Phi Life Cypher were a

British hip hop British hip hop, also known as UK hip hop or UK rap, is a genre of music, and a culture that covers a variety of styles of hip hop music made in the United Kingdom. It is generally classified as one of a number of styles of R&B/Hip-Hop. Britis ...

group based in

Luton Luton () is a town and unitary authority with borough status, in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 census, the Luton built-up area subdivision had a population of 211,228 and its built-up area, including the adjacent towns of Dunstable an ...

, composed of two MCs,

Si Phili Simon Philbert (born 22 October 1974), known professionally as Si Phili, is a British rapper. He was a member of the former UK hip hop group Phi Life Cypher, which split in 2012. Since the split of PLC, Si Phili has launched a solo career and go ...

and Life MC, and DJ Nappa. The trio started making music together around 1996, and since have had much success on the UK underground circuit. Phi-Life Cypher made it to the final of

Tim Westwood Timothy Westwood (born 3 October 1957) is a British DJ and presenter. He is often referred to by other DJs and artists appearing on his shows simply as Westwood. He was described by ''The Guardian'' in 2022 as "a veteran of the hip-hop scene ...

's Talent 2000 competition and ripping the mic on DJ Skitz's seminal posse cut 'Fingerprints of the Gods' projected them to the upper realms of the UK hip hop scene. Phi Life Cypher featured on an earlier version of "

Clint Eastwood Clinton Eastwood Jr. (born May 31, 1930) is an American actor and film director. After achieving success in the Western TV series '' Rawhide'', he rose to international fame with his role as the "Man with No Name" in Sergio Leone's "''Doll ...

" by

Gorillaz Gorillaz are an English virtual band formed in 1998 by musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett, from London. The band primarily consists of four fictional members: 2-D (vocals, keyboards), Murdoc Niccals (bass guitar), Noodle (guitar, ...

. However

Damon Albarn Damon Albarn (; born 23 March 1968) is an English-Icelandic musician, singer-songwriter and composer, best known as the frontman and primary lyricist of the rock band Blur and as the co-creator and primary musical contributor of the virtual ...

and

Dan the Automator Daniel M. Nakamura better known by his stage name Dan the Automator, is an American record producer from San Francisco, California. He is the founder of the publishing company Sharkman Music and the record label 75 Ark. Early life Nakamura was bo ...

decided to use

Del the Funky Homosapien Teren Delvon Jones (born August 12, 1972), better known by his stage name Del the Funky Homosapien (sometimes stylized as Del tha Funkee Homosapien) or Sir DZL, is an American rapper. Music career 1988–1997: Early life and beginnings Born in O ...

instead. This version was later officially released on ''

G-Sides ''G-Sides'' (sometimes spelled as ''G Sides'') is a B-sides collection by Gorillaz from their first studio album session, ''Gorillaz'' and the ''Tomorrow Comes Today'' EP. The compilation was originally released only in Japan on 12 December ...

'', a compilation of the B-sides from the first three singles which was released in Japan and quickly followed with international releases in early 2002. Phi Life Cypher did however perform the track with Gorillaz at the

2010 Brit Awards Brit Awards 2010 was the 30th edition of the British Phonographic Industry's annual Brit Awards. The awards ceremony was held at Earls Court in London for the last time. The ceremony was broadcast live on ITV on Tuesday 16 February 2010. It was ...

, featuring the band in 3D animation, weaving in and out of each other on four large screens along with their rap accompaniment. Phi Life Cypher also collaborated with Gorillaz on "The Sounder" and an unreleased version of "Starshine". The group has toured with and appeared on tracks by Gorillaz and

DJ Vadim Vadim Alexandrovich Peare (russian: Вадим Александрович Пир, Vadim Aleksandrovich Pir ...

Discography

Albums

* '' Millennium Metaphors'' (2000, Jazz Fudge) * '' The Instrumentals'' (2000, Jazz Fudge) * ''

Higher Forces ''Higher Forces'' is the third album by the Luton-based hip hop group Phi Life Cypher Phi Life Cypher were a British hip hop group based in Luton, composed of two MCs, Si Phili and Life MC, and DJ Nappa. The trio started making music togeth ...

'' (2003) featuring Skit-Slam * '' Playback'' (2006)

EPs and singles

* "

Baddest Man Baddest or The Baddest may refer to: Albums * ''Baddest'' (album), a 1981 album by Grover Washington Jr. * ''The Baddest'' (Toshinobu Kubota album), 1989 *'' The Baddest II'', a 1989 album by Toshinobu Kubota *'' The Baddest III'', a 2002 album b ...

" (1998,

white label A white label record is a vinyl record with white labels attached. There are several variations each with a different purpose. Variations include test pressings, white label promos, and plain white labels. Test pressings Test pressings, usua ...

) * "

Earth Rulers Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surface ...

" (2000, Jazz Fudge) * " Herbaholics" (2001, Jazz Fudge) * ''

The Chosen Few EP ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' (with Task Force) (2002, Jazz Fudge) * "Over" (2003, Zebra Traffic) * "

Rap It Up Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

" (2004, Zebra Traffic) * "Playback" (2006)

Guest appearances

— "

" (Phi Life Cypher version), "The Sounder", "Starshine (Alternate version)" *

The Herbaliser The Herbaliser is an English jazz hip hop group formed by Jake Wherry and Ollie Teeba in London, England during the early 1990s. Although currently releasing on their own label and having previously been signed to !K7 Records, they were one o ...

— "Distinguished Jamaican English" (The Herbaliser remix) * Skitz — "Fingerprints of the Gods", "Cordless Mics at 20 Paces" * Mark B. &

Blade A blade is the portion of a tool, weapon, or machine with an edge that is designed to puncture, chop, slice or scrape surfaces or materials. Blades are typically made from materials that are harder than those they are to be used on. Historic ...

— "Ya Don't See the Signs" (Phi Life Cypher remix) *

DJ Vadim Vadim Alexandrovich Peare (russian: Вадим Александрович Пир, Vadim Aleksandrovich Pir ...

— "Ghetto Rebels" on '' USSR... The Art of Listening''

References

External links

*
Phi Life Cypher
on

SoundCloud SoundCloud is an online audio distribution platform and music sharing website that enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is one of the largest music streaming se ...

English hip hop groups Musical groups from Bedfordshire British musical trios {{Hiphop-group-stub