The Pharcyde celebrates 30 years of ‘Labcabincalifornia’ with extended release

November 1995 marked an integral turning point in hip hop history. The 90s were well underway and it was the golden age of hip hop: Dre, Snoop, and Ice Cube were among those holding down west coast G-funk, while east coast boom bappers Nas, Mobb Deep and Wu-Tang Clan wove intricate lyricism between gangster ways. Then, there were the jazzy flows of A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, and Souls of Mischief. The Fugees were around (not quite snagging GRAMMYs yet) and The Fresh Prince was singing about “Summertime” between episodes.

Among those was Imani, Slimkid3, Bootie Brown, and Fatlip — collectively known as The Pharcyde. Starting as a dance group in 1989, these soon-to-be hip hop legends dropped their first demo in 1991, including one of their biggest bangers of all time, “Passin’ Me By”. With the release of their first full-length Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde in November of 1992, the public began to take notice (because, let’s face it, that album still is absolutely incredible).

It actually went on to hit certified gold in ’96. But that’s skipping ahead…

You see, greatness speaks for itself. Joining up with critically-acclaimed producer J Dilla (aka, Jay Dee), The Pharcyde doubled down on said greatness with the release of their second album, Labcabincalifornia. It was a bit darker from the first; instead of playful banter over beats, there was “you gotta get up outta that bullshit” right off the bat. Perhaps being a bit too direct and different, the album was swept under the rug by critics at the time. But, like all genius works, the people ahead of their class quickly came saw Labcabincalifornia as a dark horse, an instant cult classic.

Now 30 years later, this album remains unmatched as one of the best in hip hop history. It defines an era perfectly — and only getting better with age. It’s hip hop in its purest form, before mainstream motivations and capitalist corporations came in.

Before the motive to make it rich was the motive to make good music.

Those were the days… not to say that The Pharcyde didn’t want to get paid, though. “Runnin'” made its way into the movie 8 Mile shortly after release; a movie about having “one shot” to get out of the hood gave a group from South Central a big break — and a paycheck. Beautiful how this world works, sometimes…

Labcabincalifornia deserves appreciation on do many levels, which is why the extended re-release of this iconic album after three decades is next-level notable. Featuring six instrumental versions and a previously unreleased remix of “Runnin'” by Glen Nicholls, the 30th Anniversary edition spans 29 tracks across two discs — that is, if you remember what CDs are. If you’re not a physical format kind of cat, the expanded Labcabincalifornia is out now for streaming on all digital outlets, with each track meticulously remastered for your listening pleasure. For more information or to grab your copy of the 30th anniversary CD set today, make sure to visit the links below.

Track listing:

1. Bullshit
2. Pharcyde
3. Groupie Therapy
4. Runnin’
5. She Said
6. Splattitorium
7. Somethin’ That Means Somethin’
8. All Alive
9. Drop
10. Hey You
11. Y?
12. It’s All Good!
13. Moment In Time
14. The Hustle
15. Little D
16. Devil Music
17. The E.N.D.
18. Emerald Butterfly
19. Just Don’t Matter
20. Heart & Soul
21. My Soul
22. Pandemonium
23. Bullshit (Instrumental)
24. Runnin’ (Instrumental)
25. Somethin’ That Means Somethin’ (Instrumental)
26. She Said (Instrumental)
27. Drop (Instrumental)
28. Y? (Jay Dee Remix – Instrumental)
29. Runnin’ (Glen Nicholls Remix)

Stream ‘Labcabincalifornia’ 30th anniversary album:

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Disclaimer: All views presented in this album review are those of the reviewer and not necessarily those of Top Shelf Music.