Name: Pharoahe Monch
Genre: Rap
Day: Saturday

Wikipedia sez: “Pharoahe Monch (born Troy Donald Jamerson on October 31, 1972) is an American hip hop artist from Queens, NY. He is known for his complex delivery and multi-syllabic rhyme schemes. 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.”

Pharoahe Monch was on indie rap label Rawkus Records in the late nineties along with a host of the biggest underground names in rap such as Common, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Skillz and Common, so I’ve heard a few of his tunes in the past. Unlike some Monch is a poetic MC, focusing on clever wordplay and thoughtful rhymes rather then how fast he can spit or appealing to the masses. His songs also feature beats not often heard in tracks as he adapts (Push being a decent example), but he makes them work quite well. I gotta listen to some more of this guy, but so far I’m liking it.

Likelyhood of Seeing at Coachella: Yeah I think so.

Read on to view Pharoahe Monch live videos…

Pharoahe Monch - Simon Says (Live at Canal Room, New York City, New York)

Pharoahe Monch - Live at Canadian Music Week (Toronto, Canada)