Rap group releases greatest hits album

L.A. band's new album leaves listener unhappy

By Nathan Cross
Staff Writer

It is an odd maneuver for a band to put out a greatest hits album after only two albums but Los Angeles' The Pharcyde haven't always been the most normal band.

Formed in the early 90's in south central Los Angeles, the Pharcyde is Tre "Slim Kid" Hardson, Royme "Booty Brown" Robinson, Derrick "Fat Lip" Stewart and Imani Wilcox. Three fourths of the Pharcyde (Hardson, Wilcox and Robinson) met in the late '80s, not as aspiring rappers, but as dancers. The three performed at local clubs and even appeared on Fox's "Living Color." They met up with the last member of the band, Stewart, at the apartment of a music teacher and The Pharcyde was formed.

The Pharcyde was drastically different from a lot of the other rap that was coming out of south central Los Angeles in the early '90s. They flowed with a more unconventional, laid back and playful style that was a far reach from the dominate dark and morbid gangsta rap that was coming from other south central bands who were making their name in music like NWA.

The Pharcyde sounds similar to bands like Arrested Development and De La Soul. Their music lacks pop tinged hooks and hard-core themes and usually proceeds with slowed down back beats with lyrical overlays that remind you of a bunch of friends hanging out trying to make up lyrics and rap off the top of their head.

The Pharcyde's greatest hits titled "Clydeways: The Best of the Pharcyde" combines songs from the "Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde" and "Labcabincalifornia," the group's first and second albums, plus the previously unreleased jam "Panty Raid."

"Clydeways" is good until you listen to about five songs into the album. By that point you may start thinking to yourself, "Didn't I just hear this song?"

Musically, there is little to no variation on the songs. It's as if The Pharcyde couldn't push their creative limits. They borrow from the same few overdone rap tricks (gaunt guitar work, turntable scratches, horn loops and steady beat) on just about every song. They did the musical equivalent of following the directions of a shampoo bottle: wet, lather, rinse, repeat. It's just the same over and over.

Lyrically the album is mediocre. "Ya Mama" is a collection of "your mama" jokes where each band member takes their turn at the microphone attempting to better the last rapper with a funnier line. The song is not very funny upon first listen and just gets less and less humorous and more and more tiresome every time it is played.

"Quiton's On The Way" finds The Pharcyde happily rapping about their marijuana supplier coming soon. "Pack the Pipe", strategically placed right after "Quiton's On The Way," has the group whining "Where's my bong?" and even has The Pharcyde rapping about "passing the pipe" to a young child.

The third track sums up the feeling after having wasted almost an hour listening to "Clydeways."

The main problem with "Clydeways" is The Pharcyde's greatest hits album only contains work from two different albums, both of which are very uncreative. Rhino Records took the best tracks off of two albums and find themselves with nothing more than the same cut and paste tracks fifteen times. It's simple math: combining two bads won't ever make a good.

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