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A book covering the debut album of the Pharcyde, a foursome that were as relatable as they were cartoonish and as much an inner city cipher as a suburban boys gang.

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As immediately believable as they were cartoonish, as much an inner city cipher as a suburban boys gang, the foursome that made up the Pharcyde were the most relatable MCs to ever pass the mic. On their debut and magnum opus Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde, they created a record almost overstuffed with possibility, the sound of four restless man-children fresh out of their teens, finding a perfect outlet in a form of music that was just as young and fertile.

And like the product of any adolescent, Bizarre Ride wears its contrarianism and contradictions on its sleeve. It´s a party album about shyness and unrequited love. A swirl of jubilant L.A. psychedelia recorded in the midst of the Rodney King trial. A blast of black consciousness that still makes room to poke fun at Public Enemy and reference the Pixies. A dense, sophisticated sonic stew punctuated by yo mama jokes and prank calls. While hip-hop was already calcifying its tropes of steely machismo and aspirational fantasy, Bizarre Ride was a pure distillation of the average hip-hop listener´s actual lifestyle-the joys and sorrows of four guys who were young, broke, sexually frustrated, and way too clever for their own good. A touchstone for Kanye West, Drake, Lil B and a whole generation of off-center MCs, Bizarre Ride sketched out a whole strata of emotions that other rappers hadn´t yet dared to tackle, and to a certain extent, still haven´t.

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Track Listing
Interlude: 4 Better and 4 Worse
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Interlude: If I Were President
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Interlude: Quinton´s Here
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter TenChapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Interlude: The Pipe
Chapter Fifteen
Acknowledgements
Works Cited

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The book traces the album´s fitful creation through its release, and shows how five guys who were never as good apart as they were together could shine so bright on a single album. Vinyl Me, Please

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