Pharoahe Monch - "Inner Vision"

[Jome]

Pharoahe Monch
The Sun Will Rise
Rawkus/MCA
June 2003

First single produced by Rockwilder

Pharoahe Monch has a hit on his hands via his collaboration with the LOX's Styles, "The Life," and is ready to smack the masses with a barrage of other bangers as soon as his new LP, The Sun Will Rise, comes out. The Queens MC said he's not sure exactly when that will be, however ? his label Rawkus is still working out the kinks with MCA on a distribution deal.

"Oh my god, it's crazy," he said of the album. "It's gonna breathe a breath of fresh air into hip-hop. My mission is for people to be like, 'OK, he's not afraid. You can tell, he's having fun.' I love an album where you can tell, like 'This n----- had a ball in the studio.' [The music is] hardcore. It ain't thug hardcore, but it's old school hardcore, in the sense of a n----- rhyming over some hot ass, hard sh--."

Monch said Rockwilder, the Megahertz and DJ Scratch are among the producers on the LP's roster, and he's eyeing the Roots' Black Thought to appear on a song. Don't expect Thought to rhyme, though ? Monch wants the MC to sing a chorus and he's hoping to get Raphael Saadiq and Jaguar Wright to do the same. Monch also disclosed that he'll be the only one kicking lyrics.

"Right now I'm trying to hold it down by myself purposely because there were so many guests on the last one," he explained.

The small number of cameos isn't the only thing that's going to differentiate his second solo effort from his debut. Holding true to its title, The Sun Will Rise will have a much lighter mood. "I feel that Internal Affairs was murky and I needed to get some evil stories and some aggression out," he said. "This album is the repercussions and the aftermath of me airing all these things out. It's not as vulgar, there are not as many curses. It's mad spiritual, it's sexy, but at the same time it's motivational as well. Hopefully when people hear it they'll be like 'It's cool to be hardcore, it's cool to party, it's cool to cry.' "

People have been feeling Monch's evocative hook on "The Life." He sings, "My life is all I have/ My rhymes, my pen, my pad/ And I done made it through the struggle/ Don't judge me," and Styles raps a musical biography. That track will appear on Rawkus' upcoming Soundbombing 3 compilation.

"Actually, we first did the song for ESPN, for a show called 'The Life,' " he explained. "They asked me to do a chorus. An artist named Tribecca laid down some verses along the lines of sports and the chorus was altered from that. The original chorus was, 'My life is all I have, my skills, my hops, my jabs.' People loved the chorus so much, even though it was on some sports type of vibe, we figured we'd swing the chorus around for a broader concept and get somebody who could put some feeling on another vibe. We all thought the LOX was the clique to [work] with on that level."

Monch said he chose not to rhyme on the song as a way to experiment and raise eyebrows.

"I love to stay unpredictable," he said. "Just to have the people ask the question, 'Why didn't he rhyme on it?' I thought it would be dope for the first time, get on a joint and just do a chorus that I was singing on. Throw a curve ball.

"We're talking about doing the remix now," he added. "I might spit on it. Everybody wants me to spit on it, but I might not. That would be more shocking. I wrote the verse already ? it's sick."

[Jome]

Should be dope as fuck.
The dopest lyricist in the game, maybe along with Ras Kass & Nas.
And when Rockwilder gonna produce, it'll be hot as hell.
Megahertz aint too bad neither.

WATCH out for this one!
King of the multis, isn't that what they call him?

[Smooth]

this should be tight!... i was mad feelin his "Internal Affairs" cd... hope this is just as tight

[Murrow]

When this shit droppin?

[Zero4eva]

fall/winter... depends on Rawkus

[HairWuzEre]

fall/winter... depends on Rawkus

Man, this better drop soon!

[Jome]

Album-title changed to "Inner Vision" from "The sun will rise again".
Will be released in June, and 1st single is produced by Rockwilder.