Hip Hop music has shifted shapes and changed directions numerous times throughout the decades. A personal opinion as to which is the best era of the genre, many would argue that the golden age of Hip Hop lies somewhere between the latter part of the 1980s, leading into the 1990s. Again, a matter of one’s tastes, it is hard to deny the impact of many unique Hip Hop groups that rose to prominence in the 1990s such as Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Digable Planets, and the one and only Pharcyde.
Out of Los Angeles, California, The Pharcyde were among a special mix of artists who represented a different brand of Hip Hop that incorporated elements of Jazz and eclectic lyrical content. A style that garnered them attention among fans with the release of Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde in 1992, in the years to follow it has been crowned by many as an all-time classic Hip Hop album. Accolades well-deserved, most who know of The Pharcyde are also aware the stellar tunes do not end there; because in 1994 Labcabincalifornia was equally as compelling, before they continued to dish out other quality material in the decades to follow.
A non-linear line forward, filled with ups and downs, all these years later The Pharcyde sustain themselves as a beloved act who not only put on stellar live shows, but could also possibly be dropping some new tunes sooner than later. Feeding off the energy of one another and those around them, founding member Imani recently took some time to chat about the years gone by with The Pharcyde, plans for some extensive touring in 2024 (including an appearance at 2024’s Pure Imagination Music Festival in Arizona), plus a whole lot more.
Cryptic Rock – The Pharcyde have a pretty rich history going back over three decades now and they have definitely left a mark on Hip Hop through the years. Before we dive into anything further, how would you describe the journey of The Pharcyde over the past three plus decades?
Imani – It’s been a bizarre ride. Honestly, the onset of the first record says it all. We kind of knew what we were getting ourselves into to a certain extent. We knew it was going to be up and down, topsy-turvy. When we came into the game, Puff Daddy was doing parties and shit at Howard University. Now this nigga’s on the run. You just never know how things are going to turn out. Man, this shit is crazy. This is a crazy business. It’s weird. It’s crazy. It’s exciting, but it’s dangerous. It’s all that. We’re here. That’s what we’ve been into. There’s been some changes. There’s been some makeups. There’s been some breakups. We’re still going. It’s a bizarre ride, man, to put it plain.
Cryptic Rock – Most certainly. Through all the changes and, like you said, the makeups and breakups, The Pharcyde has withstood it all. You are one of the last Hip Hop groups out there; because it seems like there are a lot of solo artists nowadays.
Imani – It goes through waves and changes. Sometimes the big thing was the solo artist. Then it was the duos. Then it was the groups. Then it was the conglomerates. Then it was the posies. Right now, you got the Drake, you got the Kendricks, you got the J Coles. Then they have their squad and the people that they support and so forth and so on. It just depends on who’s putting out records at the time, I guess. Run the Jewels had a nice run and that’s a duo.
Cryptic Rock – True. Everything changes, like you said. When you look back at the first two Pharcyde records, Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde arrived in late ’92. When that album started to pick up traction with people, that was really something different. What was that like for you guys?
Imani – I mean, we had A Tribe Called Quest. We had Ultramagnetic MCs. We had Brand Nubian. We had De La Soul. We had Del the Funky Homosapien. It just wasn’t a lot of people in the room, but there was a room. There were people in the room, and we walked into a room. You feel me? It wasn’t like we just created something out of thin air. We came, and right on the heels of us we had Common and Souls of Mischief. Das EFX was right before us too. Redman. It was building. It just was new. There’s a lot of people that were doing it, and everybody was trying to figure out, “What room am I going in?” That was the room that we ended up in.
Cryptic Rock – Right. There definitely was a small room, like you were saying, but you are being modest. Those first two records really were very impactful for many Hip Hop fans.
Imani – I’m not saying they weren’t impactful. What I’m saying is it was a lot of people, it was bubbling. It wasn’t just us. It was a lot of people that was going on. We’re just some of the people that are still remaining from that time. But at that time, man, it was so many artists and so many groups and so many acts trying to just get on, and get put on, or just got put on and trying to figure it out. The whole landscape of Hip-Hop was still being built. It’s great to have hindsight because you can look back. At the time, it doesn’t look the same.
Cryptic Rock – Understood. In hindsight, everything looks different.
Imani – Yeah. Everything is great in hindsight. You can cut out and edit all the bullshit, all the bad shit, all the wack shit, all the hard times, all the tears and the pain. You can just focus on the good stuff; how everybody loves you, how everything went great, and everything went well and was right. But I was there. Those questions are kind of hard because it’s not what it looks like. We weren’t always the great Pharcyde who everybody loves who have these seminal records that change the landscape of what’s going on. That wasn’t happening at the time.
Back in the day and being there with Pac, you didn’t realize exactly the extent of Tupac… because he wasn’t Tupac yet; because he didn’t die and the impact didn’t happen yet. When you’re looking at it from a different perspective, after the dust is settled in hindsight and 30 years later, you can see how all the things connect, all the stories connect, and how it makes sense.
