A visionary classic remastered — featuring rare B-sides, instrumentals, and new remixes honoring J Dilla’s legacy
Craft Recordings and The Pharcyde are marking three decades of Labcabincalifornia, the group’s groundbreaking 1995 sophomore album that redefined West Coast hip-hop. Arriving December 5, 2025, the 30th Anniversary Edition is newly remastered and expanded across 2-CD and digital formats.
The reissue pairs timeless hits like “Drop,” “Runnin’,” and “She Said” with rare B-sides, instrumentals, and J Dilla–produced remixes, plus a brand-new “Runnin’” remix by Glen Nicholls (The Prodigy, Nine Inch Nails, U2).
→ PRE-ORDER / PRE-SAVE LABCABINCALIFORNIA (30TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION)
→ STREAM THE ORIGINAL ALBUM
FROM SOUTH CENTRAL TO SONIC INNOVATORS
By the time Labcabincalifornia dropped in 1995, The Pharcyde had already established themselves as a creative counterweight to the G-funk sound dominating Los Angeles. Formed in 1989 by Fatlip, Slimkid3, Bootie Brown, and Imani, the group’s mix of sharp humor, self-awareness, and jazz-laced production stood out against their gangsta rap contemporaries.
As Pitchfork’s Dean Van Nguyen put it, the group’s earlier work was “a breezier boom-bap alternative” that thrived on chaos and charm. But with Labcabincalifornia, The Pharcyde evolved — turning introspection into an art form and blending live instrumentation with sample collage in a way that would echo through decades of hip-hop.
THE J DILLA CONNECTION
To follow their 1992 debut Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde, the group teamed up with a then-unknown Detroit producer named J Dilla, introduced through their friend Q-Tip. “Tip had brought us this cassette tape,” Slimkid3 recalled in a 2013 interview, “and on that tape was the loop from ‘Runnin’’ and from ‘Drop.’ We were just sitting at Q-Tip’s apartment listening to all these beats — and the rest is history.”
Still known as Jay Dee at the time, Dilla’s fingerprints are all over Labcabincalifornia: warm basslines, hypnotic drum patterns, and a musical curiosity that would define his later solo work. The album’s standout singles — “Runnin’,” “Drop,” and “She Said” — turned those experiments into timeless grooves, while the Spike Jonze–directed video for “Drop” became a defining visual of the decade.
LISTENING NOTES: WHY LABCABINCALIFORNIA STILL MOVES
• “Runnin’” – Dilla’s rolling bassline and syncopated drumwork make this one of hip-hop’s most enduring studies in balance: melancholy meets motion.
• “Drop” – A dizzying blend of reverse samples and playful lyricism, captured perfectly in Spike Jonze’s time-warped video.
• “She Said” – Dreamlike and soulful, it hints at the emotional range that would shape neo-soul’s early DNA.
• “Groupie Therapy” – A snapshot of the band’s humor and humanity, dissecting fame before it arrived.
CELEBRATE 30 YEARS OF LABCABINCALIFORNIA
Thirty years later, Labcabincalifornia remains a touchstone for artists and producers worldwide — its DNA present in the lo-fi jazz-rap revival, neo-soul’s rhythmic sensibility, and today’s experimental hip-hop scenes. As Wax Poetics noted, “Labcabin is a record that has endless depths and layers to experience… not only with regards to the music’s composition, but the stories and tensions behind its creation.”
Follow @CraftRecordings and @ThePharcyde for exclusive anniversary content leading up to release day.
