The artist formerly known as Kanye West knows what it takes to make a classic album. You could stick two hip hop heads in a room all afternoon, and they wouldn’t be able to agree about their favourite album, yet, for Ye, he is cocksure about the best record of all time, and it’s a 1990s classic.
West’s career saw him create a name for himself famously as a producer rather than a rapper, and the technical aspect of the music industry continues to be something that he is drawn to. It didn’t take long for Yeezy to work his way up the hip hop ladder, and before he knew it, he was working for names that he grew up idolising.
2004 was the year that Kanye went into the stratosphere following College Dropout, which was dripping in artistic integrity, just like the old-school hip-hop act that he believes created the greatest album of all time.
During a press conference from his early days, Ye was asked about the subject. After contemplating for half a moment, he said, “It’s Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde, that’s my favourite album of all time.”
In response to the admission, founding Pharcyde member Slimkid3 wrote on his website, “I had been hearing about Kanye West wanting to link up with us from friends that have talked to him, or that he will sometimes cover ‘Otha Fish’ or ‘Passin’ Me By’ on stage. I’d hear that and I’d always thought ‘that’s hella cool.’ But when I actually saw the video clip of him saying that his favourite album of all time was Bizzare Ride II the Pharcyde. I was like ‘Oh my God! He just did that!'”
He added, “It was straight off the cuff, no pauses…in a perfect flow. I was like, hell yeah! It’s really an honour to hear how our music has inspired some many different people all across the board—and now another generation of great artists, too. This was a special moment because, of all the artists that have given us shouts over the years, Kanye West is really one of the tops in the industry right now. A real game-changer.”
Furthermore, Slimkid3 even acknowledged how West has become an inspiration to him, noting, “I love how he is raw with it—always saying what’s on his mind like BAM! I’m feeling that. Also, after watching his 30-minute long video for “Runaway,” I was completely blown away. I love that kind of creativity in people. Kanye West comes with it. Shit, just his beats alone are amazing. They’re raw and they’re edgy.”
The Pharcyde’s sideways approach to hip-hop is one that Ye has taken to new heights over the last number of decades. Moreover, he’s helped make the alternative part of the genre rise to the forefront rather than lay low on the periphery like it did when Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde arrived in 1992.