Pharoahe Monch is the muthaF*#kin' man.
i copped the Mighty Pharoahe's new plate Desire- the LOOOOOOOOONG awaited follow-up to the unrealisticly dope, yet slept-on Internal Affairs- on June 26th, when it finally dropped after several push-backs... and this record was well worth the eight years time that has elapsed since his last full length. Pharoahe opens the record with a short gospel acapella quartet piece that states simply: "oh-oh Freedom.
oh-oh Freedom.
oh-oh Freedom, for me.
and Before I'll Be a Slave/
i'll be buried in my grave/
and go home, to my God
and be free."
this unusual intro marks the spirit of "Desire": Revolutionary Artistic Freedom at any and all costs. it's this idea in fact, that explains Pharoahe Monch's absence from the forefront of hip hop since he helped put Rawkus Records on the map (my map, anyways). he's spent most of that time arm-wrestling his way out of an oppressive record contract. an artists' artist, Monch has since 
guested on various projects, solo and alongside rap luminaries like Mos Def, Kweli, Common, Kanye, and the Roots' Black Thought (click here to check out Pharoahe's verse on Guerilla Monsoon Rap from Kweli's record "Quality"). His rapid-fire delivery is ripped off so frequently that first time listeners will find themselves right at home with Pharoahe, whose style will be familiar if his name is not. in fact, Pharoahe has probably penned lyrics you bopped to, since he's a frequent go-to guy as a ghost writer...
guested on various projects, solo and alongside rap luminaries like Mos Def, Kweli, Common, Kanye, and the Roots' Black Thought (click here to check out Pharoahe's verse on Guerilla Monsoon Rap from Kweli's record "Quality"). His rapid-fire delivery is ripped off so frequently that first time listeners will find themselves right at home with Pharoahe, whose style will be familiar if his name is not. in fact, Pharoahe has probably penned lyrics you bopped to, since he's a frequent go-to guy as a ghost writer...in all fairness, i cannot review the record yet; although it hasn't left my ceedee player since i bought it, i can't get past the first half of the record. the intro alone could hold my attention for a minute, but it leads into "Free", the title track "Desire", and "Push"...then there's topical imaginative cuts like "What It Is" and "When The Gun Draws"... and did i mention there's a cover of Public Enemy's "Welcome To The Terrordome"? my favorite song right now is
"Let's Go":
sigh. that review may never get written.
sigh. that review may never get written.
please cop it, people! hip hop NEEDS this!
as for me, i already got it...
peace.
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