Synopsis

Cypress Hill deliver a confrontational performance in a stark urban setting, with B-Real and Sen Dog taking turns in the spotlight as the group projects the song's themes of danger, loyalty, and readiness for conflict. The video relies on forceful close-ups, group shots, and hard-edged street imagery rather than a detailed narrative. Its visual tone matches the track's menacing production while preserving the raw, underground attitude that defined Cypress Hill during the Black Sunday era.

Factoids & Trivia

• The video was released in the United States in August 1993, during the commercial peak of Cypress Hill's Black Sunday period.

• The title is generally presented as "When the Ship Goes Down" in edited versions, while the uncensored song is known as "When the Shit Goes Down." The change was connected to sample-clearance negotiations, although the original word remained in the recorded lyric.

• The song was released as the second single from Black Sunday in Europe and Australia. It reached No. 19 on the UK Singles Chart.

• Big Boy appears in the video in the role of a bodyguard.

• The video was later included on Cypress Hill: The Ultimate Video Collection, released in 2004.