Pharoahe Monch ft. Jill Scott – “Still Standing” (Duck Down / 2012)
Powerful video from Monch’s 2011 album “W.A.R.”.
Pharoahe Monch ft. Jill Scott – “Still Standing” (Duck Down / 2012)
Powerful video from Monch’s 2011 album “W.A.R.”.
Venue: The Jazz Cafe, London Date: 30 October 2011
Stood at the front of London’s Jazz Cafe stage, one arm raised, a defiant look on his face, legendary NY emcee Pharoahe Monch made it very clear what the venue’s packed crowd could expect minutes into his one-off show.”I came here tonight to represent for lyricism in Hip-Hop,” the former Organized Konfusion member stated. “This is for the heads. If you’re a new Pharoahe Monch fan tonight might not be for you.”
It’s almost unbelievable to think that it’s been 20 years since a youthful Monch debuted alongside friend and rhyme partner Prince Po, launching their brand of cerebral wordplay out of the New York borough of Queens and into the rap history books.On this particular night, it was clear Monch wanted to ensure the audience knew that the passion and love for Hip-Hop that fuelled his art two decades ago was still the inspiration behind his music today.
Accompanied by X-ecutioner DJ Boogie Blind, Pharoahe immediately launched into tracks from his current album “W.A.R”, including the expert verbal explosion that is “Evolve”. Reaching back to his 2007 album “Desire”, Monch announced he was going to perform the three-part tale of betrayal “Trilogy” in its entirety for the first time, bringing the track’s dark lyrics to life via one-man theatre (complete with a plastic gun, flowers and police tape as stage props).
Vocalists Mela Machinko and Showtyme were missing-in-action this time around, but rather than take anything away from the overall performance it allowed Pharoahe to totally dominate the stage, perhaps even giving the veteran wordsmith the opportunity to perform tracks better suited to the one emcee / one deejay show format.
The playfully arrogant “F**k You” had the crowd shouting the hook alongside a gleeful Monch, whilst the anti-police brutality anthem “Clap (One Day)” was brought to a rousing finale as the asthmatic lyricist recited the track’s final verse accompanied only by the sound of the audience clapping rapidly in unison.A short but effective display of turntable brilliance from Boogie Blind was met with loud appreciation, as the gifted deejay proved that practice really does make perfect by destroying LL Cool J’s “Rock The Bells” with a respectful nod to the late Grandmaster Roc Raida.
With Pharoahe promising to take the crowd back in time, it was slightly surprising, and mildly disappointing, that he only went as far back as material from his 1999 debut solo set “Internal Affairs”, choosing not to dig into the classics contained on Organized Konfusion’s three albums.
Yet by the time the “Godzilla” sample from the night’s obvious closer “Simon Says” sent the Hip-Hop faithful into an instant frenzy, it was obvious that nobody was going to be asking for their money back.
Ryan Proctor
Pharoahe Monch ft. Styles P & Phonte – “Black Hand Side” (Duck Down Music / 2011)
Taken from the former Organized Konfusion emcee’s recent album “W.A.R.”.
Pharoahe Monch
“W.A.R.”
(Duck Down Music)
There are rappers. There are emcees. Then there’s an artist like Pharoahe Monch. A virtual demi-god amongst discerning Hip-Hop heads, the lyrical king from Queens has been amazing listeners with his verbal gymnastics for precisely twenty years now, having debuted in 1991 as one-half of Organized Konfusion alongside childhood friend Prince Po.
The pair’s debut single, the upbeat “Fudge Pudge”, was definitely a dope head-nodder that sat well amongst the jazz-infused sounds of the time from the likes of Main Source and Tribe, but it only hinted at the lyrical explosions that were to be heard on Organized’s self-titled debut album released later that same year. Cuts such as the complex “Releasing Hypnotical Gases” and concept-driven “Prisoners Of War” found the pair playing with flows, verse structure and language like poetical mad scientists, mixing the influences of golden-age heroes such as Big Daddy Kane and Kool G. Rap with their own love of comic books, science-fiction and vocabulary.
Although the duo released three albums as a partnership, it’s 1994’s “Stress (The Extinction Agenda)”, OK’s darker sophomore effort, that most fans consider to be their best, thanks to its almost flawless blend of brilliant wordplay and classic dusty-fingered production. It was also with this album that Organized stans really began to argue over who was the better out of the two, Monch or Po?
To say that Pharoahe consistently outshone Prince would be unfair, as both were masters of their craft. However, on their 1991 debut the pair had seemed evenly matched, yet on its follow-up Monch did begin to gain more attention, not necessarily because of what he was saying, but how he was saying it. Classic Pharoahe verses on the album’s title track and the legendary Buckwild remix of “Bring It On” found the former musical student of the late, great Paul C. gleefully playing with the constraints of structured rhymes, stretching out lines for effect, stuttering words, adopting different vocal tones, and generally rubbing the faces of lesser emcees in the enormity of his lyrical might.
All of which meant that by the time Organized Konfusion went their separate ways following 1997’s “The Equinox”, the rap world was hungry for a Monch solo project. A craving that was satisfied by 2000’s Rawkus-released “Internal Affairs”, which of course featured the timeless crowd-pleaser “Simon Says”.
