Biography
Real name Romye Robinson. Along with MCs/producers Tre "Slimkid" Hardson, Derrick "Fatlip" Stewart, and Imani Wilcox, Booty Brown formed the influential alternative rap quartet from South Central Los Angeles, the Pharcyde Hardson, Wilcox, and Robinson were all dancers and choreographers who met on the L.A. underground club circuit in the late '80s, worked together for a while, and served a stint as dancers on In Living Color. Stewart, meanwhile, performed at local clubs and eventually hooked up with the others in 1990. Under the tutelage of Reggie Andrews, a local high-school music teacher, the group learned about the music industry and the process of recording an album. They landed a deal with Delicious Vinyl in 1991, and a year later released their eccentric debut album, Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde, which went gold. After support slots for De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest as well as a successful spot on Lollapalooza's second stage in 1994, the group released its second album, Labcabincalifornia, which was calmer than their first but no less warped. After a five-year break which saw little action except for the debut of Stewart as a solo rapper (his single "What's Up Fatlip" became an underground hit), the Pharcyde returned in late 2000 with their third album, Plain Rap. By the time of 2004’s album ‘Humboldt beginnings’, they were down to just two members, including Booty Brown.When he and Tina were jointly inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991, he was unable to attend the ceremony because he was serving prison time. His autobiography, Takin' Back My Name, was published by a U.K. company in 1999, and in 2001 he released a new album, Here and Now, which was nominated for a Grammy in the Best Traditional Blues Album category; it was also nominated for several W.C. Handy Awards (the blues equivalent of the Grammys), and took honors for Comeback Album of the Year. (~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide)

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