The Pharcyde

With aerobic beats, hooked-on-assonance raps and lyrics that allude to ass, alcohol and other adolescent follies, Bizarre Ride II is Grade-A old school hip-hop. Recording while Pharcyde were making the transition from backup dancers to West Coast indie rap pioneers, this album has an energy that wasn't present on their otherwise superior sophomore effort, Labcabincalifornia. Now if we could only track down Bizarre Ride I.

Surrealism in African American life, middle-class cutup division ("Ya Mama," "If I Were President," "It's Jiggaboo Time") (Grade - ***)