C/D : Pharcyde

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

Unbelievably, there hasn't been a thread devoted to Pharcyde, who are, in my opinion, one of the best rap groups ever. I think one listen to the first album could convince most people that this is the direction that rap music should have gone in instead of gangsta. Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde is really an amazing album. The beats, courtesy of J-Swift, are great-- fun, jazzy, and upbeat; the lyrics are funny, self-deprecating, and jocular. What's really refreshing is that Pharcyde is just good fun without all the posturing, braggadocio, and hardness that comes out of a lot of rap. Listening to the first album is like hanging out with friends, a feeling that I rarely get from music, much less rap albums. Moreover, it's actually catchy.

You can't walk away from this album without feeling good. Pharcyde is like a better version of ATCQ-- one with funnier lyrics and better production. For this album alone, I say CLASSIC, but there are a number of good tracks on the second album too.

Has anyone who has heard Pharcyde not like them?

― punis (punis), Tuesday, 30 May 2006 20:00 (nineteen years ago)

Classic in every way until the last album.

― Forksclovetofu (Forksclovetofu), Tuesday, 30 May 2006 20:03 (nineteen years ago)

the first album is amazing and still a really fun listen, but they just couldn't keep it up. There are a couple good tracks on Labcabincalifornia ("Runnin" w/its great Stan Getz/Joao Gilberto sample, and "Drop") but that's pretty much it. Diminishin returns ever since... still pissed I missed their live set at Lollapalooza in '95 (or '96?)

― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Tuesday, 30 May 2006 20:04 (nineteen years ago)

Bizarre Ride also has one of the all time greatest covers. That was Fuct at their coolest.

― Makrugaik (makrugaik), Tuesday, 30 May 2006 20:08 (nineteen years ago)

classic but i prefer crack

― phat lip, Tuesday, 30 May 2006 20:17 (nineteen years ago)

"Ya mama got an afro wit' a chinstrap!"

Classic, for the first two records at least.

― yer mam! (yer mam!), Tuesday, 30 May 2006 20:19 (nineteen years ago)

nice "live" cover of "Runnin'" on Marc (4 Hero) Mac's new Visioneers project...

― hank (hank s), Tuesday, 30 May 2006 20:23 (nineteen years ago)

Can I just ask that when someone comes along and sneers at some of the reasons Punis has given for liking this group, that person remembers that Punis's reasoning is a separate point, and should not lead us to frown on or condescend to the really quite likeable music created by the Pharcyde? Thanks.

― nabisco (nabisco), Tuesday, 30 May 2006 20:37 (nineteen years ago)

I just saw Bizarre Ride II as #5 on Chris Rock's all-time list (Rap's 25 Greatest Albums, according to Chris Rock) and have noticed it on a fair number of other all-time lists.
Rock: 'Only in rap do you get one-album-wonders. The Pharcyde are like the Boston of rap.'

Another one album wonder of the era was Souls Of Mischief: 93 'Til Infinity.

― Carlos Keith (Buck_Wilde), Tuesday, 30 May 2006 20:47 (nineteen years ago)

there are plenty of one-album wonders in other genres! Rock's got a good list tho.

― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Tuesday, 30 May 2006 20:51 (nineteen years ago)

I think Pharcyde's second album is good enough to keep them from qualifying for that list anyway.

"Passin Me By" was one of the first rap songs I connected with as a kid (also "back in the day" by Ahmad, which is odd as my 'back in the day' is when that song came out.)

― deej.. (deej..), Tuesday, 30 May 2006 20:54 (nineteen years ago)

And while Souls of Mischief may not have had another good album, the Hiero crew had quite a few great songs from around that period that weren't officially by the souls of mischief but might as well have been.

― deej.. (deej..), Tuesday, 30 May 2006 20:56 (nineteen years ago)

haha Ahmad was a great one-hit wonder! See also the "I Wish" guy from that period ("I wish I was a little bit taller/I wish I was a baller/I wish I had a girl who looked good/I would call her" = totally funny sub-Special Ed rhyming)

― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Tuesday, 30 May 2006 20:57 (nineteen years ago)

That's Skee Lo and his album is actually a good listen.

