Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde

Lots of albums take themselves too seriously; this is the first time I’ve heard one not take itself seriously enough. Undeniably fun, don’t get me wrong. But it feels like the musical equivalent of a guy that is easily talented enough to get into the NBA, but instead uses his gifts exclusively to throw suction-cup dildos into increasingly bizarre, high up, and hard to reach places.

This was a weird one. I can definitely see how a high schooler in 1992 would have loved this album. It's absurd, irreverent, immature, and high energy. Musically, I enjoyed this. The group has a DJ but a lot of the drums sure sounded live and originally recorded for this album, but I can't be sure. Overall the beats were a big plus for me. The album is a product of its time, however. We get an entire verse centered around transphobia ala Charlie Daniels's Uneasy Rider '88, and we get jokes about the MC's sexually assaulting women. I'm not going to clutch my pearls and pretend that I never engage in or enjoy edgy humor, but I guess those lines just left me cringing more than laughing. As for importance, this is a debut album released in the golden age of hip hop that has a unique feel, so to me it makes sense to see it on this list. My personal enjoyment: 2.5/5 Did it belong on this list: 4/5

The cover shot of a Fat Albert-ized Pharcyde roller coastering their way into a funhouse makes perfect sense, as the L.A.-based quartet introduced listeners to an uproarious vision of earthy hip-hop informed by P-Funk silliness and an everybody-on-the-mike street-corner atmosphere that highlights the incredible rapping skills of each member. With multiple voices freestyling over hilarious story-songs like "Oh Shit!," "Soul Flower," the dozens contest "Ya Mama," and even a half-serious driving-while-black critique named "Officer," Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde proved Daisy Age philosophy akin to De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest wasn't purely an East Coast phenomenon. Skits and interludes with live backing (usually just drums and piano) only enhance the freeform nature of the proceedings, and the group even succeeds when not reliant on humor, as proved by the excellent heartbreak tale "Passin' Me By." The production, by J-Sw!ft and the group, is easily some of the tightest and most inventive of any hip-hop record of the era. Though Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde could have used a few more musical hooks to draw in listeners before they begin to appreciate the amazing rapping and gifted productions, the lack of compromise reveals far greater rewards down the line.

Not for me. Wannabe beastie boys.

It reminds me of the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. This is some classic early 90s hip-hop/rap. I like the instrumentals in most of these songs. I can definitely appreciate this type of music but would probably never listen to this album again.

One of the cornerstone west-coast hip-hop acts of the 90s, Pharcyde is just one of those bands that you know if you're into hip-hop. They offered a completely different take on the genre with their lighthearted (at times straight-up goofy) lyrics in a time when the genre was already starting to take itself too seriously. I always liked the bands that they inspired more than I did them but the elements that contributed to my love for Jurassic5, Digable Planets, and Blackstar are all here. It's just damn fun. That said, "Officer" stands out in sharp contrast as a track for back then but also RIGHT NOW. It's NOT funny. It's a legit converastion piece about racial profiling and feels very contemporary.

Another really cool album. It's certainly a departure from what was popular in hip-hop at the time. Some aspects of the album sound dated, but overall the production is really good. Lots of fun songs 4/5

Ooof. This is bad. And not bad meaning good but bad meaning bad. Passin Me By was absolutely lightning in a bottle and that along with some ok beats can salvage a 2. Lyrically it's terrible, sophomoric, and misogynistic and I would say it didn't hold up well but I don't think it was much good to begin with.

An antidote to the typical LA gangster rap of the era (the Pharcyde hail from South Central LA), ‘Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde’ is gloriously absurd and ridiculous, juvenile but not silly, and a lot of fun. In another rare feat, there’s not a duff beat or groove to be found anywhere and so the album never drags. It stays jazzy and funky, resulting in one of rap/hip-hops greatest hits. Still as good today as it was in 92’.

get the fuck outta here with this shit.

Plain boring and unimaginative. A lot of the album felt like a terribly bad rip-off of the Bestie Boys.

