The Pharcyde - Labcabincalifornia (1995)
Most folks remember the Pharcyde for smokin' a lot of dope and the classic hit "Passin' Me By." That track is definitely one of the best rap songs of the '90s. It came from their debut album Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde in 1992 which was, in fact, bizarre as well as witty and fun and goofy - kind of what you would expect from a bunch of tree smoking MCs with names like Bootie Brown and Fatlip. For their follow up they enlisted the now legendary Jay Dee (aka J Dilla) to handle most of the production and in my opinion, he helped take them to the next level. Labcabincalifornia didn't sell as well and the singles "Runnin'" and "Drop" never quite reached the same cross over status as "Passin' Me By" but this album is strong front to back. The then unknown Dilla provided some really dope beats and the backwards, Spike Jonez directed video for "Drop" is fantastic. That's not to mention the strength of their flow and their cohesion as a group. No, they're not the most technically proficient rhyme sayers out there but they're capable of telling some good stories. It's too bad that they smoked themselves into oblivion after this one "dropped."
Digable Planets - Blowout Comb (1994)
Here's another album that gets overshadowed by it's predecessor. The DPs are known for their debut Reachin (A New Refutation of Time and Space) and the massive hit "Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)." Again, that's a great album and deserves its praise, but Blowout Comb is probably one of my favorite rap albums of all time and I think it comes down to one word: jazz. It was self produced and loaded with jazzy samples and layered melodies. The keys on "Jettin'" stand out. The bass and rhythm on "Dial 7 (Axioms of Creamy Spies)" and "Blowing Down" and infectious. They managed to tie it all together so nicely and each track compliments their soft, smooth rhyme style perfectly. I, for one, was sad to see them split after this gem.
Gravediggaz - 6 Feet Deep (1994)
For each of the nine members of the Wu-Tang Clan there were probably twice as many side projects. Wu-Tang affiliated releases seemed to hit the shelves every other month throughout the '90s. Most of them were yawn worthy. Sorry, but Sunz of Man and Killarmy were just boring. Although the RZA is probably the household name in this group, producer Prince Paul is the man responsible for putting it all together. Paul (the Undertaker), best known for his work with De La Soul, managed to carve out some really dark and spooky tracks here and the three MCs laid down some spine tingling horror stories. The result is probably the only album from the short lived horrorcore fad worth listening to (no apologies to all you Insane Clown Posse crazies). The RZA (Rzarector), Fukwan (Gatekeeper) and Poetic (Grym Reaper) managed to sound equally psychotic and humorous. That's quite a feat considering the overriding subject is death. Poetic, who has since passed after a battle with colon cancer, really stands out here. He sounds certifiable but can ride a beat with the best of them. If you're into the Wu or you just like unique and creative rap music, this is a must.
Sweet dreams!