― Forksclovetofu (Forksclovetofu), Tuesday, 30 May 2006 20:59 (nineteen years ago)

Ahmad is just dope, his foray into a more christian direction spelled doom for the old career(I tells ya). I brought him on campus at my J.C. long after his heyday(as it were) and he was astonishing.

― tremendoid (tremendoid), Tuesday, 30 May 2006 22:04 (nineteen years ago)

i still love that ahmad/ras kass/saafir tune that was on some soundtrack.

pharcyde's first album = classic, of course.

― GOD PUNCH TO HAWKWIND (yournullfame), Tuesday, 30 May 2006 22:55 (nineteen years ago)

people like crazy artists in general. name one and everyone's all on their dick. Roky Erickson, Syd Barrett, Kool Keith, Skip Spence, ODB, Brian Wilson, Peter Green, Daniel Johnston, Phil Spector, Wesley Willis, Jandek... this list could go on forever.

But I have to admit one thing: the black ones seem funnier for some reason. The white ones mostly seem pathetic. The reason for this, I'm not sure.

-- punis (ad...), May 17th, 2006.

― and what (ooo), Tuesday, 30 May 2006 23:00 (nineteen years ago)

high five!

― oops (Oops), Tuesday, 30 May 2006 23:29 (nineteen years ago)

ban plz?

― and what (ooo), Tuesday, 30 May 2006 23:30 (nineteen years ago)

oh you don't have to ban yourself, it's ok.

― oops (Oops), Tuesday, 30 May 2006 23:33 (nineteen years ago)

pharcyde is classic but i feel that everything to be said about them has already been said.

― oops (Oops), Tuesday, 30 May 2006 23:35 (nineteen years ago)

2nd album is under rated.

― PappaWheelie B.C., Wednesday, 31 May 2006 01:05 (nineteen years ago)

Yeah, but Plain Rap is truth in advertising at it's most disappointing.

― Keywords: revenge, knife, granddaughter, demonic-possession, rock-star, eel (Aus, Wednesday, 31 May 2006 02:00 (nineteen years ago)

Classic, if only for the "Bizarre Ryde". "Labcabincalifornia" is pretty good though.

― James Slone (Freon Trotsky), Wednesday, 31 May 2006 05:27 (nineteen years ago)

"Bizarre Ride" was my high school stoner album of choice. Everything else I listened to was death metal, stoner rock, and other noisy rock. That album was like a stoner party vacation.

― James Slone (Freon Trotsky), Wednesday, 31 May 2006 05:29 (nineteen years ago)

Pharcyde is like a better version of ATCQ-- one with funnier lyrics and better production.

i love Pharcyde, but i can't get behind this... 'better' production? clearer perhaps, but i love the murk of early ATCQ.

― i am not a nugget (stevie), Wednesday, 31 May 2006 09:32 (nineteen years ago)

The second album, though quite different than Bizarre Ride, is very good. After that, several members, most notably Fatlip, left the group, so it's almost another entity altogether.

― ramon fernandez (ramon fernandez), Wednesday, 31 May 2006 12:31 (nineteen years ago)

i love Pharcyde, but i can't get behind this... 'better' production? clearer perhaps, but i love the murk of early ATCQ.

Tribe's productions have always struck me as kind of so-so on the whole. I like the vibe they're going for, but most of the beats have never felt very memorable to me.

― punis (punis), Wednesday, 31 May 2006 16:17 (nineteen years ago)

two years pass...

This thread needs some major work.

Bizarre Ride was great due to the playfulness/age of the group and the focus of J-Swift as a producer.

Similar can be found with Da Wascals album, as also produced by J Swift before his crack addiciton:

The Wascals - The Dips

The Wascals - Hard Rhymes

The Wascals - Class Clown

Labcabin was the first time J Dilla came to full prominence, and the group (with LA Jay) were equally on point.

For all the shooting fish in a barrel that was dismissing 90210 Brian Green, his 1996 album was basically another chapter in this with Slim Kid 3 and LA Jay all over it (despite the weakest song being the lead single).