I forgot how funny this record is. There’s a ton of skits but the lyrics are really meant to be offensive and hilarious. Obviously has that jazz rap, boom nap production which is right up my alley. Do I prefer this over Tribe? Probably not. But does it rank as one of the best jazz rap records ever made. Most certainly. Favorite song(s): I’m That Type of Ni**a and Passin’ Me By Least favorite song: Pack the Pipe

Ok

Fuck yeah! I knew I had skills for picking winners. Bought this in '92 and couldn't stop playing it...even when other classmates said it was garbage....I was like...you're garbage. Boom...roasted. 5 stars.

In the days when hip-hop was still shaping, a pretty compelling case was made that it should be BOTH hard-hitting and dun as fuck.

Ha ha ha YES! I never thought this would come up but too fucking right. So many memories, great great memories of late night card games in smoky rooms with cheap spirits. But tell me this. How fat is she?!

I like to give Robert Dimery, the author of this list, a little shit from time to time for his album selections. One area he’s done well, however, is with late 80’s/early 90’s hip-hop. No complaints from me as of yet. Bizarre Ride II is a 5 star classic and it’s indisputable, so don’t even bother disputing it like you usually do, you weirdos with bad taste.

Fatlip from Pharcyde said it best: "Your mama is so big and fat that she can get busy with twenty-two burritos, but times are rough I seen her in the back of Taco Bell with handcuffs". Preach Fatlip. Love these guys, they're clearly having a blast making this album and messin around lyrically on most songs. Passin' Me By is a juggernaut - on of the best hip hip beats of all time. My sister Becky (fortheloveofmusicqb) and I saw Pharcyde in college together at a small club in C Springs -32 Blue. These songs all remind me of those days.

Love it, Own it, Seen em Live…At least once w Brother too!! Knew most of words to most songs, which was fun and astounding. (Lyrics are wild and not appropriate. I will not be playing this album for carpool. 🤪) My fav so far since I’ve joined the group.

I was going to say this reminds me of the group Gravediggaz, before I realized this Pharcyde album was released a good 4 years earlier. This came from the west coast, though it feels closer to the east coast rap I'm most familiar with. The interplay is pretty awesome, and the beats sound fresh for an album so old. I was reading that the Pharcyde began touring with A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul after this album was released. I cannot imagine how fucking great that show would have been. This album was a good thing to hear on a sunday morning.

This other side of 90s hip hop represented here in triumphant fashion. Few albums are as fun, influential, and raw.

This is a cheerful, funny record, reminding me of George Clinton in its emphasis of musical playfulness over formal elegance. The sounds are warm, bouncy, surprisingly unserious in their jazziness. This is the first hip hop album I've heard on this list that has made me smile, and I'm sorry that I never got round to it back in the day. The absence of menace, attempted or delivered, is distinctive: sex and violence are invariably comic. It's often offensive, but seemingly without malice. “Oh shit” makes me wistful for a time when transphobia was a carefree pastime. I'm joking while also being absolutely serious.

Ya Mama's musical taste is so bad she played Dwight Yoakam backwards through a hairdryer and still liked it

Contains a 4 minute long song of yo mama jokes. Truly the peak of human achievement. As far as 90s hip hop albums go.. yeah, this is definitely a 90s hip hop album. I didn't hear anything that blew me away, but it was fun enough. Essentially an ascended shitpost in musical form. "Yo mama got the wooden legs with real feet" - Shakespeare could never.

inital impression: from the same whiny, juvenile cartoon school as Cypress Hill, if not as irritating. second round: when will this end?! I am still waiting for the great unheard hip hop classic from this list

So yes, but also no, phobic and raunch.

p691. 1992. 1 star Another shit hip-hop/rap album. Wannabe Beastie Boys but without any talent.

My journey with hip-hop in this adventure has been pretty good so far, but it has helped me to find what I don't like in the genre. I like clever rhymes, but I can't stand when they go into sexual or physical violence. There might be something more interesting to this effort, but I'm not sticking around long enough to find out what it is.

This is old rap with a basic beat and someone rapping over it without anything extra really.

Classic. The west side branch of native tongues imo

Hell yeah

false

Fuck yeah, this was cool! Genuinely funny parts, like the yo momma track, or the remix track (definitely wasn't paying attention to song names on this one). Glad I was already in the mood for this after listening to Jurassic 5 tho.

