“self-conscious rap smarts and postmodern pop-cult potpourri” – Pitchfork
In the early 90’s, gangsta rap consumed the airwaves, and the majority of West Coast rappers strapped on their Locs, Chuck Taylor’s & Ben Davis’. However, The Pharcyde decidedly maintained a willfully weird vision, staying true to themselves. There, with their left field but still South-Central sensibility, rap had seen few groups so self-deprecating and so smart. Moreover, they featured four visionary rappers adroitly able to split the difference between helium-voiced and hard-core.
Listening to Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde two full decades after its release, its sense of timeliness is unmistakable. Every song on the album inverts a hoary hip-hop cliché. The album features classics like “Oh Shit,” “Otha Fish”, “Ya’ Mama,” and hit single, “Passing Me By”. Thus, it’s not surprising that it went Platinum and garnered comparisons to De La Soul and Tribe Called Quest. Everyone from Pitchfork Media to The Source has hailed it as one of the greatest albums ever made.
Speaking on the passage of time, their second release, LabCabInCalifornia, has revealed exactly how far-reaching The Pharcyde’s vision was. There, they enlisted a young, unknown James Yancey aka J DILLA to produce beats, including the classic “Runnin”. Then, they collaborated with director Spike Jonze (“Being John Malkovich” “Adaptation”) on the groundbreaking video for “Drop”. The album consistently reinforced their steadfast refusal to tread familiar artistic grounds.
Today, The Pharcyde is still performing and touring the globe. They continue to hone their individual abilities yet carry on the name & legacy in its original fashion. They still seduce their audience with the same boyish charm that founded them at the beginning. The Pharcyde is still influencing the hip-hop artists and sounds of today and will continue to for years to come.
Recommended for fans of A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Digital Underground and Beastie Boys.
