The Pharcyde made a name for itself via the release of its seminal 1991 opus, “Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde,” an album that helped kick start the jazz-rap movement.
The quartet–whose members all hailed from South Central Los Angeles–influenced a generation of hip-hop hitmakers, including OutKast and the Fugees.
Those groups went on to platinum success, but the Pharcyde floundered in the years following its debut. Original members Tre Hardson and Derrick “Fatlip” Stewart left the fold, leaving Imani Wilcox and Romye Robinson to man the Pharcyde ship.
After years of record-company woes and half-baked albums, the pair issued a smoking new effort (“Humboldt Beginnings”) last summer and hit the road for the umpteenth time. Wilcox and Robinson recently chatted with RedEye.
It sounds like you had fun recording “Humboldt Beginnings.”
Robinson: Yeah. Before, we was still under the company so it was a little shaky with us putting something out, and we didn’t know if the company was gonna come after us. This is the first one where nobody’s gonna come after us, nobody’s gonna come into the studio and say you need to change this song or this hook.
Wilcox: I think that’s the vibe we was tryin’ to bring across, more of a laid-back relaxed vibe. Not so serious, not so depressing.
Tre was really popular with your fans. How did his departure affect the band?
Wilcox: Tre didn’t really want to be involved. When it was just me and [Robinson], it was a breath of fresh air. There was a lot of uncertainty with Tre. Now it’s more of a comfortable feeling and we’re able to freak our funk how we want to freak it.
Do you hear your influence in some of the newer hip-hop acts?
Wilcox: We’re just a link in the chain. You wouldn’t think we were influenced by N.W.A., but I was heavily influenced by N.W.A. Everybody bites, but you gotta put your own little twist on it.
What’s the secret to a good live performance?
Robinson: Some people worry about how not to scratch up their Nikes. You can’t be onstage thinking, “I can’t scuff my Air Force Ones.”
Wilcox: Some people just wanna see a dude not do much of nothin’ like Jay-Z–don’t move, don’t walk, just stand there in one position for the whole show and rip the mic up. On the other hand, you might want to see the Roots, where they’re just rippin’ it up–doing other people’s songs, hella energetic and all over the stage.
Do you feel like the Pharcyde achieved true success?
Wilcox: Yes. People might feel different, but we’re worldwide, crispy and clean. You can always have more, but you can always have less. We came from nothing.
Robinson: Hopefully 20 years from now, somebody who’s collecting records will look back and say, “Man, they wasn’t as big as the Jacksons, but the records they did was hot to death.”
Pharcyde
When: 9 p.m. Thursday
Where: Metro, 3730 N. Clark St.
Tickets: $21-$23.50
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Edited by Cara DiPasquale (cdipasquale@tribune.com) and alBerto Trevino (atrevino@tribune.com)