Classic and unique hip hop.

Enjoyed it

Wow- this album was fucking awesome. Just loved it.

Zaczynam coraz bardziej podejrzewac, ze moja lista sie zepsula, bo juz prawie od tygodnia wrzuca ultra klasyczne albumiki w swoich respektowanych gatunkach, a tym razem dodatkowo trafilo na murzynskie gransko rodem z zachodniego wybrzeza od Pharacydow, debiutancki albumik 4 osobowego skladu, ktory narobil sporego zamieszania na scenie rapowej, historia pod tytulem jak w dwoch albumach uzyskac status klasyka i zniknac ze sceny bez dealu na reszte zycia, wystepuja konflikty w bandzie, niezbyt honorowe wytwornie oraz puszowanie ilosci ponad jakosc, ale co do samej bizzarnej przejazdzki tu, przed powstaniem pharacyda jako grupy rapersowej chlopaki byly w zespole dancingowym, wiec jako bi boje dancowali do rapersowanych rytmow co czuc w ogolnym vibie plyty, jak i dobitniej na trakach takich jak return of the b boi, o sile albumiku stanowi przedweszystkim dostawa jaka prezentuja chlopaki, wchodzenie sobie na zwrotki, wspolne hookowanie, klimaty de la soulowe, jesli mialbym zgadywac dlaczego bizzarna rajda, to nazwa odnosi sie do lirycznego kontentu jaki mozna tu wygrzebac, nie jest to koncept album, nie ma motywu przewodniego, intro instrumentalno skitowe, oh shit bragowanie, oczywiscie z jajem, kolejny instrumentalne wprowadzenie do opowiesci o pieknej milosci, stalkowaniu, o tym na ile sposobow mozna poskladac swoja milosc w bagazniku, a to wszystko na jazzowym funkowym sampelu, zwrotka fat lipa tutaj to majstersztyk jesli chodzi o zabawe z laczeniem problemow kwesti milosnej z problemami komunity, zreszta w kazdym traku znajdzie sie podwojne dno, w kawalku zatytuowanym officer bylo ono az tak glebokie, ze nie jest on dostepny na spotifaju, a zaraz obok oficera pojawia sie wyzywanie pod tytulem twoja stara, ktora jak tytul sugeruje zawiera wyzywanie wzajemnie wyzywanie matek przez wszystkich czlonkow bandy, nie moglo zabraknac takze czegos dzieki czemu material sie sprzedal komercyjnie, jak dla mnie sa to dwa radio przyjazne traki o dosc jednostronnej milosci czyli passin me by i otha fish, jak pisalem wczesniej sameplki sa mocno jazzowe i bardzo jakosciowo zmontowane, jesli chodzi o nastepowanie po siebie trakow i ich ciaglosc, pojawiaja sie nawet takie ficzury jak skity przed b sidem, dla wygody sluchania na kasetkach czy vinylach, na plejke moglbym wrzucic polowe albumiku, bo druga polowa to skity, ale juz on tam prawdopodbnie sie znajduje, chociaz jak sluchac takich klasykow, to tylko od poczatku do konca, inaczej sie nie da

Still great

A complete blast. The instrumentals are sweet and the verses are fun and memorable!

Album Rank: 1. Passin’ Me By 2. On The DL 3. Otha Fish 4. 4 Better Or 4 Worse 5. Return of the B-Boy 6. I’m That Type of Nigga 7. Soul Flower - Remix 8. Pack The Pipe 9. Ya Mama 10. Officer 11. Oh Shit 12. If I Were President (Skit) 13. Pack The Pipe (Interlude) 14. 4 Better Of 4 Worse (Interlude) 15. It’s Jiggaboo Time (Skit) 16. Quinton’s On The Way (Skit)

Amazing Album, enjoyed a lot of the songs, not a huge fan of the weird skits in between but the songs themselves are all great, and Passing Me By is by far my most favourite song, as I remember it from Aggressive Inline on the PS2.

Fun album. Passing me by is a fantastic song.