― Thugocrat (PappaWheelie V), Wednesday, 12 November 2008 22:03 (seventeen years ago)

Anyone seen the reformed full group live? They’re playing a festival here next year and I’m wondering about spunking the $120 on it.

― the dick man from the hilarious 'Tom Of Finland' comics (sic), Wednesday, 12 November 2008 23:45 (seventeen years ago)

I'd be curious. But not THAT curious.

― Thugocrat (PappaWheelie V), Thursday, 13 November 2008 01:41 (seventeen years ago)

still luv bizarre ride II

― am0n, Thursday, 13 November 2008 02:24 (seventeen years ago)

three months pass...

Anyone seen the reformed full group live?

Really, really great. Super-fun, all four totally engaged, everyone performing to be entertaining visually, no wastes of time with endless shout-outs to SYDNEEEEEEEEEY! or call-and-response, no wastes of space with four dudes standing at the back drinking water and towelling their own faces. Pretty much all the hits except Soul Flower, Bootie Brown did Dirty Harry, Fatlip did a cover of My Prerogative with the others throwing synchronised boy-band dance moves, they came back to do What’s Up Fatlip for the encore.

― I Was A Taoist Intellectual (sic), Monday, 16 February 2009 23:18 (seventeen years ago)

Odd couple in the crowd: Har Mar and Justin L0ng.

― I Was A Taoist Intellectual (sic), Monday, 16 February 2009 23:19 (seventeen years ago)

The idea of the group doing What's Up Fatlip kinda makes my day.

― awesome was amazing (PappaWheelie V), Monday, 16 February 2009 23:27 (seventeen years ago)

When I saw (half of) the Pharcyde circa 2005, they were immensely boring

― I would much rather listen to hard bop jazz and stfu (The Reverend), Tuesday, 17 February 2009 02:22 (seventeen years ago)

reformed full group

― I Was A Taoist Intellectual (sic), Tuesday, 17 February 2009 03:14 (seventeen years ago)

I saw the full group in the August 1995 in Atlanta headlining for a lineup billed as "The Soul Explosion" that included

Ben Harper
Brooklyn Funk Essentials
Omar Lye-Fook
Michael Franti and Spearhead
The Roots

Pharcyde debuted some of their Labcabin material that day and SMOKED nearly everyone off the stage (The Roots were on their game that day, and I'm a big Omar fan, but still...).

Also learned about D'angelo and (oddly) Insane Clown Posse that day thanks to heavy promo on the grounds.

That was a great era for live music in Atlanta thanks to:
www.myspace.com/rudyliciousness

― I don't even understand what your screen name means... (PappaWheelie V), Tuesday, 17 February 2009 03:32 (seventeen years ago)

three years pass...

i dunno if this was posted here yet

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CBsxCUhNu0

― billstevejim, Thursday, 4 October 2012 19:11 (thirteen years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXoC7s_AtUk&feature=related

― A True White Kid that can Jump (Granny Dainger), Saturday, 6 October 2012 00:06 (thirteen years ago)

labcabin is the shit, can't understand why it gets dissed so frequently

― KitevsPill, Saturday, 6 October 2012 01:53 (thirteen years ago)

I prefer it to their first.

― Spottie_Ottie_Dope, Saturday, 6 October 2012 03:14 (thirteen years ago)

one year passes...

Goddamn Bizarre Ride is so fucking fun.

― the other song about butts in the top 5 (forksclovetofu), Tuesday, 9 September 2014 15:19 (eleven years ago)

perhaps it's obvious but the influence on OFWGTKTA-gen rappers is evident, in subject matter and rap style if not beats

― the other song about butts in the top 5 (forksclovetofu), Tuesday, 9 September 2014 15:22 (eleven years ago)

five months pass...

