My indoctrination into the world of rap and hip-hop began at an odd point of entry. I remember a fascination with the Fat Boys which made me a target for taunting quite regularly at my school. Guess I didn't see enough of Krush Groove, otherwise I would have been worshiping Run-DMC. Later on, much to the surprise of my potential taunters, when asked who my favorite rapper/rap-group was, this lily-white boy from the suburbs proudly announced it to be Public Enemy, and I was completely serious. The smile drained from my questioner's face and I was never asked such a question again.
My taste for hip-hop expanded with the aid of Yo! MTV Raps and the suggestions of people I knew in Junior High, and I found myself listening to Nice N' Smooth, A Tribe Called Quest and 3rd Bass among others and tuning into the "urban" radio stations for new tracks. Oddly enough, I missed out or ignored some really groundbreaking stuff until the mid to late nineties like the Beastie Boys (my suburban mother wouldn't let me listen to their records and, if I'd bought their tapes or records, she would have thrown them out. Guns N' Roses though, that was acceptable.), Black Sheep and The Pharcyde.
The Pharcyde were pretty special for me and I found out about them, as I often have, completely backwards. I'd heard Passing Me By on MTV and thought it was great, but when you don't have a job or cash it's kinda hard to grab your favorite tracks, especially when they weren't available as singles or played on the radio very often. Well, after hearing Runnin' from their follow-up album, Labcabincalifornia, and finally having a full-time job, I decided it was time to pick up one of their records. Thankfully, upon visiting the Oberlin Co-Op Bookstore, I was convinced by their helpful staff (Why can't I remember their names? The only one I can remember was a guy named Dave and he was the least friendly employee there!) to ignore Labcabin... and pick up their debut, Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde. I was told it was a classic, and lord knows that was the truth.
Easily comparable to Paul's Boutique or 3 Feet High and Rising, Bizarre Ride is a universe in and of itself. Filled with in-jokes, silly sex raps, a great attitude and awesome beats courtesy of J-Swift, The Pharcyde, consisting of Imani, Slimkid3, Bootie Brown and Fatlip, were an infinitely entertaining alternative to the gangster rap that seemed ubiquitous at that time. Even four or five years after it's release, it sounded so fresh and alive compared to the canned production of most of the hip-hop of the mid to late nineties and continues to shine today. The follow-up, Labcabincalifornia, was great in it's own right, featuring more production from J-Swift as well as then up-and-coming producer Jay Dee, better known as J Dilla, but the mood was darker and it certainly wasn't as much fun. Historically, at least from my viewpoint, Bizarre Ride is The Pharcyde's high-water-mark with Labcabin..., apart from a few tracks, being a memorable footnote but nowhere near as awesome.
In the years after Labcabincalifornia's release, Fatlip left the group due to internal struggles, they continued on as a three-piece for a few years, then a duo, and now are pretty much no more. Rumors constantly swirl about a full-on reunion and in 2008 all four founding members went on tour for the first time in years, but who knows if anything else will come of The Pharcyde. Stories of failed reunion attempts have been around for years, but even if another album never surfaces, at least we've got Bizarre Ride and Labcabincalifornia.
Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde and Labcabincalifornia are both readily available for purchase physically and digitally so I won't be posting either here, but I wanted to share a few remixes which are not widely available, if available at all any longer. All of these tracks are taken from a compilation of uncertain legitimacy named Sold My Soul and features most of the B-Sides and Remixes from their first two albums. If you're a hip-hop head or you know where to look I'm sure you'll find a copy, but I'm featuring a few choice cuts for your enjoyment.
Ya Mama (Matt Dike Remix)
One of the standouts from Bizarre Ride gets a full-on Paul's Boutique style work-out courtesy of one of the parties responsible for that classic. Matt Dike, simply put, is THE MAN and here he builds an incredible backing track that doesn't get in the way of the crazy raps at all while still remaining integral to the track. On top of that, more Ya Mama jokes than you'll ever need!
Soul Flower (2 Tha 3 Mix)
This mix was created by J-Swift and Fatlip and came out as a promo only due to it's excessive number of samples. It was apparently beloved by the group and label, but everyone knew there was no chance of it getting an official release. Too bad, because it, like the Matt Dike remix, is an essential!
Soul Flower (Brand New Heavies Version)
Soul Flower was originally recorded for the Brand New Heavies debut album, Heavy Rhyme Experience: Vol. 1, and is considerably different from the version that appeared on Bizarre Ride with it’s full-band backing track.
She Said (Jay Dee Remix)
This doesn't really fit with the rest of the material featured here as the original version is taken from Labcabincalifornia and is available on a few different releases, but it's such a good remix of an equally good track that I had to throw it up here! RIP Dilla.
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