Video After The Jump
In this episode of "People's Party With Talib Kweli," Kweli and Jasmin Leigh sit down with rapper, writer, producer and one half of the legendary duo Organized Konfusion:
PHAROAHE MONCH
Pharoahe earned his rightful reputation as an underground king as well as one of hip hop's most respected lyricists. Here's some of what we discussed:
• The deep rap lineage of his hometown of Jamaica Queens and his song 'Queens'.
• The origins of his name and how much of it really had to do with Monchhichis.
• Producer Paul C and how essential he was to the group Organized Konfusion.
• How John Coltrane helped Pharoahe develop his style as well as overcome his asthma.
• Organized Konfusion's ties with O.C. and The Diggin' In The Crates Crew.
• The importance of his Organized Konfusion rapping partner Prince Po.
• The significance of his Pharoahe's song 'Agent Orange'.
• What the song 'Simon Says' did for underground hip hop and Rawkus Records.
• The vibe, creative atmosphere and artists inspiring each other at Rawkus.
• Pharoahe and Common both have singles entitled 'The Light' out at the same time.
• 'When the Gun Draws' and it's lyrics being written from the perspective of a bullet.
• Feelings of Eminem giving Pharoahe a shoutout on 'Rap God'.
• Covering the topics of mental illness and depression coming from experience.
• The making of 'Assassins' featuring Jean Grae, Royce Da 5'9".
• Rock N Roll contributing to Pharoahe's vibe, music and attitude.
• His latest project Th1rt3en and recruiting Daru Jones and Marcus Machado.
• Pharoahe's love of dark hip hop like Mobb Deep and M.O.P..
• The internal process of making the song 'Racist'.
• Keyon Harrold's son being attacked by a Karen.
TIME STAMPS:
3:18 -- Talib quotes Pharoahe from the intro of his album 'Internal Affairs'. Where he says "I have a dream, one day we will get to the promised land. Then the president will be me. The government will be Shabaam, Mos and Kweli". Talib asks him what the purpose was behind that statement. Pharoahe also goes on to speak about the incredible rap lineage of his hometown of Jamaica Queens as well as the people, the moments there that helped shape him as a future emcee, and his use of imagery in his lyrics to paint a vivid picture of the place he grew up in his song 'Queens'.
10:25 -- Pharoahe gets asked about the origins of his name and how much of it really had to do with Monchhichi dolls. He tells the whole story that involves him trying to cover up a bad haircut at high school. Pharoahe goes on to explain what producer Paul C meant to his development as an artist, the experimental success of his early group Organized Konfusion, as well as how the spirit of Paul C still contributes to how Pharoahe approaches making records today. Jasmin brings up Pharoahe's quote in the book 'How To Rap' and the influence of John Coltrane when it comes to flow and delivery. He also explains how Coltrane helped him overcome his asthma.
21:01 -- Pharoahe talks about Organized Konfusion's ties with O.C. as well as the rest of the Diggin' In The Crates Crew and illustrates how O.C. ended up on Organized's debut single 'Fudge Pudge'. Talib goes on to ask how Pharoahe felt about being an underground hip hop group signed to Hollywood Basic, a label owned by Disney, as well as how he feels about people's potential critiscm of him being a concious emcee that also isn't afraid to mix it up with topics like sex. He responds with a story about a panel in D.C. with a journalist asking Pharoahe and Mos Def what they were doing for young black women in the community. They also discuss the problem with forcing artists into a box as well as rappers as role models.
32:00 -- Pharoahe is asked to illustrate the importance of his rapping partner Prince Po and what he brought to the dynamic of their group Organized Konfusion. He states how essential Prince Po was during their early years of pushing demos and getting them noticed and he's asked if there will ever be another Organized Konfusion album. Talib remarks on how influential their music has been to him, Pharoahe speaks in length about the significance of his song 'Agent Orange', and he's asked about the difficult time in his career during a lawsuit over the sample for his song 'Simon Says'. He illustrates the grueling process and his best memories of making his album 'Internal Affairs' on Rawkus Records.
43:55 -- Talib recalls how 'Simon Says' single handedly changed the philosophy of Rawkus from 'independent as f*ck' to 'we need a radio hit'. He asked how Pharoahe felt about being Rawkus Records' greatest hope for mainstream success at the time. Pharoahe notes that for him it was more about him proving to himself that he could compete with the other club bangers that were dominating the airwaves at the time. He also details how he felt when he first heard the beat for 'Simon Says', his thought process behind penning that song, what he loved about the vibe of Rawkus Records and how they were so conducive of creativity. Inspiring each other and always pushing the envelope. They also get into Pharoahe's involvement in the production side of his albums.
51:58 -- Pharoahe speaks on the time he and Common both had singles entitled 'The Light' and answers if he felt like that proved to be a problem for him to gain traction with his version. Pharoahe also talks about his song 'When the Gun Draws' and it's lyrics being written from the perspective of a bullet, why he felt compelled to make a song outlining gun violence, and getting inspiration from visiting Dallas at the site where JFK was shot. Pharoahe also reflects on the time of getting caught up in politics after a short stint on Geffen Records, a number of labels in bidding wars, including Eminem's Shady Records, Denaun Porter's Runyon Ave. Records, Bad Boy and Sony.
1:01:12 -- Jasmin asks how Pharoahe felt when Emenim gave him a shoutout on 'Rap God' calling him the king of underground rap. He responds with praise of how Em has had a huge hand in keeping lyricism relevant in the realm of mainstream and details the moment he was told about the mention from Em. They also discuss Pharoahe covering the topics of mental illness and depression in his lyrics and why it's been so important for him to be so open about his own struggles with PTSD. He tells about the dramatic moment of clarity when he found out out why he was so depressed, that it could be fixed, as well as primary reasons black people have such a long history of neglecting mental health.
1:08:26 -- Pharoahe is asked about his song 'Assassins' featuring Jean Grae, Royce Da 5'9". He outlines the process of how the concept came together for that collaboration of lyrical heavyweights. They also dig into the significance of the number 13 to Pharoahe throughout his life. Jasmin asks Pharoahe what he has to say about Rock N Roll and how it's affected his vibe, music and attitude as well as if he can name the records that really forged that connection for him. He also elaborates on why drummer Daru Jones and guitarist Marcus Machado were such a great fit for his latest group Th1rt3en, how much he loves aggressive dark hip hop like Mobb Deep and M.O.P.., and being told not to use the term rock to describe Th1rt3en.
1:18:48 -- Talib asks Pharoahe how he feels about directing videos and if it's something he would want to get deeper into. Pharoahe speaks on his frustrations when watching music videos from the golden era. The quality of the visuals often not matching up with the songs. He praises Busta Rhymes with his ability to raise the bar in that respect. Pharoahe is also asked to expand on the story of how he was able to get KKK robes made for the music video of 'Fight', as well as to talk about how the internal process of him making the song 'Racist'. Written years ago with reservations up until now to finally release it. They also discuss Keyon Harrold's son being attacked by a Karen.
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