A Bizarre Ride to Hip-Hop Greatness
The Pharcyde downsizes to fit into hall of fame
2005-09-06
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After more than two decades of expanding the world’s musical scope, it is
time to consider where hip-hop fits into timeless music, and by what standard
do we critique its players. There are those who have already found their place
amongst legends of other genres. The legacies of Afrika Bambaataa, Kool Herc,
Run DMC, etc. will live forever as pioneers of a new American culture, but how
do we measure greatness among those who followed in their footsteps? Spotting
what makes hip-hop worthy of remembering can sometimes seem like an impossible
task, but as we enter a new era, we see that those who have left a mark have also
left a trail.
Although there are too many phonies out there who continue to release music no matter how many horrible records they make, longevity is a good indicator that an artist produces genuine music that at least has a chance to last forever. An artist or group that leaches onto a fad will never last longer than the popularity of that fad, and afterward will be branded with the embarrassing legacy attached to the fad itself. If said band continues to release their music uncompromised after all of the frail ass-shakers have moved on to something else, then their music has moved one step closer to becoming timeless. Hip-hop’s first wave of pioneers will never be forgotten, but now it’s time to look at the generation that came after, like De La Soul, Tribe Called Quest, Common, Gang Starr, The Roots, Wu-Tang Clan, all those who gave birth to Sage, Anticon records, Definitive Jux and all of tomorrow’s hip-hop.
Since their 1995 release, Labcabincalifornia, The Pharcyde has been on somewhat unstable ground. They’ve had to deal with a lot since then including half of the band leaving to pursue solo careers. It hasn’t been clear where Pharcyde would end up for a while, but after talking with Bootie Brown and Imani I can see that they are still The Pharcyde.
The questions about Tre and Fat Lip leaving the group have always been treated as a mere misunderstanding and that they were simply working on solo side projects. The two remaining members responded to this by stating, “That’s because nobody ever asked us.” The four got together back in ‘92 with the intent of releasing three albums together, which they almost did.
“Fat Lip was really unstable after Labcabin…,” explained Bootie Brown. Although Fatlip backed out before the third album, Plain Rap still had three of the four members, but there were still problems. “Tre was preoccupied during the recording. We would call him up and be like Tre you want to come do your part and then he’d come down and do it and then leave. It almost felt like he had a cameo on that album” said Brown. The two felt very comfortable with the fact that the Pharcyde has become a duet. Now with the release of, Humboldt Beginnings, their forth album they can begin working on writing the second half of the groups legacy.
So they’ve past the test of longevity, but what else makes The Pharcyde worthy of being remembered? They have two songs from two different albums that not only continue to stand out in their own genre, but have influenced other genres as well. “Runnin’” off of Labcabin and “Passin’ Me By” off of Bizarre Ride to the Pharcyde both quickly became hip-hop classics, and “Passin’ Me By” has been sampled and remixed over and over again by hip-hop, drum and bass, house, trance and R&B DJs and producers. The familiarity of these songs alone should assure their immortality, but there is still one more qualification. Probably the most important standard that a group should be held to is their unwillingness to sell out. The Pharcyde has been fairly successful in maintaining their underground appeal and staying loyal to their fans, who will hopefully return the favor by playing these records for their kids, and pass on the legacy of those who kept hip-hop alive after it was no longer “the new thing.”
The new album still sounds like The Pharcyde, even though it’s just Bootie Brown and Imani, who feel like the group is right where it should be.
“I think The Pharcyde ended up the way it did for a reason. It’s a blessing that we are where we are,” said Imani.
A lot of hip-hop artists today are turning to genre blending, which is appreciated by both Brown and Imani, but neither feel that The Pharcyde needs to, or should, join that movement.
