#482 The Pharcyde, 'Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde' (1992)

New Entry.

The first Hip Hop album to make an appearance. Before doing the countdown last time, I hadn’t really actively listened to Hip Hop. Aside from what I heard on the radio or from friends, it wasn’t my genre of choice. The list opened my mind last time and continues to do so.

I’ve never listened to The Pharcyde. I blame my ex-housemates for that. But seriously, I hadn’t listened to them before today and I’m quite upset about that. I’ve listened to this album 3 times today. And that’s not because I was looking for things to like about it, it’s because I was looking for more things to love about it. This is exactly what I’m looking for in a Hip Hop record. Danceable beats, smooth rhymes, good production and intelligent lyrics.

This, the debut record by The Pharcyde, was critically acclaimed on release but only received modest sales. It took 3.5-ish years to be certified Gold, thanks to the success of the single, ‘Passin’ Me By’ (ok, I lied, I know this song). Chris Rock ranked it at #5 on his Top 25 Hip Hop Albums list and Yeezy himself, Kanye West has stated that it’s his favourite album of all time. Now if that’s not an endorsement, I don’t know what is.  

#rs500albums