hip-hop and Afro-Latin traditions.[30] This blending draws directly from his Puerto Rican heritage and the vibrant New York hip-hop scene of the early 1990s, where he first gained prominence through collaborations that merged street-level beats with intricate Latin phrasing.[31] Correa further incorporates rock and industrial elements in projects like his tenure with the Beastie Boys on their 1994 album Ill Communication, where his percussion added experimental layers to the group's hip-hop foundation, and his ongoing role in the industrial metal band Sol Invicto, blending heavy, aggressive textures with his signature rhythmic complexity.[31] These integrations reflect influences from his father, Latin jazz icon Willie Bobo, whose collaborations with artists like Tito Puente and Miles Davis emphasized fluid cross-genre dialogue between jazz improvisation and Puerto Rican bomba and plena rhythms.[31] The New York hip-hop environment, with its raw energy and sampling innovations, further shaped Correa's approach, allowing him to layer traditional Latin elements over boom-bap foundations during his dual roles with Cypress Hill and the Beastie Boys in the mid-1990s.[32] Over time, Correa's style has evolved toward rap-rock hybrids, as seen in Cypress Hill's shift from pure hip-hop to genre-expanding albums like Black Sunday (1993), where his contributions amplified the group's rock-infused aggression, and more recently into symphony integrations, such as their 2024 performance of Black Sunday with the London Symphony Orchestra at Royal Albert Hall, reimagining hip-hop tracks with orchestral swells and Latin percussion.[5] This progression highlights his adaptability, maintaining Cypress Hill's relevance across decades by combining hip-hop's lyrical drive with rock's intensity and symphonic grandeur.[31] Critics and peers have praised Correa's unique sound for its innovative synthesis, with a 2023 interview in The Vinyl District noting his "fusing [of] Latin jazz with rock and hip-hop" as a key factor in Cypress Hill's enduring energy and multi-platinum success over 30 years.[31] In the same feature, Correa emphasized music's role as a "universal language" that thrives on genre combinations, underscoring the cultural impact of his boundary-pushing style.[31]Discography
Album contributions
Correa's album contributions span hip-hop, rock, and Latin fusion genres, primarily as a percussionist enhancing rhythmic layers in collaborative projects. His work with the Beastie Boys marked an early high-profile entry into mainstream recordings, where his conga and timbale playing added Latin percussion depth to their alternative hip-hop sound.[24] Similarly, joining Cypress Hill solidified his role in West Coast rap, contributing congas, drums, and additional percussion to multiple studio and live releases starting in the mid-1990s.[33] In the supergroup Sol Invicto, formed in 2008 with members from Deftones and Cypress Hill, Correa provided percussion and co-production on their experimental electronic and industrial albums, blending heavy beats with atmospheric elements.[34] Beyond these core groups, he appeared on sessions for DJ Muggs' productions within Cypress Hill projects and collaborated with Latin Bitman on their joint album, incorporating live percussion over electronic beats. RateYourMusic credits him with over 90 performances across various artists, including session work on hip-hop and rock albums like those by 311 and Soulfly.[35][24] In 2016, Correa curated and released Dig My Feeling, an album of previously unreleased recordings by his father, Latin jazz percussionist Willie Bobo, discovered among family tapes from the 1970s; the project features Correa's involvement in production and liner notes to honor his father's legacy.[13][36] Key album contributions include:| Album | Artist/Group | Year | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ill Communication | Beastie Boys | 1994 | Percussion |
| Hello Nasty | Beastie Boys | 1998 | Percussion |
| Cypress Hill III: Temples of Boom | Cypress Hill | 1995 | Conga, percussion |
| Skull & Bones | Cypress Hill | 2000 | Percussion, drums |
| Initium | Sol Invicto | 2017 | Percussion, co-production |
| Loosely Aware | Sol Invicto | 2024 | Percussion |
| Nothing | Sol Invicto | 2025 | Percussion |
| Welcome to the Ritmo Machine | Ritmo Machine (with Latin Bitman) | 2011 | Percussion |