If ever there was a rap album that everyone should own, it’s
"Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde."
Yeah, I know that’s a pretty bold statement there, one that will
no doubt bring a flood of angry e-mails from dismissive
hip-hop-heads, but I’m sticking to it. The 1992 debut of the West
Coast MCs who made an impressive splash, then all but disappeared,
"Bizarre Ride" is just so cool in so many ways, it’s tough to know
where to start. In both content and form, the Pharcyde produced a
disc that should be remembered as one of the best of the ’90s.
Tragically, it’s not remembered as such, so I’ll try and bring it
back into the spotlight for a bit.
I bought this album during a particularly embarrassing phase in
my life: that of the gangsta rap fan. Yes, when I was around 14 or
so, I decided that hip hop was the way to go and invested heavily
in the sounds of Dr. Dre, Onyx and Ice Cube. It was insane, I tell
you – I even bought an MC Solaar tape so I could hear rap in French
and feel cultured.
Granted, in retrospect my foray into rap wasn’t particularly
daring, and if I’d tried to do any of the tough guy things they
were rapping about, I’d have probably been laughed at and slapped
around. I’d have deserved it, too, because my appreciation was
extremely superficial, and not at all based in any sort of genuine
understanding of the music.
As I grew older, I realized that perhaps my bootleg copy of
"Doggystyle" wasn’t quite as hardcore as I’d once thought. I slowly
gave up on my rap tapes, not because they were bad, but because I
saw that it was a little ridiculous for a teenager from suburban
San Diego to be bumpin’ to the phat beats of Compton. And while
Snoop and Dre were eventually given away to other misguided white
people, "Bizarre Ride" always stayed in my CD rotation.
Why? Not for any of the reasons why most people like rap. The
lyrics are pretty good, but not amazing. The Pharcyde’s not waving
too many political flags here, nor are they rallying around
anything I want to fight for. The music? Once again, good but not
amazing. Listen to Public Enemy or Dre if you want amazing
production, not the Pharcyde. This isn’t to say that it totally
lacks merit, just that nobody really trumpets the album as a
classic. There’s no logical reason why I should like this album so
much.
But I do.
Here’s why: it just makes you feel good. Sorry, nothing deep
there. No profound music scholarship about how "Bizarre Ride"
influences listeners with major keys and polyrhythmic patterns.
It’s catchy, it’s funny, it’s easy to understand. This isn’t
complex music; if a geeky 14-year- old can get it, anyone can. And
once you understand it, it’s irresistible.
This isn’t a great album for singles – "Passin’ Me By" was
pretty popular, and "Return of the B-Boy" should’ve been – but as a
complete package, it’s really hard to beat. With 11 songs and 5
interludes, it really is a bizarre ride.
Once you wind your way through the crazed roller coaster that
graces the cover, you’ll have visited all kinds of subjects,
ranging from hassles with the cops, accidental dating of a
transvestite, misguided puppy love, presidential spending policy
and some guy’s extraordinarily unpleasant mom. Actually, nasty
mamas are a recurring theme in the album, come to think of it.
The hosts, Imani, Bootie Brown, Fat Lip, Slim Kid and J- Swift,
former dancers on "In Living Color," no less, are awfully good at
putting together a killer jam. They throw together great samples,
live instruments and pretty decent rapping on song after song,
making for an excellent collection. J-Swift and Fat Lip are more
than competent on the wheels of steel, and all the MCs can most
definitely rock the mic right. Maybe "Ya Mama" and "4 Better or 4
Worse" aren’t going down as classics of rap vocals, but they’re
just as good as anything you’ll find on most hip hop albums.
Besides, where else can you hear someone claiming, "Ya mama’s an
extra on the Simpsons?"
Looking for a good track to get a party going? Look no further
than "Soulflower," a remix of a previous collaboration with
labelmate Brand New Heavies. As the Fender Rhodes keyboard plods
along steadily, J-Swift serves up some tasty samples and the boys
grab their mics and rock. The infectious beat, combined with the
sing-songy vocals will motivate even the stodgiest old fogies to
attempt dancing. Lord knows, my roommate freshman year walked in on
me attempting to bust a move to this track many a time. It’s just
so damn catchy, it forces you to like it.
Unfortunately, the Pharcyde never really lived up to this
really, really promising start. "Bizarre Ride" went gold, true, but
it soon faded from memory. The group’s second release
"Labcabincalifornia" had some good stuff, but not on par with
"Bizarre Ride" and after that … not much at all. Some critics
would pick on the Pharcyde for this short- lasting impact, but I
can’t pass judgment that quickly. I think that any band that could
put out an album this good, whether as a debut or as the
culmination of a 30 year career, should be remembered.
I can only praise "Bizarre Ride" so much; the real proof is on
the music itself. So next time you’ve got a couple bucks to spare
in the record store, give it a try. It won’t change your life or
anything, but it’ll make living it a lot more fun.
Hopkins is not a trained hip hop critic, so don’t hold his
ignorance against him. E-mail [email protected] to better inform
him.