“If somebody grows up listening to hip-hop and rock and that’s what they’re influenced by, then that’s what they’re gonna make and it works. We’re gonna keep making music that comes from our influences,” explained Brown
All obstacles aside it seems that the Pharcyde is still very much on the path that they originally intended to be on. It would be safe to say that, all things considered, wherever there are kids rocking backpacks and headphones, or empty spray cans in train yards, wherever you see a B-boy circle pop up, or a DJ juggling beats, wherever there is hip-hop, there will be The Pharcyde.
Although there are too many phonies out there who continue to release music no matter how many horrible records they make, longevity is a good indicator that an artist produces genuine music that at least has a chance to last forever. An artist or group that leaches onto a fad will never last longer than the popularity of that fad, and afterward will be branded with the embarrassing legacy attached to the fad itself. If said band continues to release their music uncompromised after all of the frail ass-shakers have moved on to something else, then their music has moved one step closer to becoming timeless. Hip-hop’s first wave of pioneers will never be forgotten, but now it’s time to look at the generation that came after, like De La Soul, Tribe Called Quest, Common, Gang Starr, The Roots, Wu-Tang Clan, all those who gave birth to Sage, Anticon records, Definitive Jux and all of tomorrow’s hip-hop.
Since their 1995 release, Labcabincalifornia, The Pharcyde has been on somewhat unstable ground. They’ve had to deal with a lot since then including half of the band leaving to pursue solo careers. It hasn’t been clear where Pharcyde would end up for a while, but after talking with Bootie Brown and Imani I can see that they are still The Pharcyde.
The questions about Tre and Fat Lip leaving the group have always been treated as a mere misunderstanding and that they were simply working on solo side projects. The two remaining members responded to this by stating, “That’s because nobody ever asked us.” The four got together back in ‘92 with the intent of releasing three albums together, which they almost did.
“Fat Lip was really unstable after Labcabin…,” explained Bootie Brown. Although Fatlip backed out before the third album, Plain Rap still had three of the four members, but there were still problems. “Tre was preoccupied during the recording. We would call him up and be like Tre you want to come do your part and then he’d come down and do it and then leave. It almost felt like he had a cameo on that album” said Brown. The two felt very comfortable with the fact that the Pharcyde has become a duet. Now with the release of, Humboldt Beginnings, their forth album they can begin working on writing the second half of the groups legacy.
So they’ve past the test of longevity, but what else makes The Pharcyde worthy of being remembered? They have two songs from two different albums that not only continue to stand out in their own genre, but have influenced other genres as well. “Runnin’” off of Labcabin and “Passin’ Me By” off of Bizarre Ride to the Pharcyde both quickly became hip-hop classics, and “Passin’ Me By” has been sampled and remixed over and over again by hip-hop, drum and bass, house, trance and R&B DJs and producers. The familiarity of these songs alone should assure their immortality, but there is still one more qualification. Probably the most important standard that a group should be held to is their unwillingness to sell out. The Pharcyde has been fairly successful in maintaining their underground appeal and staying loyal to their fans, who will hopefully return the favor by playing these records for their kids, and pass on the legacy of those who kept hip-hop alive after it was no longer “the new thing.”
The new album still sounds like The Pharcyde, even though it’s just Bootie Brown and Imani, who feel like the group is right where it should be.
“I think The Pharcyde ended up the way it did for a reason. It’s a blessing that we are where we are,” said Imani.
A lot of hip-hop artists today are turning to genre blending, which is appreciated by both Brown and Imani, but neither feel that The Pharcyde needs to, or should, join that movement.
“If somebody grows up listening to hip-hop and rock and that’s what they’re influenced by, then that’s what they’re gonna make and it works. We’re gonna keep making music that comes from our influences,” explained Brown
All obstacles aside it seems that the Pharcyde is still very much on the path that they originally intended to be on. It would be safe to say that, all things considered, wherever there are kids rocking backpacks and headphones, or empty spray cans in train yards, wherever you see a B-boy circle pop up, or a DJ juggling beats, wherever there is hip-hop, there will be The Pharcyde.
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