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80
All Music Guide
While the heft of the Pharcyde sound is diminished slightly by their broken circle, this is an emotionally tangible album that combines delicate content with tight production.
80
Billboard
On "Plain Rap," the decidedly more mellow yet equally appealing follow-up to "Labcabincalifornia," the trio -- Slimkid, Imani, and Booty Brown -- continues to pave its own path.
80
Alternative Press
Their flows are slower, their observations more profound, and their subject matter drifts further inward. [#154, p.83]
60
Q Magazine
Plain Rap lacks the talents of Fatlip and Slimkid and it shows. The smart, polished Pharcyde backings - rich in jazz and rare groove - are still in evidence, but it's easy to miss the gawky verbals of all four rappers.
50
The Onion (A.V. Club)
Sonically, Plain Rap picks up where Labcabin left off, and at its best ("Rush," "Guestlist," "Frontline"), it recaptures that album's sophisticated sonic slinkiness, if not its lyrical brilliance. Too often, however, Plain Rap sounds like what Labcabin's detractors unfairly accused it of being: mature and adult to the point of sounding hopelessly dull.
40
Select
This is West Coast rap at its most lethargic. [Jan 2001, p.107]
The average user rating for this album is 10.0 (out of 10) based on 6 User Votes Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Mike V. gave it a 10: This is HIP HOP! The first album worth listening to since Q Tips' solo debut!
Rawkus008 gave it a 10: This is another tyte joint by Pharcyde. i got the bootleg though, but outta the 8 tracks on there 5 are quality. at least i think there are 8, pretty unsure. oh well
SMAKK DADDIE gave it a 10: YOU CAN FEEL WHAT YOU HEAR. I GIVE THIS A 10 BECAUSE OF THE CREATIVITY.
Paul BigBalls gave it a 10: THIS IS AWSOME BUY IT DOWNLOAD WHATVER!