With a hunger that only comes from someone with something to prove, Pharaohe Monch put the pen to the paper and began creating the projects that would establish his MC talent in his own right. ![]() Monch was like, ‘Do I have your blessings to go into the studio and work on some material to get a deal?’ I was for it.” – Prince Po (2005, ) Going Solo “On the road, we did a lot of shows and a lot of traveling. Citing burnout and differing priorities, it was clear that the group had made its mark, but it was time for the two to chase solo ventures. Charting higher than any previous project from Organized Konfusion, they chose to end on a high note, parting ways. This would have possibly been seen as a trend had it not been for their conceptual, groundbreaking third album The Equinox in 1997. While songs did chart, and critics did sing praise, the commercial success wasn’t massive. This 1994 release would bring only one new name to the tracklist, the legendary Q-Tip. Featuring only a childhood friend, the duo would continue their pattern of shying away from collaboration with the follow-up album Stress: The Extinction Agenda. To this day it is still referenced as a case study of genuine underground hip hop. While not garnering much radio play or notable Billboard appearances, Organized Konfusion was critically acclaimed by the hip hop journalists who got their hands on it. After some demos and singles that garnered moderate attention, the two signed a deal with Hollywood BASIC and dropped their self-titled 1991 album to mark the first of many major successes. The Queens-based label Solid Sound Records was the first home of the new group (previously known as Simply II Positive MC’s) and would give them the footing they needed to begin their ascent. After a short time it became apparent that Pharoahe could spin lyrics with the best of them, so the two acquired tracks from producers and began releasing more frequently. With slow beginnings, the two originally began dropping music featuring Monch’s beatboxing and Prince Po’s rapping. ![]() Releasing three albums together, the two would cement themselves as icons in the underground hip-hop scene. A beatboxer in his youth, he quickly rose to prominence in the underground when he joined forces with Prince Poetry to make the duo Organized Konfusion. Growing up with the golden age of hip hop unfolding in front of him, it was clear from the get-go that rap music was his fate. ![]() Pharoahe Monch (or Monchhichi, as he was known in his High School of Art and Design) was destined for fame and acclaim from a young age.
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