Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde (1992)

Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde is the debut album by the American hip-hop group the Pharcyde. It was released on November 24, 1992, through Delicious Vinyl. The album was produced by J-Swift, and features Buckwheat of the Wascals on two tracks. In the years after its release, Bizarre Ride has been hailed by music critics and alternative hip-hop fans as a classic hip-hop album and has appeared in numerous publications' "best albums" lists.

Released during the dominant gangsta rap era of West Coast hip-hop, Bizarre Ride was described as "refreshing" due to its playful, light-hearted humor and lush, jazzy production. Along with albums such as To Whom It May Concern... by Freestyle Fellowship, and I Wish My Brother George Was Here by Del tha Funkee Homosapien, Bizarre Ride helped establish a new alternative scene on the West Coast, followed by artists such as Hieroglyphics, the Coup and Jurassic 5. Despite its wide critical acclaim, the album produced only moderate sales, peaking at No. 75 on the Billboard 200 album chart in 1993. However, on the strength of the second single, "Passin' Me By", the album was certified gold in sales by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on March 28, 1996.

Conception

Background

High school friends "Slimkid3" (Tre Hardson), "Imani" (Emandu Wilcox) and "Bootie Brown" (Romye Robinson) began their career in the entertainment industry as dancers and choreographers under the moniker "Two For Two", making numerous appearances in music videos. Their most notable exposure came with a short stint on the television show In Living Color. While working on the show, the group met their future manager Suave, then a road manager for Candyman and Tone Loc. The trio met Derrick "Fatlip" Stewart and producer John "J-Swift" Martinez at an after-school music program called South Central Unit. The program's teacher, Reggie Andrews, taught the group about essential elements of the music industry, and later oversaw the group's writing and recording sessions. While attending SCU, the group recorded their first demo tape, which included the track "Ya Mama". In 1991, the group signed a deal with Delicious Vinyl Records, following a performance of the track "Ya Mama" at an artist showcase. Soon after, the group made their first notable appearance, with the track "Soul Flower", released on the Heavy Rhyme Experience album by the Brand New Heavies.

Recording

The four emcees, along with producer J-Swift, began recording Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde in late 1991. The first sessions were held at Paramount Recording Studios, which the group disliked as they found it too large for their needs. Additionally, they had to leave frequently because renting the studio full-time was too costly. To solve this, Delicious Vinyl's founder and the album's executive producer Mike Ross rented a smaller studio, Hollywood Sounds, where the group could work on the album without interruptions. J-Swift produced 10 songs and five interludes—15 of the album's 16 tracks. Before the completion of the album, Swift had a falling-out with the group over internal problems. He claimed that he was not properly compensated for his work, and that the other group members had tried to take production credit, when he had crafted all the beats himself. Upon leaving, he recommended them a school friend, John "L.A. Jay" Barnes. L.A. Jay helped the group with the production on the final song, "Otha Fish".

Accounts differ on the duration of the recording process, with Slimkid3 saying it took nine months, while Mike Ross says it was six or seven months. The group left a song off the album called "My Man", due to it being unfinished and the label deciding to wrap the album because of inner group conflicts. According to Bootie Brown, the group intended to record four or five other songs for the album. "It wasn't a complete project", says the artist.