But after such a memorable beginning to his solo career, Pharoahe’s output over the last decade has been sporadic to say the least, with Monch not releasing a follow up to the critically-acclaimed “Internal Affairs” until 2007’s “Desire”. So it’s something of an understatement to say that lyric-lovers have been heavily anticipating this new album from the self-proclaimed “God’s gift to vocabulary” since news broke of Pharoahe’s partnership with independent powerhouse Duck Down. With great power comes great responsbility, as the saying goes.
Straight off the bat, let it be said that “W.A.R.” is a good album. Is it a classic? No. Is it an album that sounds like it should’ve taken four years to complete? Probably not. But does it sound as though Monch has gotten lazy with the pen or lost his creative spark? Definitely not.
Although Pharoahe’s delivery may be a little more subdued and refined than his earlier excursions on wax, that doesn’t mean that his lyrical prowess has become any less impressive. One of Monch’s best performances on the album comes early on the Exile-produced “Evolve”. Over ethereal choir vocals the talented lyrical technician toys with his flow and cadence, delivering playful lines such as “So phenomenal with mics I don’t like myself, Sadomasochist emcee, I bite myself…”, subtly building a complex web of wordplay that hits from every angle with punchlines, metaphors and rhymes within rhymes.
The Marco Polo-produced title track sounds like theme music to a protest march, capturing the essence of Monch’s renegade rap persona perfectly with stomping drums and a searing rock guitar solo from Living Colour’s Vernon Reid. Amidst the chaotic soundbed, Pharoahe covers media manipulation, genetic experiments and New World Order dictatorship, claiming that he’s “guilty as charged if intellect’s a crime”.
The anti-police brutality anthem “Clap (One Day)” finds Australian producer M-Phazes doing his best DJ Premier impersonation, whilst the soulful “Black Hand Side” features a sensitive-yet-streetwise Styles P pouring out heartfelt ghetto angst as Monch ponders the future of today’s younger generation as they attempt to navigate their way through the senseless violence of the inner-city.
The Diamond D-produced “Shine” is another immediate standout, with the D.I.T.C. member supplying a warm backdrop of thumping beats and melodic chimes, as the asthmatic emcee boasts how “each line of speech is designed to transcend time”, with songstress Mela Machinko’s gritty vocals adding an organic dimension to the track.
“The Hitman” is proof of how a skilled lyricist can make familiar subject matter sound fresh, as Monch targets music industry politics and the lack of support for underground rap artists, attacking the obvious without saying the obvious (“If you are not performing fellatio for radio rotation, What’s the ratio for radio play at your station? If you’re not paying to play the record is dead, Puts a whole new spin on Radiohead”).
On the inspirational “Still Standing”, a beautiful blend of soaring strings and horns, Pharoahe ponders how challenges he’s faced both personal and professional have shaped the man and artist he is today.
Whilst fans will have little to complain about when it comes to the quality level of Monch’s rhymes throughout “W.A.R.”, the same cannot be said for some of his beat choices. “Let My People Go” is built around solid but unsurprising production from Fatin “10” Horton, whilst performances from Jean Grae and Royce Da 5’9″ on “Assassins” are hampered by a track that just doesn’t have the impact to match each emcee’s dynamic vocal presence.
“The Grand Illusion (Circa 1973)”, a rock/rap hybrid, also fails, sounding like a cross between an outtake off the last album from The Roots and a hungover Rage Against The Machine.
Yet that said, “W.A.R.” is still a strong effort that will do nothing to damage Monch’s reputation as one of the most advanced microphone masters of his generation. To still even be in the music business two decades after your debut would be considered a success by some, but for Monch to still be considered one of the best in his field twenty years after first unleashing his skills on the world is a testament to both his integrity and artistic individuality. Let’s just hope it doesn’t take the NYC legend another four years to drop his fourth solo album.
Or would an Organized Konfusion reunion project perhaps be too much to ask for?
Ryan Proctor
Posted in Album Reviews, East Coast Hip-Hop
Tagged Duck Down Music, East Coast Hip-Hop, Fudge Pudge, Independent Hip-Hop, Internal Affairs, Jean Grae, M-Phazes, Marco Polo, Organized Konfusion, Pharoahe Monch, Prince Po, Rawkus Records, Royce Da 5'9, Stress (The Extinction Agenda), Styles P, The Equinox, Underground Hip-Hop, W.A.R., We Are Renegades
TheHipHopChronicle.Com caught up with Monch in Texas at SXSW 2011 to talk about his new album, working with Nate Dogg and collaborating with Immortal Technique.
Pharoahe Monch interview and freestyle on Canada’s The Come-Up Show – some interesting comments about the current state of the rap game made here.
The former Organized Konfusion emcee talks about his long-awaited album “W.A.R.” on VladTV.
Pharoahe Monch – “Clap (One Day)” (Duck Down / 2011)
Hard-hitting ten-minute video clip for this attack on police brutality from Monch’s long-awaited album “W.A.R.”
New online promo video for Monch’s heavily-anticipated album “W.A.R.”.
Footage of Pharoahe Monch doing radio promo in London on Kiss FM and 1Xtra.
Kiss FM with DJ MK & Shortee Blitz.
1Xtra with Tim Westwood.