Latest Release
- 21 JUN 2024
- 2 Songs
- Movie Star - Single · 2024
- Feeling Myself - Single · 2024
- Slhick Tawlk (lo-fi mix) - Single · 2023
- Slhick Tawlk - Single · 2023
- My Man (Radio Edit) - Single · 2022
- My Man - Single · 2022
- My Man (instrumental) - Single · 2022
- Torpor · 2022
- Slhick Tawlk - Jazz Mix - Single · 2022
- Love · 2021
Essential Albums
- Pharcyde’s 1992 debut album Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde catapulted the group into stardom, thanks to the hit single “Passin’ Me By”, an ode to unrequited love. But by the mid-1990s, it had become clear that fame wasn’t all it was cracked up to be: Tensions had begun to rise among the band members, and The Pharcyde had parted ways with their producer (and musical mentor) J-Swift, who’d shaped much of the sound of Bizarre Ride. To make things even more complicated, the group’s record label was hoping album No. 2 would be a commercial hit. Somehow, despite all this adversity, The Pharcyde emerged with 1995’s Labcabincalifornia, the album that proved the group members were as funny, poignant and profound as ever—even if they’d become a lot more cynical. In the absence of J-Swift—and his seamless blend of samples and live instrumentation—the group members stepped up to produce, enlisting the help of their DJ, M-Walk; the Bronx-bred production heavyweight Diamond D; and a new producer from Detroit who called himself “Jon Doe”. He’d later shorten his name to “Jay Dee”, but most listeners would get to know him as “J Dilla”, the soon-to-be legendary beatmaker. Dilla produced six of Labcabincalifornia’s 17 tracks, including its signature singles “Runnin’” and “Drop” (the latter of which would get an innovative backwards music video courtesy of a young Spike Jonze). Though only a few years into the music biz, The Pharcyde had learned that Q-Tip’s adage about record company people being shady rang true—a fact they lamented on “Devil Music” (“Every time I step to the microphone/I put my soul on two-inch reels that I don’t even own”). Elsewhere on Labcabincalifornia, the group attacks the transactional sexual experiences of rap life (“Groupie Therapy”), and takes aim at the imitators who’d started copying The Pharcyde’s sound and aesthetic (“Pharcyde”). And on the album standout “She Said”, Fatlip eschews the “ass, gas or cash” axiom used to treat women as objects. Labcabincalifornia proved that, while Pharcyde’s sound had evolved, the core of what made the group special remained. These were relatable, regular guys who were more prone to self-reflection and self-deprecation than self-righteousness—something uncharacteristic in hip-hop at the time. And while hey didn’t always get the girl, or win the fight, at least they were honest about it. Labcabincalifornia is hip-hop at its most emotionally intelligent.
- A jovial, playful-yet-personal debut, 1992’s Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde marked a landmark moment in alternative hip-hop. Irrepressible goofballs and incisive diarists, the four members of Los Angeles’ The Pharcyde—Slimkid3, Fatlip, Imani and Bootie Brown—were capable of both off-the-wall weirdness and incisive self-reflection, of furious rhyme antics and shocks of melody. Emo before emo-rap, Pharcyde eschewed hip-hop braggadocio for something more self-deprecating. Combined with great comic timing, animated personalities and an arsenal of “ya mama” jokes, the group laid down a blueprint for a generation of underground rappers. Pharcyde cut a stark figure in the gangsta-rap-dominated ’90s: The members might break out in song in the middle of a verse, or joke like four Biz Markies—all while accompanied by beats anchored by the freewheeling jazz loops of producer J-Swift. And while rappers like Big Daddy Kane were playing the Casanova game, The Pharcyde opted to explore their unrequited loves, friend-zone moments and various humiliations on “Passin’ Me By”, one of the album’s standout tracks. Slimkid3 insists the four tales in the song are all true, and the mix of raw honesty, along with a lush Quincy Jones loop, made it an instant hip-hop classic. Slimkid3 plumbed the depths of a broken heart once again for the follow-up single “Otha Fish”, a delirious song about emotional restoration that flows like liquid between rapping and singing. Bizarre Ride was the greatest West Coast hip-hop album of 1992 that wasn’t The Chronic—and it couldn’t have been more different than the oncoming laid-back G-Funk revolution. A lively, giddy energy burst, it was the funniest, most irreverent hip-hop album of its day, as evidenced by Fatlip doing a maniacal horror-flick phone call (“4 Better or 4 Worse”), or breaking into a Public Enemy impersonation to complain about the DMV (“Officer”). The album’s jokes peak with “Ya Mama”, a dizzying snap-fest that also includes some inventive four-part harmonies. Bizarre Ride has a legacy that extends far past its role as a beacon of alternative rap and subterranean Los Angeles. “Passin’ Me By” made a comeback in 2001, when R&B singer Joe repurposed it for his No. 1 hit “Stutter”. In 2013, “Passin’ Me By” returned to the zeitgeist when T.I. referenced it for his verse on Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines”. And Kanye West, another rapper who went against the grain by dealing in personal reflection, would famously declare Bizarre Ride as nothing short of his favourite album of all time. The Pharcyde would continue their trailblazing streak for years afterward. But Bizarre Ride would forever serve as the triumphant moment when a group of California cut-ups helped pave the way for some of hip-hop’s more eccentric visions.
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- Off-kilter and humble hip-hop sounds from the left coast.
Singles & EPs
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About The Pharcyde
With their colourful infusions of jazz and soul, The Pharcyde were an experimental West Coast hip-hop group that offered an alternative to the gangsta rap of the ’90s. • The Los Angeles natives met in the late ’80s through dancing—their primary interest before hip-hop. Slimkid3 and Imani were part of a group called As Is, while Bootie Brown was a dancer for Fatlip. • The Pharcyde’s 1992 debut album, Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde, features their signature single, “Passin' Me By”, which reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Rap Songs chart. • “Passin' Me By” remains an enduring piece of pop culture. R&B singer Joe sampled the song for the remix to his chart-topping 2000 hit “Stutter”. T.I. references the track on the 2013 Robin Thicke smash “Blurred Lines”. The song has also appeared on the TV series like Atlanta and in films such as Big Daddy. • The group returned in 1995 with the album Labcabincalifornia. The single “Drop” features a sample from the Beastie Boys classic “The New Style”. • The Labcabincalifornia single “Runnin’” was featured on 2002’s More Music from 8 Mile album, and it’s been sampled by artists ranging from Mýa to Juice WRLD. • Following the release of Labcabincalifornia, Fatlip left the group to pursue a solo career. Slimkid3 did likewise after Plain Rap dropped in 2000. • In the aftermath of a 2008 reunion for the Rock the Bells festival, the group splintered into two factions. Bootie Brown and Imani won the rights to perform as The Pharcyde, while Fatlip and Slimkid3 toured as Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde.
- ORIGIN
- Los Angeles, CA, United States
- FORMED
- 1989
- GENRE
- Hip-Hop/Rap