This is fucking lame:

http://www.laweekly.com/music/pharcyde-producer-j-swift-facing-deportation-to-spain-5403265

― polyphonic, Wednesday, 25 February 2015 19:20 (eleven years ago)

man that's depressing

― Οὖτις, Wednesday, 25 February 2015 20:45 (eleven years ago)

damn :(

― raih dednelb (The Reverend), Wednesday, 25 February 2015 20:49 (eleven years ago)

That first Pharcyde album was awesome at the time and what a truly dispiriting story :(

― psychedelic shit and white honky monody (xelab), Wednesday, 25 February 2015 21:02 (eleven years ago)

ugh

― the plight of y0landa (forksclovetofu), Wednesday, 25 February 2015 21:11 (eleven years ago)

Michael Ross the genie

― oochie wally (clean version) (sic), Wednesday, 25 February 2015 21:19 (eleven years ago)

"at the time"?

still awesome imo

― the late great, Wednesday, 25 February 2015 21:21 (eleven years ago)

I know, I just meant haven't listened to it for years

― psychedelic shit and white honky monody (xelab), Wednesday, 25 February 2015 21:45 (eleven years ago)

you should listen to the first two again, they're great!

― the late great, Wednesday, 25 February 2015 22:07 (eleven years ago)

the 2nd one has a couple songs that have stuck w me over the years, but man was I disappointed in that when it came out

― Οὖτις, Wednesday, 25 February 2015 22:08 (eleven years ago)

I was as well tbh, I was really disappointed with it at the time.

― psychedelic shit and white honky monody (xelab), Wednesday, 25 February 2015 22:21 (eleven years ago)

the singles were good but the rest, oy

― Οὖτις, Wednesday, 25 February 2015 22:23 (eleven years ago)

yeah, bizarre ride is flawless, labcabin has moments

― describing a scene in which the Hulk gets a boner (contenderizer), Wednesday, 25 February 2015 22:25 (eleven years ago)

Labcabin is so underrated imo

― X-101, Thursday, 26 February 2015 13:27 (eleven years ago)

^^^

― the late great, Thursday, 26 February 2015 17:16 (eleven years ago)

think i like it more yeah

― Steph def def (Spottie), Thursday, 26 February 2015 17:18 (eleven years ago)

i broke up with a girl mostly because she said Black Sunday was a better album than Bizarre Ride when it came out.

― (•̪●) (carne asada), Thursday, 26 February 2015 17:22 (eleven years ago)

warranted

― Steph def def (Spottie), Thursday, 26 February 2015 17:24 (eleven years ago)

i think labcabin was a bit of a let down after hearing Drop. It was so out there and different sounding to us as the time and the album didn't have that immediate sound.

― (•̪●) (carne asada), Thursday, 26 February 2015 17:29 (eleven years ago)

four years pass...

http://www.moveforwardmusic.com/events/event/fatlip-slimkid3-performing-bizarre-ride-ii/

― Fuck the NRA (ulysses), Thursday, 3 October 2019 18:42 (six years ago)

oh shit imna try and go to that

― (•̪●) (carne asada), Thursday, 3 October 2019 18:46 (six years ago)

say what's up to fatlip for me (and he say coolin')

― Fuck the NRA (ulysses), Thursday, 3 October 2019 20:01 (six years ago)

I hope his mother (with a penchant for drinking whisky out a bizoot) and with a wooden legs and real feet and a glass eye with a fish in it, is keeping well!

― calzino, Thursday, 3 October 2019 20:16 (six years ago)

two years pass...

30th ann'y tour of Bizarre Ride is happening ... apparently under the name "The Far Side (formerly of The Pharcyde)"

Anyone know who owns the real name / why they can't use it, etc.?

― alpine static, Tuesday, 8 February 2022 22:42 (four years ago)

one year passes...

no big news, just upping to remind everyone of tre hardson's wonderful 2002 album liberation recently showed up on streaming (at last!). you hafta search slimkid3. it's really good, very neo soul, and captures that early 2000s boho moment perfectly. the goat kim hill features on a few tracks. recommended.

― she fell asleep with her hand around my throat (Austin), Monday, 4 December 2023 20:44 (two years ago)

...and i mean, i know it's just some rappity-rap bullshit, but fat jack's beat here is godlike and the chemistry between him and chali 2na just feels right.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAQDhgS9vgQ

tre hardson/slimkid3 feat chali 2na — "follow, i'll lead" (2002)
prod by fat jack

probably in my top picks of the 2000s, tbh.

― she fell asleep with her hand around my throat (Austin), Monday, 4 December 2023 21:36 (two years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.