Classic Clash: 3 Feet High and Rising vs. Bizzare Ride II the Pharcyde

By Shelby Powell

1990 and the years surrounding it were primarily known for the gangsta sub genre. Digital Underground, Poor Righteous Teachers and Brand Nubian were making a few ripples in the musical pond, but the street hustle and all of its urban accoutrements were king and everyone wanted to be the nigga you love to hate like Ice Cube.  However, there was a new, light hearted movement afoot; one that would give the Hip-Hop optimists a light at the end of the hard core tunnel.

Like flowers blooming through cracks in the concrete, De La Soul managed to usher in the DA.I.S.Y. Age during hard core Hip-Hop’s rein. Their whimsical, quirky presentation belied some thoughtful lyricism, but nevertheless was in direct opposition to the dark urban realism of their contemporaries. Their freshman album, 3 Feet High and Rising, was a distinctive jaunt off the beaten path and provided a welcome respite from the lyrical gun play that inundated the airwaves.  They also opened the door for other rap acts who didn’t want to play the studio gangster role.  One of the first and arguably the best to bum rush that entryway was The Pharcyde.

Bizzare Ride II the Pharcyde was an album constructed in the same vein of 3 Feet High and Rising.  Multi-layered, robust tracks with definite jazz influence were the foundation for a group of animated emcees who twisted the craziest of topics around their little fingers.  Like 3 Feet High.., it was fresh and amusing with a tinge of depth that didn’t get lost in all of the random madness that made the album great.  But which one was better?

Of course De La gets props for drawing up the blue print for the alternative sound.  The spontaneity that fueled the studio sessions for 3 Feet High.. is apparent.  There was no precedent for what they were doing.  They created the formula as they recorded drawing from raw talent and their father’s dusty record collections instead of tried and true methodology.  It was shocking in its silliness, deft in its lyricism and successful in making your head nod.  From fashion lames to stinky people to high school harlots, no one in your graduating class was untouched.  The album managed to sum up the youthful Hip-Hop experience and deliver that life to you in stereo. It was a musical gumbo that maintained its focus and its one of the best albums in the history of Hip-Hop.

Then Pharcyde released Bizarre Ride.. and it was clear the alternative path had become bi-coastal.  The album fit neatly into the burgeoning sub-genre but it was strikingly different from 3 Feet High.. in many ways.  The production was less random; a more streamlined jazz sound that incorporated live instrumentation.  The lyricism was delightfully silly at times yet maintained a harder edge.  There was a stronger sexual component and definitely more profanity. There was hubris, but deeper self-analysis. It was in many folks opinion, a little more Hip Hop.

The album incorporated a myriad of topics while maintaining perfect cohesion through the production. Pharcyde tackled the subject of homicide and managed to juxtapose it against jacking off in the same song without losing the listener.  They bodied the dozens game and ya moma and even gave a lesson on how to conduct the perfect creepy obscene phone call.  There were melancholy tales of love lost, stories about banging your best friends mother and even an embarrassing recollection of getting fooled by the neighborhood transvestite.  It was a lyrical wild out that made you laugh but you never forgot these dudes had a rhyme skill set out of this world.  The album was a masterpiece of mayhem and has been hailed as a classic by fans and critics alike.

So there you have it.  The fledgling days of alterna-hop managed to spawn two of the most masterful rap pieces know to the nation.  The acclaim for 3 Feet High.. was immediate while Bizzare Ride.. took years to completely ascend to its level of praise, but they met at the rap crossroads to champion Hip-Hop’s road less traveled together.  They can’t both be king of the hill though.  Which is the dopest?

 

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