New Hampshire's David Begun returns with another ill remix project. In his own words, "This latest mashup is a combination of two of the greatest hip-hop groups of the 90's, combining the instrumentals from The Pharcyde with the lyrics of A Tribe Called Quest. In an ode to the brilliant Bizarre Tribe album by Amerigo Gazaway, The PharTribe creates the reverse of what he did with that creation and utilizes the jazzy musical backgrounds created by J-Swift and LA Jay to provide the backdrop for Q-Tip and Phife (RIP) to lay down their back and forth poetry." Dig into it below...
Few acts are lucky enough to reach the iconic status of A Tribe Called Quest, and that's exactly what Phife was... an icon. Not only in music, but in pop culture in general. DJ Filthy Rich was gutted to learn of his passing back in 2016. His music meant a lot to him growing up, as it did to all of us, so he had to celebrate his 50th birthday today in his own way. This project is also pays homage to Pharcyde's classic 'Labcabincalifornia', which also turned 25 this past weekend. There are already a bunch of ATCQ-themed tribute mixes to Phife, so Filthy Rich opted to go a different route and use Phife's solo LP 'Ventilation'. According to Filthy Rich, "I felt that Phife's flow matched up well with the soulful bounce of Labcab's production, courtesy of J Dilla, The Pharcyde, Diamond D, The Beatminerz, and M-Walk. So I fused the 2 together, and the result is 'DollarCabOnLinden'." Happy 50th birthday to Malik Taylor aka Phife Dawg aka The Funky 5 Footer aka The Trini Gladiator aka Phife Diggy aka 5 Foot Assassin aka Funky Diabetic aka Mutty Ranks! This mix is also dedicated to our fallen brother, DJ Spinbad. Rest in Peace! Props to Toronto's DJ Filthy Rich, his mixes are dope!
This 25th Anniversary mixtape is mixed by NYC’s DJ Spinna and features “Nasty Habits”, an unreleased joint from the vault that features Ralph Tresvant and Bobby Brown. Imani & Bootie Brown also asked a group of producers to remix and add their own personal spin on a few of the Labcabincalifornia songs that you all know and love. DJ Mike Relm re-works a mash up of “Drop”, SBBX remixes “Groupie Therapy”, Moka Only drops his version of “Y” and The Pharcyde’s own Bootie Brown remixes “Runnin’.” DJ Spinna is a heavily touted presence in the international soulful house music scene. He is known for his vast accomplishments as a producer; is celebrated for his “Soul Slam” events and Stevie Wonder inspired WONDER-Full DJ performances and subsequent collaborations. The Pharcyde’s sophomore album “LabcabinCalifornia” was originally released on November 14th, 1995. The group enlisted a young and then unknown James Yancey aka J DILLA to produce beats, like the cult classic “Runnin.” Labcabincalifornia has consistently and continues to reinforce their steadfast refusal to tread familiar artistic grounds. Enjoy the anniversary mix below...
An extra promo piece from '95, revisit the Labcabincalifornia LP over HERE.
"On Nov 17th 2017, Craft Recordings releases a 25th Anniversary Edition one of the greatest and most celebrated Hip-Hop albums of all time, The Pharcyde’s 'Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde'. The album will be available as a Deluxe Extended Vinyl package (original album on 2LPs + 3 12” singles) and 2CD (original album, plus a full disc of bonus material) with audio remastered by Dave Cooley (J Dilla, Madvillain, Madlib) and will include non-album tracks, remixes, and rarities. New liner notes by leading music journalist and author Jeff Weiss (Passion of the Weiss, LA Weekly) round out the package. The original album with remastered audio will also be available on vinyl and cassette. In celebration of the release WhoSampled has teamed up with Craft Recordings to present this exclusive mixtape..."
People donate stuff every day, B. This is part 1 of a series called 'Goodwill Hunting,' where I'll share my flourishments from Goodwills and local thrift stores. As I said in an earlier post, these are good places to find old cassettes and vinyl, for cheap. For $2.67, I got a sticker copy of The Notorious B.I.G.'s 'Ready To Die,' The Pharcyde's 'Labcabincalifornia,' and the classic Prince & The Revolution, 'Purple Rain.' I could flip 'Ready To Die' for 10x that, I'm sure, but I don't LIKE to (re)sell music. Either way, I'd love to hear what other people discover in their Goodwill and thrift shops. Gems!