Hot tub party music

Aw shit

Great overall album, funny, lyrically impressive, great instrumental and solid rapping. I like basically every song

Talk about an album that has a huge nostalgia factor for me. "Oh Shit" is like the first rap song that I really liked since it was in some Saints Row game that I played when I was young. It felt so taboo because it's incredibly explicit for a kid to be listening to, but I had only really been listening to mainstream pop, classic rock, and heavy metal up until this point. I'm really glad it's on this list, because this album had kind of slipped my mind for too many years. I seriously doubt that other people will hold this as the quintessential rap album of the 90s, but for me it's hard to think of anything that I love more than this one. Maybe Low End Theory, but I feel like I'm leaning Pharcyde. It takes the shit out of a more pretentious side of rap while also being able to provide commentary on political/social issues, and have incredible storytelling. The skits are incredible, and the way the album is structured is incredibly theatrical which just adds to how much I love it even more. The group dynamic is amazing, and I don't think I can put into words the praise that I want to give this album. I also realize this review is just kind of me rambling about this album, and I can feel my friends just saying "who asked", but I hope you can enjoy this album as much as I enjoy it (or more!). Highlights: all of them. They're all amazing.

1992 - Hip Hop

Best album on here so far. Music still holds up in 2021. One of the most underrated rap groups of the genre.

Great. Fun compared to contemporaries but with substantive lyrics. Oh Shit favorite track.

A bangin bop.

Heard it. Loved it.

I really enjoyed this, had some great beats and was funny and inventive.

very cool

A good time

Really cool hip hop album with jazz influences on the demos.

One of my favorite hip-hop albums. Lines are silly and fun. Tons of enthusiasm and energy. Huge fan of the jazzy instrumentation, tight production, and spontaneous samples. Plenty of catchy bangers, but even the less interesting tracks were made up by their humor. All this makes for a very accessible album, even the skits were melodic and nicely bridged the tracks.

Entertaining album from The Pharcyde - classic status, had certainly expected it on the list.

Love every minute of it. Amazing samples.

Very interesting hip-hop album. I really liked it. No complaints.

I had never heard of this album, what a shame! It's excellent! A very nice discovery for me that will certainly end up entering my favorite hip-hop albums. A flow of thunder, breathtaking beats without being too flashy. I can't wait to listen to it again and read the lyrics more carefully.

I LOVED THIS. Everything from lead vocals to background vocals to lyrics to cut outs to the moments in between songs were all great. I laughed out loud during Yo Mama and a few other times on the record. My favorites were 4 Better or 4 Worse. The phone call on that was great. I also loved Officer. I really loved them all.

Great album, never really listened to old school hip hop

Great stumble upon Never heard of them or their songs Similar to De la soul, Tribe and Native Tongues

This was so damn good.

Definitely a little immature and silly but I also thought it was tons of fun and the music was genuinely strong

Scrappy but tight. Very little ego or need to prove anything to anyone, seems like they're all being pretty authentically themselves. Otha Fish is max relax, Quinton's on his way is the most feel good hip hop album skit of all time. Passing Me By is one of the all time great hip hop tracks. Pack the pipe got a bit dark but came straight back with Return of the B-Boy. Ya mamma's got a hairy tongue.

It feels wrong to rate this 5 stars as an incredibly white person but God damn this album goes hard

Daaaaammmnnn. That shits was BANGIN. make you wanna throw ya hands in the air like ya just don’t care! Say heeeeeeyyyyyy, hoooooooooooo *audience responds* HEEEEEEYYYYYY HOOOOOOOOOOO

Not really the kind of music I usually listen to, but it was fun to check it. It's easy to understand why it's part of this list.

Ya Mama got a peg leg with a kickstand! So good, so fun, so enjoyable. Music from a bygone era, so long, long, long ago. Damn, we old.

