And she said...

Reason for this post:  cuz The Pharcyde (a Californian hip-hop group) are wicked and make super chilled out and funny hip-hop music.  Their hay day was also back in the early 90s, like much of the underground rap I find myself listening to (see De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, Souls of Mischief, etc).  It wasn't until I saw them live in Toronto this summer however, that I realised how many classics they actually made.  Despite having not released an album in over 7 years, they showed that they still know how to rock a crowd.  After "Runnin" (probably their biggest hit), this song, entitled "She Said", really does it for me.  The lazy hazy vocals about love and relationships over top of a relaxing beat by none other than the late great J Dilla are a perfect combo.  Read on for more songs by the Pharcyde and a little bonus track.

The Pharcyde - She Said

And she said
It'll be good if you stayed with me tonight
...so I granted her wish.

For those of you who don't know Jay Dee, or J Dilla - he was one of the most respected producers in hip-hop and unfortunately passed away in 2006 at the young age of 32 from a rare blood disease. In recent years, top artists like Common, Q-Tip, MF Doom and Erykah Badu still make songs with his beats - not to mention the shoutouts he gets regularly from fellow rappers. 

The Pharcyde - Ya Mama


The Pharcyde - Passing Me By


The Pharcyde - Runnin' (recognise this from 'Entourage' anyone?)

BONUS:  Q-Tip - Move/Renaissance Rap


Check out how the beat changes midway through on this one.  Dilla production + Q-Tip (from A Tribe Called Quest) on vocals = a beautiful creation.  This is definitely 1 of my favourite of his solo tracks...