SlimKid3

SLIMKID3 (born Tre Hardson) first introduced himself to the world as the soulful, clever vocalist and emcee in the legendary hip-hop quartet The Pharcyde. Equal parts musical visionaries and impish class clowns, the fresh-faced South Central natives ushered in a golden era of hip-hop with their critically acclaimed debut, Bizarre Ride II: The Pharcyde. The album, released in 1992, gave hip-hop one of its most enduring classics—“Passin’ Me By”—and unwittingly defined the sound of a generation. Read more on Last.fm …read full bio

SLIMKID3 (born Tre Hardson) first introduced himself to the world as the soulful, clever vocalist and emcee in the legendary hip-hop quartet The Pharcyde. Equal parts musical visionaries and impish class clowns, the fresh-faced South Central natives ushered in a golden era of hip-hop with their critically acclaimed debut, Bizarre Ride II: The Pharcyde. The album, released in 1992, gave hip-hop one of its most enduring classics—“Passin’ Me By”—and unwittingly defined the sound of a generation. Bizarre Ride’s cartoonish lyrical landscape, laced with jazz-laden loops, “lounge-style piano breaks,” and “ya mama” jokes, ultimately secured the Pharcyde’s position as icons in hip-hop history. The now classic Bizarre Ride would go on to be certified Gold and later named by Kanye West as his favorite hip-hop album of all time. With The Pharcyde, SLIMKID3 toured for two consecutive years with the Lollapalooza festival, shared bills in Europe and Japan with De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest, and recorded their sophomore album Labcabincalifornia with legendary producer J Dilla. The J Dilla collaboration “Runnin’” and the surreal anthem “Drop” today remain classic hip-hop standards. Throughout the Pharcyde’s catalog of songs, SLIMKID3 can be recognized for seamlessly weaving singing into his rap verses, delivering a lilting, laid-back vibe to songs like “4 Better or 4 Worse,” “Otha Fish,” and “She Said.” In the years following the release of Labcabincalifornia, SLIMKID3 would continue to show his versatility as an artist and performer in a number of projects, including a solo collaboration with California metal band Korn on their 1998 multiplatinum release Follow the Leader. In 2000, SLIMKID3 began to pursue a solo career with his Legend of Phoenix EP, exploring the limits of hip-hop with a full band and live instrumentation. His debut full-length album, Liberation, was released in 2002 through Artist Direct/BMG Records under his given name, Tre Hardson. The album offered a mature blend of sophisticated musicianship, Bill Withers-esque love ballads, and a highly personal lyrical examination of life, love, and evolution—while showcasing the well-crafted rhymes, thoughtful lyrics, and rich vocal delivery that brought him acclaim with the Pharcyde. It also features appearances by some of music’s most adventurous and expressive performers, including Saul Williams, MC Lyte, and Chali 2na. Another full-length LP, Slimkid3’s Café, followed in 2006. In the near-decade following his departure from the Pharcyde, SLIMKID3 was featured on a remix with R&B songstress Mya and on the N.A.S.A. song “Hip-hop” with KRS-One and Fatlip. He also toured for a year as Ozomatli’s official resident MC and teamed up with hip-hop bluesman G. Love on his 2008 album Superhero Brother, laying down casually rhythmic rhymes on the hazy, lazy ode to ganja “Who’s Got the Weed.” All four original members of The Pharcyde reunited in 2008 for a highly anticipated run on the main stage of the international “Rock the Bells” hip-hop festival, performing to sold-out crowds alongside such top acts as Nas, De La Soul, Method Man and Red Man, and A Tribe Called Quest. The group continued to tour together throughout 2009, appearing in front of international audiences across Europe and Australia, headlining sold-out shows in Los Angeles and at the legendary Fillmore West in San Francisco, and performing at the All Points West Festival in New Jersey. SLIMKID3 returned to Australia alone in early 2010 to host the star-studded “Good Vibrations” festival, which featured Busta Rhymes and Naughty By Nature as headliners. Since 2009, he has also put his deep knowledge of music and beat production to work as a DJ, co-founding Live & Direct PDX, a monthly party event in Portland, Oregon, featuring live remixing of classic hip-hop favorites. SLIMKID3 is storming 2011 with an arsenal of new singles and inventive remixes, an aggressive release schedule, and a slew of Pharcyde show dates filling up his calendar. Continue to check in at Slimkid3.com for show dates, new music, and free mixtape downloads. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.

User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License and may also be available under the GNU FDL.

…shrink me down again