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Avg: 4.5 (151 ratings)
- Date Released: January 1, 1992
- Genre: Hip-Hop/R&B
- Style: Rap
- Label: Delicious Vinyl
Self-deprecating tales of schoolyard rejection and unrequited crushes.
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We Say...
“I guess a twinkle in her eye is just a twinkle in her eye…” — there are few rap songs that express the kind of child-sized yearning and despair of the Pharcyde’s 1993 hit “Passin’ Me By.” Built on a sweltering Quincy Jones loop, “Passin’ Me By” was a hip-hop anomaly, the then-teenaged Pharcyde spinning self-deprecating tales of schoolyard rejection and unrequited crushes, using words like “rooty-toot” and “nincompoop” and generally peddling themselves as the softest guys in the room. Mike Ross, the head of their label, Delicious Vinyl, perfectly captured their sensibility: “The Pharcyde were trying to dodge the bullets, not shoot them.”
The Pharcyde’s 1992 debut, Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde, was a revelation, balancing sunny moments like the sappy “Soul Flower,” the slapstick “Oh Shit” and “Ya Mama” and the wistful “Passin’ Me By” with the dark “4 Better or 4 Worse” and the caustic “It’s Jigaboo Time” (check out the rarely seen, natives-gone-wild video here). Bizarre Ride stoked many imaginations — Ross called it Los Angeles’ version of De La Soul’s 3 Feet High and Rising — but the moment for a breezy, carefree rap outfit, even one hailing from South Central Los Angeles, would be brief. Later that year Dr. Dre released The Chronic, and soon Nas, Wu-Tang Clan and the Notorious B.I.G. would recapture the flag for a grimmer, tougher New York. -
They Say...
The cover shot of a Fat Albert-ized Pharcyde roller coasting 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-mic 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 "Passing 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.
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16 Total Tracks, 56:43 Total Length
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Credits
- Cedar Walton - Vocals // Cedar Walton - Vocals // Cedar Walton - Voices // Cedar Walton - Voices // Buckwheat - Rap // The Pharcyde - Vocals (Background) // The Pharcyde - Producer // The Pharcyde - Main Performer // Mark Heimback-Nielsen - Package Design // J-Swift - Bass // J-Swift - Piano // J-Swift - Scratching // J-Swift - Vocals (Background) // J-Swift - Producer // J-Swift - Fender Rhodes // J-Swift - Scraper // L.A. Jae - Producer // James B. Mansfield - Engineer // Joe Primeau - Mixing // Joe Primeau - Mixing Engineer // J. Swift - Bass // J. Swift - Piano // J. Swift - Scratching // J. Swift - Vocals (Background) // J. Swift - Producer // J. Swift - Fender Rhodes // Leslie Cooney - Vocals // Leslie Cooney - Voices // Fatlip - Scratching // JMD - Drums // Brandon Padilla - Vocals (Background) // Greg Padilla - Vocals (Background) // Eric Sarafin - Engineer // Eric Sarafin - Mixing // Eric Sarafin - Mixing Engineer // Slim Kid 3 - Producer // Doug Boehm - Engineer // Al Phillips - Engineer // Jim Ervin - Engineer // Michael C. Ross - Executive Producer // Rahsaan Kelly - Vocals (Background)
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