Pharcyde’s 1992 debut album Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde catapulted the group into stardom, thanks to the hit single “Passin’ Me By”, an ode to unrequited love. But by the mid-1990s, it had become clear that fame wasn’t all it was cracked up to be: Tensions had begun to rise among the band members, and The Pharcyde had parted ways with their producer (and musical mentor) J-Swift, who’d shaped much of the sound of Bizarre Ride. To make things even more complicated, the group’s record label was hoping album No. 2 would be a commercial hit. Somehow, despite all this adversity, The Pharcyde emerged with 1995’s Labcabincalifornia, the album that proved the group members were as funny, poignant and profound as ever—even if they’d become a lot more cynical. In the absence of J-Swift—and his seamless blend of samples and live instrumentation—the group members stepped up to produce, enlisting the help of their DJ, M-Walk; the Bronx-bred production heavyweight Diamond D; and a new producer from Detroit who called himself “Jon Doe”. He’d later shorten his name to “Jay Dee”, but most listeners would get to know him as “J Dilla”, the soon-to-be legendary beatmaker. Dilla produced six of Labcabincalifornia’s 17 tracks, including its signature singles “Runnin’” and “Drop” (the latter of which would get an innovative backwards music video courtesy of a young Spike Jonze). Though only a few years into the music biz, The Pharcyde had learned that Q-Tip’s adage about record company people being shady rang true—a fact they lamented on “Devil Music” (“Every time I step to the microphone/I put my soul on two-inch reels that I don’t even own”). Elsewhere on Labcabincalifornia, the group attacks the transactional sexual experiences of rap life (“Groupie Therapy”), and takes aim at the imitators who’d started copying The Pharcyde’s sound and aesthetic (“Pharcyde”). And on the album standout “She Said”, Fatlip eschews the “ass, gas or cash” axiom used to treat women as objects. Labcabincalifornia proved that, while Pharcyde’s sound had evolved, the core of what made the group special remained. These were relatable, regular guys who were more prone to self-reflection and self-deprecation than self-righteousness—something uncharacteristic in hip-hop at the time. And while hey didn’t always get the girl, or win the fight, at least they were honest about it. Labcabincalifornia is hip-hop at its most emotionally intelligent.