“Simon says get the fuck up!”  haha you tell em Monch.  He started out as one of two members of Organized Konfusion with Prince Po.  They certainly had a good thing goin and usually I hate when people decide to go solo.  It seems like putting out dope solo work is the exception not the rule.  Lucky for us Pharoahe is the exception.  He is such a good example of QUALITY over QUANTITY.  It took him eight years after his debut album (Internal Affairs)  to put out a second release (Desire) but they are both amazing.  You might also recognize him from his more mainstream hit ‘Oh No’ with Mos Def & Nate Dogg.  I hate using this saying cause its kinda retarded BUT Pharoahe Monch goes so hard! Yeah I said it.  You know when you meet people and their level of creativity is so different that you just think they must be living in a totally different world than the average person?  Case in point, Pharoahe.  Homeboy is kinda wild and he is not scared to push the envelope.  I mean he has one song where he uses rape as a metaphor for what he does to his songs.  Yeah its like that.  His work oozes with an east-coast vibe and I love this album for maintaining that raw, grimy old-school sound that I know and love so much.  But don’t him fool you, he has a softer side too which he shows on tracks like ‘The Light’ and ‘The Truth’ feat. Common.  If you aren’t listening to Monch already then you got some splaining to do!

Production:  Diamond D, DJ Scratch, Lee Stone, Pharoahe Monch, The Alchemist

Features:  Apani B. Fly, Busta Rhymes, Canibus, Common, Lady Luck, M.O.P., Method Man, Prince Po, Redman, Shabaam Sahdeeq, Talib Kweli 

Label:  Rawkus Records

Full Preview:  Internal Affairs

Website:  http://www.myspace.com/pharoahemonch

Pharoahe Monch – ‘Simon Says’