10 Perfect Albums From The Golden Age Of Hip Hop

10. Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde - The Pharcyde (1992)

When gangsta rap dominated the West Coast scene, many hip hop artists were delivering an aggressive and hardcore variant of the art form. Detailing the harsh realities of living in impoverished areas, the mood was dictated by the themes of gun crime and police brutality. The Pharcyde's debut flipped the genre on its head, however. Notable for the use of jazz and Motown samples, the tone was far more carefree.

Fatlip, Bootie Brown, Imani and Slimkid3, laced their story telling with humour. Tracks like, Ya Mama, sounded akin to a bunch of kids collectively trading insults, with ever more inventive twists. Fatlip's lyrics, particularly, were delivered with such a tongue in cheek sentiment that it's impossible not to laugh at the coarseness of them. On s**t, hears the group recount embarrassing drunken anecdotes, which again, are as humorous as they are crude.

But the album's highlight comes in the form of Passin' Me By. Producer J-Swift, utilised samples from The Jimi Hendrix Experience and Quincy Jones, to create a uniquely memorable beat. The group delivered various verses alluding to the inability to score a date. Although popular conservative opinion, regarded rap as the music of violence, these guys proved otherwise.