The Pharcyde

Dancers first

Three of the Pharcyde, Imani (Emandu Wilcox), Slimkid3 (Trevant Hardson) and Bootie Brown (Romye Robinson), met as high school dancers in South Central Los Angeles around 1989. As the dance group 242 they appeared in videos for Michael Jackson and Tone Loc. With Fatlip (Derrick Stewart) they turned to rapping, encouraged by local music teacher Reggie Andrews, and met producer J-Swift at SCU, the South Central Unit program. By 1991 they were the Pharcyde, signed to Delicious Vinyl.

Bizarre Ride

Their debut, Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde (1992), was the opposite of the gangsta rap dominating LA at the time: jazzy, goofy, self-deprecating and full of four-way banter. J-Swift produced most of it from records by Quincy Jones, Donald Byrd, Roy Ayers and the Meters. “Passin' Me By” went to No. 1 on the Hot Rap Singles chart and No. 52 on the Hot 100, and the album went gold in 1996. Rolling Stone later put it on its 500 greatest albums list, and Kanye West has called it his favorite album.

Labcabincalifornia and J Dilla

For Labcabincalifornia (1995) the group turned to a young Detroit producer then known as Jay Dee. His beats for “Runnin'” (No. 55 on the Hot 100) and “Drop” helped introduce J Dilla to the world. Spike Jonze directed the “Drop” video: shot in reverse, with the group learning to perform their lyrics backwards so everything plays forward except them. It's still ranked among the best rap videos ever made.

After

Fatlip left in 1997 and later made his own Spike Jonze video, “What's Up Fatlip?” The remaining members released Plain Rap (2000), and Imani and Bootie Brown carried on as a duo for Humboldt Beginnings (2004). All four reunited on stage at Rock the Bells in 2008, and Fatlip and Slimkid3 have since recorded together again, including the 2025 EP Timeless.