Stop Under-appreciating @PharoaheMonch

Photo Credit: Pharoahe Monch’s Twitter

This one will be short, sweet and to the point. Ladies and gentlemen, if you have yet to experience the verbal veracity that is a Pharoahe Monch verse, sit down, shut up, and listen. I mean, it’s his birthday after all. Aside from celebrating his born day, the man has a way with his bars that’s practically unmatched by a lot of artists out here. I got introduced to Monch like a lot of people my age probably did: the Madden 2002 theme.

Unlike Ludacris’ Madden 2000 theme, this track straight hits outside of just the game (sorry Luda). It’s grimy as hell, reflective of that era of NYC rap, but still feels classic as hell. His flow on there, while just a video game theme, is a thing of beauty. You can’t help but nod your head to it. So, after hearing this, I started looking for all the Monch stuff I could find, even down to the classic “Oh No,” his collabo with Nate Dogg and Mos Def.

Not too many folks can keep up with Mos when he’s on. Pharoahe surpassed Mos on this one. Just look at his lyrics (h/t RapGenius, of course). But the thing that I love about Monch is this: he can deliver on just about any type of track. Take his Awakening mixtape with Clinton Sparks for instance.

He goes in on boom-bap, sample-heavy tracks, neo-soul rap beats, Dipset-esque flips, the whole nine. This is all while still giving crazy set-ups, multis, and just all the stuff rap nerds cream over. And he does it so damn effortlessly, people. Name me three artists who can effortlessly put all this together as cohesively as Monch.

…I’ll wait.

I mean, the man says that “[he’s] a monarch without the A&R.” That multilayed line, in itself, is classic. But, put that together with the rest of the project? You’ve got one of the best mixtapes that ever dropped. His beat selection in this project was amazing, and his bars never lacked.

But, let’s take it back further to the classic “Simon Says.”

It’s grimy as fuck. His flow feels like he’s preaching to you, without being preachy. And this is a party track that still goes the hell in. I’ll always love how he handles potential “sexist” claims from his requests to get the women to “rub on their breasteses.” It’s fun, but still heavy as fuck. So, do what Simon says and get the fuck up and enjoy some Monch.

I apologize if this piece got a bit fanboy-ish, but you’ve got to understand: Monch was one of the reasons I picked up a mic in high school and stuff. I tried to legit go crazy with multis and the like just like him. But, in doing so, I helped discover my own style and other influences. So, yeah. I’m going to ride for Monch’s music for a minute.

Some of his discography isn’t on Spotify…so, you may have to search online for something like his Internal Affairs project. But, trust me. It’s worth it.