ARTISTThe Pharcyde

The Pharcyde is an alternative rap quartet from South Central Los Angeles, formed by MCs and producers Tre “Slimkid” Hardson, Derrick “Fatlip” Stewart, Imani Wilcox, and Romye “Booty Brown” Robinson. Hardson, Wilcox, and Robinson were dancers and choreographers who met on Los Angeles’s underground club circuit in the late 1980s. They worked together and spent a period as dancers on In Living Color. Stewart performed at local clubs and joined the others in 1990. Guided by Reggie Andrews, a local high-school music teacher, the group learned about the music industry and the process of recording an album.

The Pharcyde signed with Delicious Vinyl in 1991 and released its debut album, Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde, the following year; it went gold. After opening for De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest and appearing on Lollapalooza’s second stage in 1994, the group released Labcabincalifornia. The second album was calmer than the debut, while retaining its eccentric character. Following a five-year break, during which Stewart began releasing music as a solo rapper and his single “What’s Up Fatlip” became an underground hit, The Pharcyde returned in late 2000 with Plain Rap. The group fractured further over the next three years, and Humboldt Beginnings was released in 2004 with only Imani Wilcox and Bootie Brown remaining in the group.