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.

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.

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

Not for me. Wannabe beastie boys.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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’.

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

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.

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

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.

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?!

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

its decent and lyrically original compared to many other album from its era and more modern

Hype bboy

Feeeeeet

gewoon nice 90's hiphop maar niet baanbrekend in mijn ogen 3.5/5 stars

Fun album! enjoyed listening to it

Very dope album. Am known with the pharcyde but didn't know this specific album

4.5/5. Brainy, energetic 90s hip hop rap over jazz tracks. Play 'Oh Shit,' 'Soul Flower,' or 'Passin Me By' to seem hip at dinner parties. Delightfully explicit. 'Ya Mama' is a must listen.

A good album. Labcabin is so much better for me so have to give a 4

Love this one, Pharcyde was one of the groups I’d say responsible for my love of hip hop

3.5/5. Had some really fun tracks, but also had some I wasn’t totally into

13/1/21

👍 great album 8/10

Dope

Quality 90s hip hop, smooth beats, nice flows, not a classic in my mind, probably not their best album even, but still a good listen.

I don't listen to much rap, and I really don't listen to much classic rap at all. This was a fun album though. I recognized and liked passin me by.

polished jazzy hip hop. Good addition to Roots album, loving this type of sound recently

Iconic 90s hip hop, dope beats very good listen 4.2

Excellent album de classique rap, vulgaire à souhait, juste des bangers

Man, I haven't listened to this since college. "Pack the Pipe" is an underrated track

This sounds like a nice bridge between early 90's fun rap and mid 90's gangsta rap. I liked it.

NO es mi estilo, pero interesante refrescar el hip-hop de los principios. ¿Solo a mi me viene a la mente el Principe de Bel Air

Otha fish Passin me by good songs

Funny

This is a jam. I see their name a lot, but I don't think I could name a song. Standouts: soul flower. I will put this album on again. Seems like a grower.

Excelente, principalmente pra ouvir quando cansado do que ouço.

Diese Platte ist der Quellcode für jede Platte von Fettes Brot, den Samwer-Brüdern des Deutschraps.

Non-stop party album that blends authenticity of street life with goofs on smoking weed, ragging on homies and other characters in the hood. Flowing rhymes, sharp wit, fun beats, hilarious lyrics ("Ya Mama"). A refreshing counterpoint to the gangsta rap of the early 90s.

This album really stands out as an original, creative masterpiece. I could do without songs like Oh Sh**, but that's what the skip button is for.

It's just really good fun innit. Cartoonish, body popping, Richard Pryor sampling good fun.

they sound like will smith

Not my cup of tea (este tipo de música) pero no está mal

Awesome beats on this album. Some lines nowadays are quite cheesy, however, they represent hip-hop roots.

Was very close to giving this a 5 but I haven't for round to the last few tracks. Never heard of them before but this is lit, or fire, or whatever kids say to hype shit up.

A very good album. Crept up from a 5/10 to 8/10 on repeat listens. Shit and Jiggaboo are hilarious - I'm going to be saying "Oh Shit!" for the rest of my life now. 4 better or 4 worse has a smooth backbeat and does an odd turn halfway through where the song basically goes full Insane Clown Posse. I'm that type of Nigga is just a classically good hip hop intro track. They should have made it the opening track to the album. Soul Flower is a fun and bouncy jam - whoever the female rapper is kills it! On the DL has a hilarious skit in the middle about jacking off on the DL. unforgettable. I knew the album was something special when "Officer" had Flavor Flav as a guest and when they said "I got a letter from the DMV the other day" I busted up because I knew what they were doing. It's a play on public enemies "Black Steel in the hour of Chaos." That's genius! It is an innocent song and might be my favorite on the album. Yo mama is the low point of the album. Doesn't age well. Otha Fish and pack the pipe are forgettable, but pack the pipe does have a part when they get a kid high. It is controversial and interesting for sure. Passing me by is what this album is remembered for and it deserves that. It is an awesome song. Relatable, catchy, and ahead of its time. I found it interesting that they used the word "symp" 30 years before it was common. Excellent vocals in that chorus - stressing the word "passing," you can feel some pain. It would have been easy to mess that up. 8/10!!

bah c'est super 4

got some funny story lyrics yeah enjoyed listening to this very very much. also bonus points its jazz hip hop

absolutely loved this album! the rapping, production, lyrics, everything about it is so unique and interesting. thanks guys for the suggestion!

really 90s in the best way really good

Really fun album, the group dynamic worked well. I think it was kind of what I expect from an early 90s hip hop album. Felt a bit too unpolished though.

The debut by The Pharcyde is an insanely infectious good time. The group sounds like they are just having so much fun crafting and constructing their flows amongst the generally bare bones, upbeat and jazzy production. The beats are good, do the work they need to but isn't anything groundbreaking and honestly is probably the only thing holding this back from a 5/5. It's a great album because you can distinctly feel the good time vibes and you feel like you are right there along for the ride, and the ride is a joy.

Rating: 7/10 Best songs: I'm that type of nigga, Soul flower, Passin' me by

Classic party rap from my younger dayz. If you don't like this, you're just not cool, sorry.

Old school hip hop. Dig it. Remember these tunes from Tonk Hawk Pro Skater

In a time that Gangsta Rap and the East Coast / West Coast rivalry was ruling the airwaves, Pharcyde's Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde is a modern hip hop album in a classic style.

Itselle uusi tuttavuus. Oli pakko kuunnella kahdesti kun oli hyvä meno musassa. 3,5*

Clever and inventive.

The kind of a manic, funny, and catchy hip hop album that I’d expect from the early 90s classic Nickelodeon cartoon era album. I don’t know why, but when I hear this album all I can think about is that it exudes Ren and Stempy energy. Definitely should be called a “classic”- if you’re a native tongues fan on the east coast, then this is the west coast’s response to tribe, jungle brothers, and de la soul. If you like them, I can’t recommend this album more.

the antidote to gangster rap. creative, fun, no misogyny. what's not to like?

90s rap is so comforting

Good bit of old skool rap. 4