Pharoahe Monch
Pharoahe Monch is widely regarded as of best lyrical flowing mc’s in the game. His creative motivation & output has been consistent even after 20 years on the…
Pharoahe Monch is widely regarded as of best lyrical flowing mc’s in the game. His creative motivation & output has been consistent even after 20 years on the scene, even regarded by the likes of Eminem for always being ahead of his time.
His 1998 highly touted solo debut, Internal Affairs, crafted one of the greatest underground Hip-Hop albums ever with soul driven melody on songs like “Queens” and the crowd moving hit, “Simon Says”, which became a monster single, propelling Monch to commercial success. The song appeared in the blockbuster movie Charlie’s Angels, as well as Boiler Room, which also featured “Right Here”.
Pharoahe would not release another solo project for several years. He did still make some songs and guest appearances however. In 2000 he featured with Mos Def and Nate Dogg on the hit song “Oh No” from the Rawkus compilation record Lyricist Lounge 2. He contributed the song “Fuck You” to the Training Day soundtrack in 2001, and rapped the theme song to Madden NFL 2002. In 2003 Pharoahe released his final single through Rawkus Records, “Agent Orange”, a war inspired song which revisited the 1991 Organized Konfusion track “Releasing Hypnotical Gases”.
In June 2007, Monch released his second solo album, Desire to critical acclaim. Monch said about the album; “…it’s very soulful, very gospel, a fresh, new sound for me.” The album’s lead single was the self-produced track “Push”, with “Let’s Go” as its B-Side.
Pharoahe Monch released his third solo album W.A.R. (We Are Renegades) in March 2011. It featured guest appearances from Jill Scott, Styles P, Citizen Cope, Jean Grae, Royce da 5’9″, Immortal Technique, Vernon Reid, Phonte, Mr. Porter, Mela Machinko, Showtyme & DJ Boogie Blind. Pharoahe revealed that the album is a “throwback to 1993, ’94 hip-hop” and featured production by Exile, Marco Polo, M-Phazes, Fatin, Diamond D, Mike Loe, Samiyam, Adam Deitch, Eric Krasno and Pharoahe Monch himself.
Pharoahe Monch‘s “Lost In Translation” is a collection of previously released songs from his solo albums as well as features from 2000 to 2015. Love being the consistent theme birthed the decision for a Valentine’s Day 2015 release. Featured on this set are appearances from Justin Timberlake, Jill Scott, Eric Roberson, dEnAuN, Brandon Williams, Sergio Mendes, Will.I.Am, Robert Glasper, Sa Ra, and Mela Machinko. The set also features one new track “Home (HGH)” featuring Phonte and Tamisha.
Pharoahe Monch featured the acclaimed UK band Ezra Collective backing him on his highly successful Europe tour in 2015 & 2016, and has since performed at several major festivals and venues across the US and Europe.