by Bryan Gibel
Daily Lobo
Local hip-hop blended with the buttery sound of classic West Coast rap in Nob Hill on Sunday.
Fatlip and Tré Hardson, formerly of the Pharcyde, performed to about 100 people at Stove Gallery while break dancers spun in circles on the concrete floor. Local MCs sporadically had freestyle sessions with beat-boxers throughout the night.
Hardson said although the Pharcyde split up years ago, its music continues to evolve creatively.
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"We started off all nutty and
crazy and then kind of got on a spiritual vibe," Hardson said. "We just let it be free. You never know what people will take to. When you're making music, you're just being yourself."
The group pioneered Southern California's early hip-hop scene and received acclaim for Bizarre Ride II, The Pharcyde and Labcabincalifornia.
Hardson said since he and Fatlip broke creative barriers with their jazzy, soulful hip-hop, they wanted to continue to bring a spiritual sincerity to their music.
"You have to have the human element to everything, like an instrumental band sometimes craving an MC or vice-versa," Hardson said. "You've got to really be present to do music and to be for real about who you are."
Fatlip and Hardson have released two albums each since the Pharcyde split up. Fatlip recorded What's Up Fatlip? and The Loneliest Punk. Hardson released Liberation and Slimkid3's Café.
Hardson said his and Fatlip's solo careers didn't mean Pharcyde wouldn't get back together.
"Right now, me and Fatlip, we've been doing stuff," Hardson said. "The other two guys, whenever they're ready to come and do something, we can definitely entertain that. We miss those guys
a lot."
During the show, graffiti artists were given paint markers and free rein over almost every surface in the gallery's back yard.
Another highlight was Cultura Fuerte, a group that featured two MCs and four professional mariachi musicians.
Lucas Garcia, who plays vihuela and flautín for the group, said Cultura Fuerte combines hip-hop and mariachi in a seamless fusion that stretched both genres.
"The instruments we're playing are puro mariachi," Garcia said. "This is the first time they're being played in this style. We're warriors, and (the MCs) are luminaries. We show up ready for battle."
MCs Cheops and Speed One recited verses that expressed their roots in Albuquerque. Then the group sang choruses in Spanish that had break dancers going crazy and about 100 sets of hands in the air.
"It's the cultura fuerte - the strong culture - that makes the music stand out," guitar player Bobby Baca said. "The message is good. The sound is good. The vibe is good."
Hardson said he had performed in Albuquerque before but hadn't seen the creativity of the local scene until Sunday.
"I just look backward to our forefathers of hip-hop - like KRS-One, Brand Nubian, De La Soul - and I know exactly what I gotta do," Hardson said. "When you start thinking about the pulse of the community and everything, then things start to open up. When you realize that and recognize it, it gives you a better sense of where you stand."
