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WAIT! Before the Dillaphiles attack me, let me make sure that everyone else agrees with me.
Labcabin is a great album, don't get me wrong. Drop, Runnin, Somethin That Means Somethin...so many classics.
But I actually had a conversation with a couple of hip hop heads, and they BOTH said Labcabin is the classic Pharcyde album, NOT Bizarre Ride.
A-WHAAAAAAAAAAAA?
Bizarre Ride is one of the most fun if not THE most fun hip hop album of all time, period. It manages to show incredible lyrical dexterity, and an earnest playfulness that is insanely infectious. But it goes beyond that. The beats are RIDICULOUS. If Soulflower Remix doesn't make you nod your head, then you my friend are paralyzed. Call a doctor immediately, I'm legitimately concerned about your health. This album is FULL of roll-through-your-city-with-the-windows-down JAMS that simply can't be topped. The Dilla beats on Labcabin are all great, but with a couple of exceptions, they're more like roll-through-a-highway-surrounded-by-fields-of-corn-as-the-sun-sets jams. I want those instantly catchy, break your neck, yell the lyrics to the goofy ass chorus jams. There is no other album in hip hop history that achieves the type of energy, humor, and wild temperament that the Pharcyde achieves on Bizarre Ride.
If you guys want the later one, the one that's a bit more laidback, a bit less funny, but also has some classics, that's cool. Seriously. Labcabin's a great album. Do you, friend.
But you're missing part of your brain if you think it's the classic Pharcyde album, the FIRST one that deserves mention in the "What are the essential classic hip hop albums?" conversation. Whether I'm talkin to a hip hop head OR someone who's never listened to the Pharcyde, I'm poppin Bizarre Ride into the CD player first.
I get this funny feeling that the mellower hippier Dillaphile people on the board are gonna say I'm wrong. I don't care what two records Dilla cut together to make a song, or what sample he flipped. It's not a diss to Labcabin, which is another one of my favorites. But it ain't as good as Bizarre Ride. The beats are better, the lyrics are better, the energy is better. Bizarre Ride wins. My movies: http://russellhainline.com My movie reviews: https://letterboxd.com/RussellHFilm/ My beer TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thebeertravelguide
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