The Pharcyde is celebrating the 20th Anniversary of their iconic album Labcabincalifornia by releasing a commemorative mixtape. In a collaborative effort, the #BeamMeUpSpinna mixtape is mixed by NYC’s DJ Spinna and features “Nasty Habits”, an unreleased joint from the vault that features Ralph Tresvant & Bobby Brown. They also asked a group of producers to remix and add their own personal spin on a few of the Labcabincalifornia songs that you all know and love. The Pharcyde’s sophomore album “LabcabinCalifornia” was originally released on November 14th, 1995. The group enlisted a young and then unknown James Yancey aka J DILLA to produce beats, like the cult classic “Runnin.” They also collaborated with director Spike Jonze (“Being John Malkovich” and “Adaptation”) on the video for “Drop.” Labcabincalifornia was a solid LP that reinforced their steadfast refusal to tread familiar artistic grounds. Listen & enjoy the 20th anniversary mix below...
"Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde was a freestyle session inside a house party, a bubbling mix of ill beats and samples, blunted interludes and endless lyrical gymnastics. The debut introduced us to four sharp-tongued MCs who injected honesty and their own brand of freaky humor into topics not usually touched upon in hip-hop: rejection, fear, even masturbation and herpes. But enormous success and its pressures can be overwhelming, especially if you're more concerned about artistic development and maturity than fame and fortune. Labcabincalifornia is much darker than the Pharcyde's first LP, detailing the strains and stresses of stardom, and the group's struggle to stay true to themselves." Check out the J Dilla-proudced "Runnin," cont'd below... (video link updated)...
"The first three cuts introduce the theme of the album and reveal the group's new musical direction. "Bullshit" and "Pharcyde" are about people who look to others instead of doing for self. "Groupie Therapy" is the first of many joints about female trouble. The production is more straightforward than on Bizarre Ride, with the focus on big bass and drum kicks amongst subtle layers of keyboards and vocal samples. "Runnin'" may be the best example of their new sonic style, a truly beautiful hip-hop song where the distinct elastic flow of each MC weaves over a Spanish-flavored guitar loop and sax sample. But the track that resonates deepest here is "Devil Music." The chorus - "Every time I step to the microphone / I put my soul on two-inch reels that I don't even own" - is a wake up call for every single musician. The Pharcyde's Devil takes several forms: the greedy companies that suck artists' money, the powers that be who want to squash all individuality. But although they know they've sold their souls to him, the Pharcyde are in a constant struggle against this Devil. Labcabincalifornia reflects that effort to establish creative freedom and control. Some might still think of them as the jokers of Bizarre Ride. But they've transcended that image. So while the Devil continues to breathe down their necks, the Pharcyde have used honesty and intelligence to defeat him this time around." - The Source, 12/95. Revisit this classic album HERE.
"Post-Native Tongues hip-hop has spawned a host of groups that are less worried about posing and fronting like the hardest hard rock, slinging cane and shooting cops, than they are about innovating new styles, concepts and making hip-hop fun. The Pharcyde, a group of four young rappers from Los Angeles, combine the quirky, off-beat charm of a Daisy Ager and the sing-songy vocal tones of those down-to-earthlings who reminisced about Tennessee with an intense enthusiasm and energy akin to the Leaders (LONS). While parallels can be drawn between the Pharcyde and their East Coast brethren, don't confuse their similarities with unoriginal flava or lack of mic skills... This debut is packed with soulful pianos and organs that combine with head-nodding basslines that are as much fun as a day at Great Adventure. They exhibit fine mic control on tracks like "Oh Shit" and "I'm That Type" as the foursome kick seemingly bottomless run-on sentence type rhymes." Cont'd below...
"They flow lovely on "Ya Mama," a cut where they exchange "mama" jokes over a futuristic beat. The joint is comedy! On "Other Fish," Tre flips the script over some breezy, calypso-tinged beats as he rhymes about a honey dip who's kicking it to another brother who's living fatter: "I won't play second fiddle / To no man and stand firm on this ... No I won't dis / I'm just on to other fish..." The Pharcyde will inevitably face acceptance problems as their left-handed, yet inventive concepts might be too esoteric for some b-boys. Nasal vocals over tracks that contain much live instrumentation and sparse amounts of scratching may force some to ponder their role in the world of hardcore hip-hop. Sincerity and enthusiasm for the art form hopefully won't be mistaken for happy-rap crap. The question many will have to answer for themselves is whether a trip to the Pharcyde is a step backwards or a leap into the future? Most will just enjoy the bizarre ride." - The Source, 1992.
The Stussy x Delicious Vinyl Collection celebrated their 25th Anniversary of the LA-based record label in 2012. The minor label started in the late 80s and became a major figure in the evolution of hip-hop through the early 90s with acts such as The Pharcyde, Masta Ace, Tone Loc, The Whoridas, Young MC and Brand New Heavies. They continue to maintain working relationships with these early artists and also support the next generation of musical talent including Dom Kennedy and Casey Veggies. A couple years later, let's still enjoy this fresh mix by the legendary Pete Rock below...
