Pharcyde came together in the late 1980s as a group of dancers, and recorded a demo in 1991 that featured the tracks “Passin’ Me By” and “Ya Mama”. They drafted in artist management who had previously worked with Cypress Hill and House of Pain. Fortunately the demo landed in the hands of Mike Ross from Delicious Vinyl, who signed the group to his label in 1991.
The group recorded their debut album “Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde” and released it on November 24th 1992; the album earned Gold certification by the RIAA in 1996 in addition to having already earned plenty of critical acclaim. Their single, “Passin’ Me By” peaked at number 52 on the Billboard Hot 100, and the song made it to the soundtrack of the movie, Big Daddy. Following the release, of the album, the band managed to make the line up of the Lollapalooza festival in 1994. It was around this time that the band also earned the “Album of the Year” title from Time Magazine.
With one hit record already under their belts, it was time for the release of another one. This time it was “Labcabincalifornia”, which was released on November 14th 1995. They had a video directed by film producer and director, Spike Jonze for the song “Drop” which made it to number 5 on the Hot Rap Singles Chart, whilst the album made it to number 37 on the Billboard 200.
On November 7th 2000, the band released their third full-length studio album entitled “Plain Rap” which unfortunately didn’t chart as high as the previous two albums, but the single “Trust” did make it to number 15 in the US Rap Charts.
Atmosphere is my most favorite band out there right now. It is a musical trio, with slug on the mic with ANT, and Mr. Dibbs. The rap music that these three create is incredible and hits very close to home.
The lyrics are always about "the struggle" and how to keep your head up high in a time when its not so easy to do so. Atmosphere has gained such a large following in the underground scene.
When asked to join major music labels Atmosphere has refused in order to avoid selling out and making their fans mad. Atmosphere is about the music and sending positive vibes rather than the money and the corruption it brings.
When on the mic, Slug kicks it out of the park. He is never off beat or forgetful of his lyrics. You can literally hear the joy and passion in his voice when he raps, which is usually something rare with rappers now a days.
Overall, Atmosphere is the most genuine artist out there. They have and always will be about the music which is what drives this trio to victory. Do not miss these guys live! They are the best thing that has happened to music!
This one’s a little bit complicated, so you might have to bear with me; there are effectively two different iterations of The Pharcyde currently touring and playing shows. The first, under the original name, is comprised of Imani and Bootie Brown, and they sporadically play gigs, including a handful of European festivals this summer. The other version of The Pharcyde - and the one I’ll focus on here - involves the other two original members, Fatlip and Slimkid3, who played the group’s seminal Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde record in its entirety at The Roxy in Los Angeles two years ago, and found it to be such a success that they’ve since taken the show on the road. Flanked by the record’s producers, J-Swift and L.A. Jay, and performing in front of a modest video screen, the pair deliver an affectionate tribute to the album that saw them break through into the mainstream, with plentiful crowd interaction and thrillingly energetic renditions of the likes of ‘Oh Shit’ and ‘Passin’ Me By’. Granted, this isn’t officially The Pharcyde, and perhaps it’s a tad disingenuous to label the shows as such, but I can’t imagine there’s been too much in the way of post-show demands for refunds; Fatlip and Slimkid3 are well-versed in the art of showing the crowd a good time, and that’s ultimately all that matters.
Had a great time. Perfect venue, small and intimate. Abilities crushed it. Amazing!! Cas one was best rapper. Stole the stage from b. Dolan. Sage francis was epic too! Would love to see them again. ❤❤❤❤