The Pharcyde

The Pharcyde

The Pharcyde are an alternative hip-hop group from South Central Los Angeles, formed in 1989 and active since then. The group is made up of John Barnes III, Mr. Choc, Fatlip, Imani, SLIMKID3 and Bootie Brown, and is also known for its original four-member core of Imani, Slimkid3, Bootie Brown and Fatlip. Their name is pronounced “Far Side”.

Origins and early lineup

Imani, Slimkid3 and Bootie Brown first meet as dancers in the late 1980s, and dancing remains their main ambition into 1990. Imani and Slimkid3 are also part of groups called As Is and the Play Brothers, while Bootie Brown works as a backup dancer for Fatlip before Fatlip becomes the last member to join the group. Bootie Brown later says that their dance background shapes the way they rap.

The group also meets Reggie Andrews, a local high-school music teacher who has worked with the Dazz Band and Rick James, and he becomes an important influence on their debut album. Around the same period they meet producer J-Swift, who is described as Reggie Andrews’s star pupil.

Recordings and key releases

The Pharcyde are best known for the singles “Drop”, “Passin’ Me By” and “Runnin’”, and for their first album, Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde. DJ Mark Luv is the group’s first DJ, followed by producer J-Swift and then J Dilla. Their last album to date is Humboldt Beginnings.

A compilation, Sold My Soul: The Remix & Rarity Collection, appears in 2005 and collects remixes and rare tracks. To mark the twentieth anniversary of Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde, Fatlip and SlimKid3 perform the album in full with J-Swift, L.A. Jay and Delicious Vinyl at a tribute show at The Roxy Theatre in Los Angeles. That performance develops into the touring show Bizarre Ride Live, and with MC K-Natural the group also works on original material under the name The Bizarre Ride. In 2012 they release “Still Got Love (Bizarre Tribe Megamix)”, produced by Amerigo Gazaway. A twentieth-anniversary tour also follows for Labcabincalifornia, with dates in Europe and Japan, and the group continues touring Europe through 2017.

Solo work and related projects

Beyond the group’s main catalogue, members continue with solo and collaborative projects. Fatlip releases his solo debut The Loneliest Punk in 2005. Tre Hardson’s second full-length solo album, SLIMKID3's Cafe, appears in 2006. Slimkid3 also releases a collaborative EP with DJ Nu-Mark on Delicious Vinyl in 2014.