It’s like, “Yeah, of course.” Nobody knew who Dilla was. Dilla wasn’t Dilla. He wasn’t even Dilla at the time. He was JD. So, when people ask, “How was it working with JD?,” I don’t know. He wasn’t Dilla. He was just some dude that was trying to get put on at the time that was working with The Pharcyde. You feel me? It’s great to have hindsight sometimes, I guess, because then the story makes more sense.
Cryptic Rock – Well, isn’t that the way with any art, though? Usually, art is only appreciated until after the person passes on or decades later.
Imani – That’s why artists don’t usually talk about art. They just make it, and they let everybody else talk about it.
Cryptic Rock – That is true.
Imani – You can never see it at the time; because it takes other people’s energy to make it what it’s going to be. You may see something and feel something, but if the people don’t agree with you, then what happens? An artist who thinks, “Yeah, this is the dopest shit ever, and everybody’s going to love it.” Then the people be like, “Nah, I think different.”
Cryptic Rock – Right. It is hard to predict or read those things. Now, through everything, you have done your share of touring with The Pharcyde. In fact, you are scheduled for more touring throughout 2024. You will also be a part of a festival in Arizona called Pure Imagination Fest; coming up May 17th into the 18th. Do you see a broad age range of people interested in The Pharcyde at this point in the game coming out to the shows?
Imani – Oh, hell yeah. That’s the greatest shit, because you got parents bringing their kids to the shows. Literally, a quote from a fan, “You guys fucked my head up. I want y’all to fuck my kids’ heads up just like you fucked my head up.” That’s a quote from a fan. So, hell yeah, that shit is crazy.
Cryptic Rock – That is great how the music has transcended generations. The Pharcyde also released a new track in 2022, right?
Imani – It’s so crazy because we released different music at different times. Somehow, that thing is the one that people talk about. It’s a sham. It’s a farce-side. It’s not anything that’s really created by us.
What happened was Fatlip was working with this producer online, and basically, he reached out to each one of us and gave a sob story about, “Do it for Hip Hop. I want to do something.” He got Trey to do something; because Trey’s open. Fatlip was already working with him. I was trying to bridge a gap between the brothers; because it had been so far away.
Anything that was coming across my timeline that was like, “Yo, you want to work with Fatlip? Do you want to work with Trey?” I was open to it. They told me that it was a part of Fatlip’s situation. I got involved.
I don’t know how the fuck they got Booty Brown; because Booty Brown don’t even fuck with us. Somehow, he put a verse on it, and we were just as shocked as the rest of the world. I guess that’s why people talk about it, because Booty Brown is on it, but we was just as shocked as y’all was. I literally called the dude and asked, “How the fuck did you get Booty Brown?” He don’t answer our phone calls. It was very interesting.
None of us like the song. We don’t do the song. We don’t perform the song. We’re not happy about the song. It is what it is. We’re not like, “Fuck that song,” but it’s just like, “Man, they pulled a fast one.” They have connections somehow, so now people are talking about it. It’s just so funny what people decide to attach themselves to.
Cryptic Rock – Well, hopefully we can clear that up a little bit for people as they read this. Are you working on any new music as The Pharcyde?
Imani – Yeah. We have a record coming out in conjunction on a label, 88rising. The guy’s name that owns the label is Sean Miyashiro, real cool guy. We were approached about doing some music with some of their artists. One conversation led to another conversation led to us doing a four-track EP. It’s going to come out this year. It’s in conjunction with NBA 2K. It’s going to be under the umbrella of NBA 2K. We don’t know exactly where it’s going to be placed or how they’re going to be placed in it.
It’s not an actual full-length album. It’s a collection of songs that we’ve been vibing. Before this, we were working in the studio. We’ve been working on music. It was a time that we have been away. We’ve been trying to synergize. We worked with a couple of different producers. I had a studio. Trey and Fatlip would come to my studio. Fatlip had a studio. Me and Trey would go to Fatlip’s studio. We would get a studio and just vibe out. We have a couple of projects out there. We’re working on the full-length now. We do have music that’s slated to come out in 2024, for sure.
Cryptic Rock – That is really exciting news. It has been a long time, as you said.
Imani – Yeah. We didn’t want to put out anything. It took a time, because we’ve been away for a minute. The landscape and things have changed due to the internet and just the youthfulness that’s been injected to what’s going on; people’s ideas of Hip Hop and the designs have changed.
We just wanted to figure out how we want to do it, what we want to do. We had been doing a lot of shows, and all the shows were going so crazy with the younger generations coming, older generations showing up to represent, people just selling out every venue it was at all over the place. People was like, “Okay, we’re interested in some music.” We’ve seen the vibe. We would take that energy into the studio, vibe out, and record shit.
It takes a lot of work. I might like a song, and Trey and Fatlip may not. Trey might like a song and me and Fatlip may be like, “Nah.” Fatlip may have an idea that we may not be into or we may be into. The dynamics have changed up. We’re older now, but we still Hip Hop like B-boys. This is what it is. How do you vision yourself into what’s going on right now? You don’t even trip off what’s going on right now.
You just kind of got to get into what you’re doing. That’s what we was doing. Then maybe the people can come in and be like, “Yeah, we into what they’re doing.” Not trying to catch up or keep up or be into what’s going on right now, because shit is just different. We’re not tripping off of that.
