Labcabincalifornia [PA]

The change in the Pharcyde between the group's first and second albums can best be summed up by the variation in album covers. Where BIZARRE RIDE II THE PHARCYDE depicted a cartoon version of the four rappers twisted and turned by a wild rollercoaster ride, LABCABINCALIFORNIA shows the real rap quartet in Southern white suits in a somewhat posed group photo. Where the former showcases wonderful, youthful chaos with skits and ideas that are woven together with little attention to logic, the latter is an album of distinct five-minute story songs. Moreover, the concepts on LABCABINCALIFORNIA are more complex and intellectual--even political--than those of BIZARRE, which dealt primarily with relationship issues.
The politics are much subtler than the rants of a group such as Public Enemy, but are unmistakably present. If P.E. is the publisher of a subversive newspaper against an evil state, the Pharcyde is a group of poets who live on the hill--both are effective in their own way. The Pharcyde's nuance carries into its lyricism. Although not particularly complex, the group's rhymes are casually catchy, so much so you'll have fragments of "Runnin'", "Y?", and "Drop" roaming through your cranium for days, if not years.|