What if Kool G Rap's second album came out approximately eight years after his first? That would be a period long enough to leap from Road to the Riches to Roots of Evil, over Wanted: Dead or Alive, Live and Let Die, and 4, 5, 6. While it's an unfair analogy to make -- for many reasons -- when talking about the frustrating lag between Internal Affairs and Desire, it's a helpful one to think about if you're approaching Desire with the expectation of hearing Internal Affairs, Vol. 2. On Internal Affairs, a track-to-track strongarm tactic to reach more ears without too many creative concessions, Pharoahe Monch toughened up. It paid off to an extent: "Simon Says" and "Right Here" were loved by plenty of people who didn't know Organized Konfusion from Organized Noize. Pharoahe could've attempted to capitalize on the momentum, but he crept low, releasing the occasional single and compilation track (like "Agent Orange" and "What Is the Law"), and collaborating when the right situation presented itself (like Talib Kweli's "Guerrilla Monsoon Rap" and J Dilla's "Love"). As a result, Desire is a taut and focused work that energizes, packed densely with typically Monch-like quotables that might take a couple listens to catch. Production-wise, it's quite different from Internal Affairs, incorporating gritty gospel, anthemic funk, and laid-back soul (not to mention an ambitious, sprawling, three-part finale), along with a measured amount of material that sounds more like a logical extension of Pharoahe's past. Altogether, it's a brighter, bolder set of tracks. The lone trip-up is a well-intentioned cover of Public Enemy's "Welcome to the Terrordome"; despite a relevant added verse, no one can reinterpret Chuck D and the Bomb Squad at the peak of their powers without coming up a little short. This is the kind of album that could only be made by a veteran who knows the difference between running your mouth and speaking when you have something to say, and not many elder MCs can say they were as vital in their mid-thirties as they were in their early twenties.
Happy Halloween y'all, and Happy Birthday to Pharoahe Monch. What better way to celebrate the man, then with a new video. Today, Pharoahe asked us to premiere his new video for "Welcome To The Terrodome," one of the many standout tracks from hist last LP, Desire . The song, as you should know, is a remake of the Public Enemy smash bearing the same name. The song is nearly 20 years old an...
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Check out the video of Pharoahe Monch in the studio with K-Salaam & Beatnick . The new production duo is working closely with Pharoahe on a few of his new projects including the follow up to last year's Desire . ATTN New York City! Continue reading this post to learn how you can win a pair of tickets to see Pharoahe Monch, dead prez, Black Ice, Mick Boogie , and more LIVE this Thursday at Cr...
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Yesterday I had delivered to me my autographed copy of Pharoahe Monch's new album Desire, and upon first listen, it has catapulted itself into my Top 5 for 2007 without a problem.I'll try to put up a full review on this later, but for now I wanted to share Pharoahe's 2007/updated version of Public Enemy's classic "Welcome to the Terrordome." PE performing:
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10: VHS or Beta - Bring On The CometsI heard the fantastic single Can't Believe A Single Word on a music industry compilation earlier this year and it was one of the few tracks that made me go "hang on a minute" and dig up the package to see what I was listening to. Afterwards, I had to check out the record, which was full of admittedly similar sounding high octane dance-rock thrillers.Recommen...
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Oh my god..Yesterday I went to see the Rock the Bellz concert out on Randalls Island, NYC.The line up was so amazingly incredible!Bootcamp Click,Rakim (wow!!!), Pharoahe Monch, Cypress Hill, Public Enemy(holy sh!t)..,Wu Tang Clan and Rage Against the Machine. The weather sucked (it rained all day and there was mud and puke everyehere...seriously..But..I would so do it all over again.I haven't b...
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.....and thank fook for that. Great album. Hopefully it wont be another eight years before his next one.
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Pharoahe came really close to being signed to Shady Records according to musicblog.ugo.com. Is this true? That would be some crazy shit!
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 "Desire")
