There would be no Cypress Hill without Sen Dog. His gruff call and response delivery alongside fellow MC B-Real defined a hip hop era and helped put the west coast on the map in the early ‘90s. With a long list of smash hits on their resume (“Insane In The Membrane,” Rock Star,” "How I Could Just Kill A Man,” etc.), Cypress Hill is one of the most successful groups in the rap game and Sen vocals are as integral to the formula as DJ Muggs’ dark, boppin’ beats. But having been part of a group for so long, it’s no wonder he finally got the itch to go solo.

Released on Kottonmouth Kings’ emerging Suburban Noize label, Diary of a Mad Dog is Sen’s first album without his Cypress bandmates…but don’t worry, folks, he ain’t leaving the Hill. As B-Real and Muggs told us in their Freestyle 101s, the groups is simply on hiatus in 2008 as they unleash side-projects and solo endeavors and work on the group’s next album, which will blow your mind in ’09. Meanwhile, Diary of a Mad Dog should tide you over, with its gangsta beats and blunted raps, as should this dope FS101, recorded at The Engine Room in Hollywood over a heavy Golden Hour beat.

If you dig Sen Dog, make sure to read TheFeed’s interview with him on his Reyes Bros. album a while back, check out the aforementioned Cypress Hill editions of Freestyle 101, or peep webisodes with west coast vets Planet Asia, Ras Kass, Tash, RBX, Ice-T and others. Freestyle 101 goes up every Tuesday at 9 a.m. PST (noon on the east). Check us on Facebook and MySpace, rant in the Forums or dig our photo gallery. Up next is Cappadonna of Wu Tang Clan, followed by Teflon, Charli 2Na of Jurassic 5, Sunspot Jonz of Living Legends, Killa Sha and more.