Pharcyde rode in on a new wave of more intellectual hip hop that was kicked off by the debut of Digable Planets. But they brought along with the little jazz motifs a lighter, funnier, and freakier side. Although it is super creepy, I've always loved the track 4 better or 4 Worse. Great melody and then the absolutely bizarre lyrics. Officer is also their trademark tune and I think the most popular on the album because it's hilarious. Ya Mama is classic Pharcyde bringing in a slew of disses that take us back to the block where this was the pastime. It's a great hip hop album and belongs in the marbled halls with De La, Digable Planets, and Jazzmatazz / Guru who were cranking out these awesome tracks in the early to mid-90's.

Amaaaaaaazing. Legendary. Wonderful. Seriously awesome.

Very fun

A fun and light-hearted album that doesn't take itself too seriously, coming from an era and location where gangsta rap was the dominant Hip-Hop genre. I liked this quite a lot, and thought it was very fun, if a bit juvenile in its humour. The jazz elements of it were great along with all the other instrumentation, the rapping was great, and the songs were groovy and bouncy. The skits were pretty funny, and it seemed that everyone involved just bantered and bounced humour and ideas off of each other in a great way. Probably the most fun 90s rap album I've heard so far. Favourite: Soul Flower - Remix

Love the flow and the groove

BL: An album I've listened to before quite recently. Discovered The Pharcyde properly over the summer and completely fell in love with their lyrical hooks, alongside some very graphic rapping, in terms of verbosity and bizarre artistic choices they definitely shine through as the definitive group from the 90s West Coast scene. AL: Just as I remembered it being, the production is incredibly and is so definitively analogue 90s drum machine & sampler construction, while not as technically proficient as their other work "labcabincalifornia" here it feels incredibly tight and refined which is phenomenal considering it is their first album. The lyrical content suffers from the same pitfalls of all the artists in the scene at the time but overall is nowhere near the worst offender compared with other artists. I absolutely loved this record, will be relistening again and again. FT: "Oh Shit", "4 Better or 4 Worse", "Soul Flower (Remix)", "Passin' Me By", "Return of the B-Boy" 5/5

wow.... love it. Right up my ally. il add them to my artist listening.

Added to my library. I've heard some Pharcyde songs before, but listening to a whole album really shows the brilliance of this group. Fun, musical, and completely well executed. Love this style of west coast hip hop. Also, I miss album skits let's bring that back.

Great jams, old school hip hop

Love these dudes.

Great beats, fun banter and unique flows. Rap album equivalent of listening to a group of young men cracking jokes, trying to one up each other. Apart from all the jokes and improvising, there are a couple of tracks with genuine emotions, exploring personal failures and issues. Sure, some content is extremely juvenile but for the most part the album has an undeniable charm in its infectious anything-goes mentality. And the beats still sounds great!

Otha Fish is a masterpiece that transcends hip hop. There are many other great tracks on this but that song is one of my all time favorites.

Loved this album, soulflower remix is a peak fun rap song

pharcyde can do no wrong imo

Awesome, simply awesome.

Ovo je tako jebeno veselo, šareno i zarazno

Was a lot of fun for painting too.

Decent old school hip hop second half is better

Ya momma has an afro with a chin strap. This is a bloomin' wonderful album. It's happy, it's catchy and I really enjoyed listening to it. Great stuff!

I can't rate this album without thinking about the whole Pharcyde package - the personalities, the quirky music videos, and of course the beats. This album was FUN. It didn't take itself too seriously, it touched on some real human feelings but also took time to make jokes, even at their own expense. Dates really well I think? Ok maybe not many rappers rhyme "nincompoop" nowadays but still, I can listen again and again.

Even the Clapton loving nerds that made this list knew this needed to be on it. 5/5

5 mutherfucking stars.

Some of the best killer flows and beats.

Pure classic! It’s easy to appreciate how fun the music, but you also have to consider how forward thinking it is. Just a small example, but having a horrorcore verse on a song in 1992 is no small feat! Besides all that, the quality of the songs is great. Great rhymes, performances and production. Wish they were around for longer 🙏

perfection

I enjoyed this a lot I felt the skits were well integrated into the music of the album. It had a strong musicality to it, and it was funny.

4.5 - I like

One of the best slices of 'Golden Era' hip hop ever recorded

Easy 5 stars. Passin Me By and 4 Better Or 4 Worse are 2 of my all-time favourites

rly good!!