The Pharcyde

The Pharcyde is an American hip-hop group, formed in South Central Los Angeles in 1991. The original four members of the group are Imani (Emandu Wilcox), Slimkid3 (Trevant Hardson), Bootie Brown (Romye Robinson), and Fatlip (Derrick Stewart). DJ Mark Luv was the group's first disc jockey (DJ), followed by producer J-Swift and then J Dilla.

The group's debut album Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde (1992), featuring the crossover hit single "Passin' Me By", was highly acclaimed and has gone on to be cited as one of the greatest albums in alternative hip-hop. In 1995 the group released second studio album Labcabincalifornia to further commercial success, featuring successful singles "Drop" and "Runnin'". Labcabincalifornia received mixed critical reception upon its initial release, but has since achieved retrospective critical acclaim. After Fatlip exited the group in 1997, the remaining members released the Pharcyde's follow-up album, Plain Rap (2000). Following the release of Plain Rap, Slimkid3 also departed the group. Imani and Brootie Brown continued on and released Humboldt Beginnings in 2004. The group never again regained its former commercial or critical success.

In 2008, all four members of the group temporarily reunited for performances at that year's Rock the Bells festival. After the 2008 reunion, legal disputes over The Pharcyde name led to various combinations of the four members touring under various names for the next several years. The group reformed as a trio in the 2020s and returned to touring and releasing new music, with Bootie Brown declining to participate.

History

1989–1990: early years

Pharcyde group members Slimkid3 from Inglewood, Bootie Brown from Altadena, and Imani from Compton met as dancers in high school in 1989. Dancing was their main ambition as late as 1990, as Imani, Slimkid3 and Romye were in a dance group called "242" alongside their friend Robert Vincent, who later left the group to pursue a career of his own. The dance group was featured in music videos for Michael Jackson's "Remember the Time", Herb Alpert, Tone Loc, and appeared as "Fly Guys" in the TV show In Living Color. Imani and Slimkid3 were childhood friends, who were also good friends with Bootie Brown. Brown knew Fatlip, which was his introduction into the group. Around this time, Imani and Slimkid3 were in a group called "Two for Two", later in a group called "As Is" and then a group called the "Play Brothers", while Bootie Brown was a backup dancer for Fatlip, with Fatlip being the last member to join the group. Bootie Brown recalls that their earlier dancing careers influenced their rapping – "sometimes the way I rap is almost like the way I used to dance". The group met Reggie Andrews, a local high-school music teacher who worked with the Dazz Band and Rick James, and who was a major musical influence on their debut album. The group also met producer J-Swift around this time at SCU (South Central Unit), as he was Reggie Andrews's "star pupil" according to the book Check the Technique. Before group settled on the name "The Pharcyde", they were almost called "The Rappers" and "True Jiggaboo", with the latter serving as inspiration for their interlude "It's Jiggaboo Time".

1991–1994: Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde

The Pharcyde recorded their first demo in 1991, which contained the songs "Passin' Me By", "Ya Mama", and "Officer", and hired a manager, Paul Stewart, who had worked for Cypress Hill, De La Soul, and House of Pain. Mike Ross of Delicious Vinyl heard the demo and the group was signed to the label in the summer of 1991. They were first featured on the British jazz and punk band's Brand New Heavies's album Heavy Rhyme Experience, Vol. 1, on the song "Soul Flower", released by Delicious Vinyl in August 1992. That became their first ever released song.

The group, along with producer J-Swift, recorded their first album Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde, which was released in November 1992. The album was certified Gold by the RIAA in 1996. The album was highly acclaimed, and became one of the most praised and influential alternative hip-hop albums of the 1990s. Their second single "Passin' Me By" became a Billboard hit, peaking at No. 52 on the Hot 100. The song was later featured in the hit movie Big Daddy and is often critically acclaimed for being one of the best hip-hop songs of all time. The album featured a couple of guest MCs, including Buckwheat (formerly of the hip-hop group The Wascals) on the tracks "On The DL" and "I'm That Type of Nigga". The album consisted a new updated version of "Soul Flower". Problems between the group and producer J-Swift began during the recording of the debut, with infighting and "personality conflicts". That led to J-Swift being dropped as their producer before the album even came out. The album appeared on the best hip-hop albums lists of outlets Rolling Stone, Billboard, and Hip Hop Golden Age.