Digable Planets burst onto the music scene in 1993 with their Grammy-winning single, “Rebirth Of Slick (Cool Like Dat)”. Made up of Ishmael Butler (“Butterfly”), Craig Irving (“Doodlebug”) and Mary Ann Vieira (“Ladybug Mecca”), the trio carved out a unique style of jazz-informed Hip Hop. Shortly after, Digable Planets followed up with their debut album, Reachin’ (A New Refutation of Time And Space), an ambitious offering that Pitchfork praised as “a world within a world, complete with its own language and monuments.” The group celebrated the 30th Anniversary of Reachin’ in 2023.
The Pharcyde formed in 1989, from South Central Los Angeles. The original four members of the group are Imani, Slimkid3, Bootie Brown and Fatlip. DJ Mark Luv was the group’s first DJ, followed by producer J-Swift and then J Dilla. The group is perhaps best known for the hit singles “Drop”, “Passin’ Me By” and “Runnin’”, as well as their first album, Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde (1992). The group continues to tour and record, both collaboratively and in solo projects.