When I was reading up on classic rap group Pharcyde for this post, I noticed that wikipedia has noted The Chemical Brothers as a ‘related act’. Instead of starting here with what Pharcyde are, I suppose I will start with what they are not– an electronic duo. They do not have an insane light show. They do not use 8,000 synths when they play live.
But then I realized something – it’s not the acts themselves that are similar. Just as the Chemical Brothers were pioneers in electronic music, Pharcyde was one of the fathers of hip-hop. They created new sounds that became anthems for their generation. Block Rockin’ Beats:Electronic, Passin’ Me By:Hip-Hop. Hailing from South Central Los Angeles, the lyrics these guys (imani, slimkid3, bootie brown, fatlip) put out remains some of the realest shit I’ve heard – they rap about what they know in a creative way, no bullshit, no pretending to be hard for the more ‘gangster’ listeners, just real talk about life (see Back in the Days).
Anyways, these guys are legends, and they’re still around and have a dope website. Enjoy!
