o9Media

Pharoahe Monch isn’t new to the rap scene, but he might as well be. Monch took a Dr. Dre-esque 8 year break between his first and second albums, with guest spots, mixtapes, and a few record label jumps taking up a good chunk of time. The extra time sure helped. Pharoahe’s latest, the appropriately titled Desire, takes sage rhymes, excellent beats, and a healthy dollop of R&B/soul to make one of the tastiest confections of the year, and one that will surely hold off his fans for another 8 years.


“Pop sh*t, Make you feel the Clipse like Pharrel”

Lyrically, his rhymes are some of the best of the decade, never mind the year. Monch tackles slavery, gun violence (narrated by the gun), and wraps it all up with “Trilogy”, which can best be described as “Trapped In The Closet” if it were good. Pharoahe weaves a genuinely interesting tale, and the beat repeatedly morphs to accommodate the mood swings, whereas R. Kelly’s effort is an exercise in monotony and a continually outrageous story. But criticizing R. Kelly is like beating a baby with a nightstick, so let’s return to Desire.

The album has almost no guest spots, and the ones that are there are vocalists; Pharoahe doesn’t pass the mike on this one. His intelligent rhymes 1-up Common, who, in Finding Forever seems to finally have run out of things to say. Thus, Desire is a thoroughly singular, united effort, and though some unfortunate skits fall well short of their desired effect, and some beats are merely passable, the album is easily one of the best albums of the year and a gem in a relatively quiet year for rap.



Desire is also helped along by fellow rapper/producer, the 24-year-old Curtis Cross, a.k.a. Black Milk, and two of his beats, including “Let’s Go” and “Bar Tap”. Black Milk’s second album, Popular Demand, has also dropped this year and, though his verbal dexterity isn’t nearly as developed as some of his peers, he shows off his excellent ear for beats (although one has to question which ear he was using when he picked the name ‘Black Milk’). Many reviews have mentioned how closely he mirrors the late J. Dilla, both in flow, beats and hometown, Detroit, and though this may be true at a glance, Cross’s beats are more content to make you dance, whereas Dilla’s syncopated voices and beats make you think about dancing. Popular Demand isn’t a bad album by any means; what it lacks in heavy lyrics it more than makes up for with heavy-hitting beats. It gets you to move to the groove, and Curtis Cross manages to switch up his delivery enough that you don’t get lulled to sleep. It lacks Desire’s vision, but Popular Demand’s fresh production and impressive lineup of contributors live up to the albums boastful title.

Together, Pharoahe and Milk represent a resurgence of underground rappers, where before it had been monopolized by more experimental endeavors. Nas declared Hip-Hop dead last year, but his album did nothing to lead the revival. Finally, street rappers have some creative, well-constructed albums to look up to, and 2007 doesn’t look so hopelessly in need of rap.

Sorry, 50 Cent and Kanye West.