The Pharcyde, the sum of a group from the Hip Hop Golden Era

Every group has fans somewhere in the world. There are always people that connect with the artists and admire their talent. The Pharcyde was the sum of four different and very talented guys whose vision for doing something different was more than its individual parts. After a quarter of a century, they still have fans everywhere showing they can be considered part of the US hip-hop legends.

The original The Pharcyde Line Up

Just two members remaining from the original line-up, but a creation that is still powerful. Four young men whose passion for dancing joined them to start an incredible project that would defy time. Their artistic and real names, Imani (Emandu Wilcox), Bootie Brown (Romye Robinson), Slimkid3 (Trevant Hardson) and Fatlip (Derrick Stewart).

They experienced together the total success of their first songs and two albums, and became one of the greatest rap groups ever. But, what makes a group have the essential ingredients to be successful? Chemistry and personalities have a lot to do with that. After the second album, Fatlip left the group due to problems they couldn’t solve out.

After this, they were out of action for almost three years returning in 2000 with a full studio album. It didn’t have the acceptance they expected, and Slimkid3 decided to start a solo career as Tre Hardson. Just Imani and Bootie Brown remained and decided to continue with the group name.

Alternative Old School Hip Hop

Nowadays “Alternative Old School Hip Hop” is not alternative anymore, it seems to be the tendency that all rap singers have, it seems to be the accepted standard. Two decades ago, it was something completely different, and The Pharcyde were the ones who gave a step forward taking a different route into rap.

Their love for dancing and their love for singing just didn’t fit in well with the style of the early 90’s. All songs were fueled by the taste for violence, money, sex and drugs, and they were more than present on the airwaves.

They refused to conform to this gangsta style, and didn’t care about being considered bizarre creatures in the depth of the genre. Well, they were a total revelation with their helium- high voices and humorous lyrics. That was really “alternative” at that time.

They stayed true to themselves, and in 1992 their willful decision led them to release his debut album “Bizarre Ride II”. The results? It was certified gold, and still considered a golden age hip-hop album.

24 years in the Hip Hop scene and counting…

Impossible not to call them hip-hop pioneers. All of them agree that having had the previous experience of dancing on stage, music videos and on TV gave them a different perspective of what they wanted to add to the music they were creating. It’s undeniable they knew what they were doing. Their playful and humorous rhymes besides the dance floor productions conquered these 25 years in music.

Although having all that experience as dancers, the original four members worked very hard at the beginning of their singing project. They got to be known for the hit singles “Drop” and “Runnin”. They started having fans and good critics with these two songs; however, it was “Passin me by” the one that made them have commercial success peaking as a Billboard hit on the Hot 100.

Then, their most praised album “Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde” in 1992. In 1994, the Pharcyde was part of “Stolen Moments: Red Hot + Cool”, a compilation album in support of the AIDS epidemic. It was “Album of the year. In 1995, “Labcabincalifornia” was the second album of the group. Although, it was not a success as an album, one of its songs “Runnin” peaked at number 55 on the Hot 100.

With three members, the Pharcyde released a third studio album in 2000, “Plain Rap”. Then, in 2004 with only two members, “Humboldt Beginnings”. None of them had the commercial attention that they expected; however, Imani and Bootie Brown kept performing seducing audiences with the same abilities and charisma of the beginning.

The Pharcyde twentieth anniversary

Maybe people think that speaking about the passage of time means to forget. In this case, 2012 saw the great 20th anniversary of “Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde. What made it so good? That the two remaining members teamed up again with Fatlip and Slimkid3. This tribute was such a success that they couldn’t stop and began a tour together working on their original music.

The Pharcyde is still touring. Their concerts are still great events that you cannot miss out. 2018 is a good year for them with upcoming concerts. In September, for example, Asheville will be one of the host cities to welcome their fans.

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