Pharoahe Monch
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| Pharoahe Monch | ||
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| Background information | ||
| Birth name | Troy Jamerson | |
| Origin | Queens, New York City, New York | |
| Genre(s) | Hip hop | |
| Years active | 1991–present | |
| Label(s) | Hollywood Records Priority Records Rawkus Records Street Records Corporation |
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Pharoahe Monch (born Troy Donald Jamerson in 1972) is an American hip hop artist from Queens, NY. He is known for his complex delivery and multi-syllabic rhyme schemes.
[edit] Career
Monch released three albums as part of the rap duo, Organized Konfusion with partner Prince Poetry: The self-titled Organized Konfusion, Stress: The Extinction Agenda and The Equinox. The duo handled a large amount of production on these albums themselves. All albums received positive critical reviews, but moderate sales. As a result, the duo split up after recording their final album The Equinox in 1997. Prince Poetry has since denied the possibility of an Organized Konfusion reunion.
Pharoahe Monch then signed to Rawkus Records, an indie label. After making several guest appearances on albums like the best-selling Rawkus compilation Soundbombing 2, Monch's much-hyped debut, Internal Affairs was released in 1999. The first single of the album, Simon Says, was a major hit in 1999; he was later sued for the use of a Godzilla sample for the beat and forced to remove the song from the album as a result. He also had a 2001 hit with "Got You," though the single ultimately didn't sell well. 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".
Pharoahe's song "Simon Says" was featured in the 2000 cinematic release Charlie's Angels. Viewers will recognize the song and backbeat in the scene where Crispin Glover is lighting a cigarette in the castle, while holding Bosley hostage. Two of Monch's songs, "Right Here" and "Simon Says" were featured in the movie Boiler Room.
In 2002 he appeared on Linkin Park's Reanimation project, rapping on the track H! Vltg3, the remix of High Voltage done by Evidence and DJ Babu of the Dilated Peoples. He was briefly rumored to have joined The HRSMN, but never did.
In 2003, he appeared on the Oz soundtrack with "What is the law", a well regarded song on the soundtrack where he told life as an Italian American prison guard at New York's Rikers Island.
There were rumors his next album, Innervisions, was to be released under Denaun Porter's new Shady Records imprint Runyon Ave., but apparently the deal fell through; Monch has since announced a deal with Street Records Corporation, home of David Banner and Terror Squad. The album was scheduled to be released in late 2005 but has been pushed back to November 28, 2006. The new album is now going to be called Desire. Monch says about the album; "...it's very soulful, very gospel, a fresh, new sound for me." The album's lead single is the self-produced track "Push", with "Let's Go" as its B-Side. The song's music video and single were released in late September 2006.
Monch also produced and co-wrote the track The Future and co-wrote the track Hold Up with Mobb Deep member Havoc on rap mogul Diddy's latest album Press Play. His writing is evident in both the content of Diddy's rhymes, down to the very delivery of the lyrics.
[edit] Moniker
The "Monch" is Pharoahe Monch's name is derived from the monkey doll Mon Chi Chi. After receiving a bad haircut, which left Monch looking like a "chimpanzee", girls in Monch's High School class began calling him "Mon Chi Chi", which was later shortened to "Monch". Monch adopted the "Pharoahe" prefix after meeting future Organized Konfusion partner Prince Po. He chose the Pharaoh title while studying Egypt. [1]
[edit] Discography
| Album cover | Album information |
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Internal Affairs
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Desire |
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