In turns out that Rawkus failed to clear the sample for “Simon Says,” and Toho, who owns and distributes the Godzilla films, sued the label for a half a million dollars. Unfortunately for Monch, he and Rawkus ran across the notoriously litigious legal team that represents Toho Studios. Decades later, it’s still a perfect anthem to wild out to, while Monch’s roar of “GET THE FUCK UP!!!” still sounds as resonant as ever. It’s a ball-to-the-wall, get-up-and-smash-something track, built upon a sample from the theme music for the original Godzilla film. Funkmaster Flex famously championed the song, incorporating it into his DJ sets whenever possible. Still, by far the best-known song on Internal Affairs is its first single, “Simon Says.” The song was a bona fide phenomenon during the end of 1999 and into the New Year, earning countless spins in clubs across the country and even mainstream radio. On the latter track, Monch flexes over a sinister piano loop, back percussion and chimes, rapping “Pharoahe’s the host, the audience and the motherfucking panelist / My mic’s equipped with laser sights so that command’ll miss / Never you Devils, my level's that of a high evolutionary rebel / Third rock from the sun to me is only a pebble.” Songs like the album’s horn-driven “Intro” as well as the dark and foreboding “Behind Closed Doors” feel at peace with Monch’s earlier material. Monch doesn’t attempt to dumb down his style, still delivering his verbal gymnastics with amazing verbal dexterity and putting together interesting concepts. They seemed ready to make Monch the label’s other star.Īnd yet Internal Affairs still feels like an album by one half of Organized Konfusion. Just the week before, the label had released Mos Def’s solo debut Black On Black Sides, which would end up as their most successful album. Rawkus seemed to be committed to dumping money into the album’s budget with these guests, fueled at least partly by a play for mainstream attention around this time. Busta Rhymes makes two appearances, joined by Redman and Method Man at one point, all in their prime. Some of these artists had prior affiliation to Monch, others are beloved underground mainstays, and others are pretty high profile. Internal Affairs also features a lot of guest appearances, as Monch enlists a number of emcees to lend their talents to the album. Though Monch and his cohort Lee Stone handle a bunch of the beats, he brought in outside producers like DJ Scratch, Diamond D, and a young Alchemist to work their own studio magic. Many of the songs have call and response-based hooks, encouraging audience participation. Monch still delivers a vintage performance on the microphone, but overall he was trying something different on this album, and again, that wasn’t a bad thing. I was used to the guy who incomprehensibly split syllables over dark, chaotic, deeply non-commercial tracks. I was used to the Organized Konfusion-version of Monch. However, Internal Affairs was not what I‘d first anticipated, and that wasn’t a bad thing. And with the release of Internal Affairs 20 years ago, it seemed like a no-brainer that this was going to be everything that I’d envisioned In the ongoing battle between the mainstream and the underground, Rawkus was leading the charge for backpackers like myself. They’d also put out a slew of brilliant 12-inches by artists like Reflection Eternal, Black Attack, L-Fudge, and Sir Menelik. They’d released/distributed albums by Company Flow and Black Star, the Soundbombing mixtapes, and the Lyricist Lounge compilation. Rawkus was carving out its niche as one of the strongest and most vital labels for underground and independent hip-hop. It’s conceivable that during Monch’s amazing run as a member of Organized Konfusion from 1991 to 1997, he was one of the best rappers gracing a microphone.Īnd then when Monch announced that he had signed to Rawkus Records, it seemed like a perfect match. But on those group albums, it seemed like there was a beast within Monch, struggling to free himself, ready to hold down an album on his own. Yes, all three of the albums that he recorded as a member of Organized Konfusion are great: Albumism has paid tribute to all three of these releases I even wrote one of them. Happy 20th Anniversary to Pharoahe Monch’s debut solo album Internal Affairs, originally released October 19, 1999.Ī solo album by Troy “Pharoahe Monch” Jamerson had long been a dream of mine.
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