I’m into what’s going on now. I’m listening. I don’t really have favorites, but I’m into the sound. Every now and again, your ear will catch some shit that’s really like, “Okay, yeah.” The Hip Hop is going to always morph and change. It’s going to be some shit you hate, and it’s going to be some you love. That’s where I’m at with it right now. I have a lot of time to listen to music on the road. I really be listening to going back and studying some shit I missed. You feel me? Maybe there’s a record that I was like, “Man, I never got a chance to listen to that record from one of my artists. Talib has a lot of records. Common has a lot of records. The Roots have a lot of records. Hyro got a lot of records. Pharoahe Monch got a lot of records. Ras Kass got records. It’s Hella Fool that got records, and sometimes you can’t digest it all. So, you go back, right? Then it’s like, “Yeah, I miss that.”
Sometimes I even go back further and just have a whole LL Cool J day. All I’m doing is banging LL Cool J all day. Or a Big Daddy Kane day, where all I’m listening to is Big Daddy. I’m all over the place. I appreciate the past, the present, and the future. You feel me? That’s how I keep saying “Music calms a savage beast,” and I’m a savage most of the time.
Cryptic Rock – That is what is great about music, right? You can revisit it. You could also revisit something that perhaps you missed and it is still new to you, even though it may be a decade or more old.
Imani – Exactly. Yeah!
Cryptic Rock – That’s awesome. It is cool that you guys have some new music coming out in 2024 as well. People are going to really be excited about that. Now, this Pure Imagination Music Festival, we touched on it briefly, and it has a pretty eclectic lineup. You are playing with bands like The Flaming Lips and Tanya Tucker. It doesn’t get much more diverse than that.
Imani – Man, we’ve been doing shows for 30 years. When you say a diverse lineup, I’ve seen it all. I’ve been on tour with Kris Kross. I’ve been on tour with Korn. I’ve been on Lollapalooza. I’ve been on Smokin Grooves. I’ve been on Sno-Core. You name it. I play with everybody from A to Z, literally. I’m never shocked, and it’s never a big deal for me. I’ve been doing this. I’m a professional. I’ve mastered my craft, and I’m just trying to go out with a blast, have fun, and incorporate the new and the young and have a party every time like it’s the last time I step on stage.
Cryptic Rock – That’s a great way to look at it. That is what’s cool about music festivals… they are open. It’s not just one compartmentalized form of music.
Imani – Our next endeavor, we about to go on this tour with Souls of Mischief and Cypress Hill for most of the summertime. We got like 33 dates with them. That’s going to be a blast to party with our brothers. We’ve known them dudes forever.
Cryptic Rock – That should be a really great tour.
Imani – Yeah. After that, we’re going to jump over and go over to London and the UK. We got a couple of shows with The Roots and De La Soul.
Cryptic Rock – That’s another really good lineup as well!
Imani – Yeah, we just living our best life and just giving up the Hip Hop, showing the youngsters and the old people we still doing this until we’re done with it. It’s so much fun just to see how much the music means to people and how they’re just so locked in when we be out there. It makes it worth it.
Cryptic Rock – Absolutely. Performing live has to be pretty exhilarating too.
Imani – Yeah. It’s difficult to explain, because it’s a lot of moving parts. You feel me? At one point, before anybody knew who we were, it was one type of feeling when you got on the stage. Then when we were in the mix and we were ‘what’s happening’ it was another type of vibe. Now we’re on some Rolling Stone Hip Hop, old school, old men keeping up with the kids still doing our thing, and everybody knowing the music. It’s like not even our music anymore. It’s their music, and we’re experiencing it with them. It’s just a totally different experience now.
Cryptic Rock – Right. Different experiences at different points in your life.
Imani – Yeah. It’s amazing.
Cryptic Rock – Well, you have all this touring coming up, plus this festival in Arizona. Do you have any fond memories from shows in Arizona through the years?
Imani – I got a couple of memories. One of the first times I was in Arizona, somebody let off a stink bombs where you can’t even breathe, a pepper spray. Somebody pepper sprayed the club. I think I was on shrooms, and my lungs felt like I was sucking up needles and shit and pins in my lungs. It was like the worst shit ever. It was hella people there. It was sold out. Arizona always comes out and represent for The Pharcyde. Every time I go to Arizona, it’s popping.
Cryptic Rock – That is really cool. Not that particular experience, but that the fans come out to support you like that.
Imani – I remember y’all got glow-in-the-dark bugs and somebody was like tripping me out with some UV lights and some bugs and some shit out there.
Cryptic Rock – Those are pretty wild memories right there! That experience with the stink bomb… is it one of those memories that you put aside and try to only think about the good stuff in hindsight?
Imani – Ah, nah, nah. For me, it’s not hindsight. I was there for everything. It’s only hindsight for the people that can just see the cliff notes, the good parts, the sound bites, and the highlights.
Cryptic Rock – Right. It is like social media; people only show the best part of themselves on social media.
Imani – Exactly. You don’t show the part when you fell and busted your head, tripped down the mountainside, and fell off the bike.
No comment