Pharcyde: История взлета и внутренних конфликтов хип-хоп группы.

American hip hop group

Pharcyde group members Slimkid3, Bootie Brown, and Imani met as dancers in the late 1980s. Dancing was their main ambition as late as 1990. 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, 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", the second of which served as inspiration for their interlude "Jiggaboo Time".

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. 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 minor Billboard hit, peaking at No. 52 on the Hot 100. The song was later featured in the hit movie Big Daddy and was also a crossover modern rock hit. The song is now usually considered a golden era staple and is the group's most well known song. The album featured a couple of guest MCs, including Bucwheed (known then as Buckwheat, formerly of the alternative hip hop group The Wascals) on the tracks "On The DL" and "I'm That Type of Nigga". About the group's sense of humor, Imani was quoted in a 1993 interview saying, "We find humor in things other people don’t. Everyday situations. People might look at things around here and say, like, ‘Damn!’ We say, ‘Hah, hah, hah.’ We just chill out." Problems between the group and producer J Swift began during the recording of the debut, with infighting and "personality conflicts".

In 1995, The Pharcyde released their second album, Labcabincalifornia. The album received mixed reviews upon release, maybe due to a different musical direction from the light hearted playfulness of their debut. The album included another big crossover hit, "Runnin", peaking at No. 35 on the Billboard Hot 100. This single was later featured in the movie 8 Mile, as well as the More Music from 8 Mile soundtrack. Labcabincalifornia featured production from Jay Dee, who handled the majority of the production. Member Slimkid3 has stated that the group met Jay Dee by way of Q Tip of A Tribe Called Quest, who handed them the tape that contained some of the production that would end up on the LP. This album generated lower sales, not reaching gold status. A music video for the song "Drop" was directed by Spike Jonze. Problems grew between Fatlip and the other MCs after this album, resulting in his leaving the group. In the documentary Cydeways: The Best of the Pharcyde, while the group is performing in shows they still offer their support to Fatlip, telling the crowd that if they support Fatlip on his solo career then they support The Pharcyde and vice versa.

The group was largely missing from the hip hop scene between 1997 and 1999. The three remaining members returned in 2000 with an EP titled Chapter One: Testing the Waters. The group released a full studio album later in 2000 titled Plain Rap. The album had a lukewarm reception both critically and commercially. Soon after the release, member Slimkid3, now going by his birth name of Tre Hardson, left the group to pursue a solo career. In 2002, he released his first solo album titled Liberation.

With only two members remaining, Bootie Brown and Imani continued with the group name and released Humboldt Beginnings in 2004. The album received even less attention critically and commercially than their last effort. This album introduced Schmooche Cat and Spaceboy Boogie X as new members and Spaceboy Boogie X as producer to the group. The album was released on the group's own independent record label, Chapter One Entertainment.

Though Humboldt Beginnings is to date the last Pharcyde album, its members have since been keeping busy with various contributions and projects. A compilation of The Pharcyde was released in 2005, titled Sold My Soul: The Remix & Rarity Collection, featuring a number of remixes and rare songs. Former member Fatlip released his solo debut in 2005, titled The Loneliest Punk, and Tre Hardson's second full length solo album SLIMKID3's Cafe was released on April 4, 2006. In late 2007, Tre toured with L. A. Latin funk hip hop band Ozomatli on their Winter Tour throughout the United States. The Pharcyde and Souls of Mischief collaborated to form a group called "Almyghty Myghty Pythons" and released a collaboration album entitled Almyghty Myghty Pythons. Production from the group died down, but it was said by Imani in an interview that it was to be an ongoing project. Fatlip and Tre Hardson reunited to perform on 'The Over 30, Dirty Old Men Tour'. Fatlip and Tre Hardson were featured on the song "All I Want for Christmas (Is Somebody Else)" featuring St. Imey (formerly of The Wascals) and produced by J Swift on Delicious Vinyl records. In 2005, Bootie Brown made a guest appearance on Gorillaz' single "Dirty Harry", from the album Demon Days. He has toured off and on with Gorillaz ever since, sometimes also filling in live for Mos Def on the Gorillaz' song "Stylo". In 2022, he appeared on a second song with the band, titled "New Gold" alongside Tame Impala. On April 22, 2008 it was announced that The Pharcyde would be reuniting for the annual Rock the Bells Festival Series. The first performance was Saturday, July 19 in Chicago. Remixes of The Pharcyde's "Runnin and "Passin' Me By" appear on Delicious Vinyl's 2008 release, Rmxxology. The Pharcyde toured Australia in February 2009 as part of the Good Vibrations Festival, which was headlined by Fatboy Slim, and played in Sydney, Melbourne, Gold Coast and Perth. They also headlined at the All Points West Festival in Liberty State Park, NJ on July 31, 2009. The Pharcyde also reunited at Rhymesayers Entertainment's soundset, Memorial Day Weekend, 2009, and were the co headliners of the festival, which was also headlined by Atmosphere and featured many other underground artists. Uncle Imani went on FIVE10 Radio to talk about the story behind the growth and demise of The Pharcyde. The downfall of The Pharcyde was named the 26th (out of 30) worst fall offs in hip hop history by Complex magazine in December 2012. 2012 saw the twentieth anniversary of The Pharcyde's debut Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde, and to mark the event Fatlip and SlimKid3 teamed up with the album's producers, J Sw!ft and L. A. Jay, as well as record label Delicious Vinyl, to play the album in its entirety at a tribute show at The Roxy Theatre in Los Angeles. The performance was intended to be a one off, but due to an overwhelming success and reception, the group began touring the show 'Bizarre Ride Live', and, along with MC K Natural, working on original music under the moniker The Bizarre Ride. In December of that year, The Pharcyde released the Amerigo Gazaway produced "Still Got Love (Bizarre Tribe Megamix)" garnering significant praise. 2015 marked the twentieth anniversary of Labcabincalifornia, resulting in a similar tour through Europe and Japan. The group continued touring Europe through 2017. In 2022 IMANI, Slimkid3 and Fatlip launched a "30th Anniversary of Bizarre Ride" tour performing as The Far Side (Formerly of The Pharcyde).

In 2020, DUBCNN reported that there would be a reunion of all four members of Pharcyde on Fatlip's upcoming album Torpor, with two Pharcyde tracks confirmed. The single, titled “My Bad”, was released on August 1 2022. “Torpor” was officially released via bandcamp on July 29, 2022 on CD and February 3rd, 2023 on vinyl. Although they have recorded new music, an entire album has yet to be confirmed.

+ List of singles, with selected chart positions, showing year released and album name Title Year Peak chart positionsCertifications Album US USDanceSales USR&B USRap NZ UK "Ya Mama" 1992 — — —"Ya Mama" did not enter the Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs chart, but peaked at number six on the [[Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs#Bubbling Under R&B/Hip Hop Singles — — — Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde "Passin' Me By" 1993 52 6 28 1 — 55BPI: Silver — — — — — — "Knew U" 2004 — — — — — — Humboldt Beginnings "My Bad" 2022 — — — — — — Torpor "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.