Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde

Crass... Skits... Not my jam.

I really enjoyed this one. Upbeat, fun, funny, immature in the most captivating way. The jazzy beats really set it apart from its contemporaries, and though there is some lyrical material that makes me bristle, there’s a wink behind a lot of it.

I’m realizing that I tend to prefer artists who don’t take themselves too seriously, especially in genres like hip hop and metal where a certain badass machismo is often cultivated. The “badasses” always seem so goofy to my, like kids play-acting. There’s something much more authentic, relatable, and brave about an artist choosing to let their silly side show.

Neato

Before today, I had never heard of the Pharcyde. They are a rap/hip hop group from the west coast of the US.

The various members of this group all have excellent flow to their vocal delivery, and the beats and music achieved on this record were amazing. This is classic hip hop for sure! Some of the themes sung about on this record were hilarious, like in the song "Oh Shit" when the singer realizes he is being hit on by a transvestite. It reminded me a lot of "Funky Cold Medina" by Tone-Loc.

As I've said before, I don't know what the obsession with dumb fucking skits is in hip hop/rap groups, but they can be found on this record too. I hate them, and find that they distract from the flow of the rest of the album.

Overall, a surprisingly awesome listen today. I will definately listen again!!

Favorite songs: Oh Shit, Return of the B-Boy, Officer, Ya Mama, I'm That Type of Ni**a, Soul Flower (Remix), On the DL, Pack the Pipe

Least favorite songs: all of the dumb skits (4 Better or 4 Worse Interlude, It's Jiggaboo Time, If I Were President, Pack the Pipe Interlude, Quinton's On the Way), 4 Better or 4 Worse, Otha Fish

4/5

Really fun and playful hip-hop. The beats are jazzy and funky too. Just an enjoyable listen all around.

Interesting rap album that doesn’t take itself too seriously, great beats and flow but nonsense lyrics, this would have been a huge hit with high school kids at the time.

Suprisingly good, albeit pretty childish at times. The flow and the beats are super satisfying, and a lot of the songs do stick in your head. Only issue, as mentioned, is the lyrics can be so vulgar they're hard to ignore at times, but otherwise very good.

Eh ei ihan tää kolmikymppinen puoliläppä-räbä ihan iske. 2/5

Very odd and very funny. Talks about all sorts of nonsense that mainstream hip hop didn't (and still doesn't). Very enjoyable, if pretty lyrically dense.

I might've liked this in highschool, but even though the beats were really good in places, the humour got tiresome

This is a nice respite from the rap of the era. The lyrics are comical and humorous. The sampling is slick and varied. Somehow I am just not in the mood for it this morning.

Quite a fun album. Much better than most of the formative rap that has been included so far. Solid 4/5

3.5

Promising to start with, but overlong and occasionally horribly misogynistic in a "hey I'm playing a character" way, which seems even worse.

Plenty of laughs and cool grooves on this album. Favorite tracks: Oh Shit (really catchy), Officer, Ya Mama, Passin' Me By, and Otha Fish (really cool groove). It was a fun album - definitely pretty inappropriate, but I've certainly heard worse.

Fun stuff. Very animated and playful. Only heard "passing me by" back in the day and love that track. Think it's a standout. Like the interplay of emcees and their different voices/styles.