As fans eagerly await rapper Pharaohe Monch’s summer time release entitled W.A.R. (We Are Renegades), Pharaohe is prepping for a Canadian tour and gearing up for future releases on his WAR Media L.L.C. imprint. While his solo album W.A.R. will be released collaboratively with Duck Down Records, Pharaohe is learning a lot about how to maintain a successful music business by getting a behind the scenes look at how Duck Down maintains a solidified independent movement that continues to grow with each release and tour date. AllHipHop sat down with Pharaohe his legacy in Hip-Hop and his Top 5 Dead or Alive.
AllHipHop.com: Can you tell us your Top 5 Dead or Alive and why?
Pharaohe Monch: (Sigh) S###. That’s pretty hard to do. I’m going to answer this question with, F**K THAT S**T man (laughs). I’m kind of tired of it. I expressed it on the record. I’m tired of it. Man, F### that Top 5 s### man. It’s impossible to do, because every time I hear a Jay-Z record I’m like how can he not be number 1? Or every time I listen to some old [Kool] G Rap s### I’m like how can he not be the greatest? “
As well, most of artists
will try to include themselves. With tons of fans it varies, it varies
so much. With me it varies so much, and sometimes it’s a relevant
question. 9th wonder posed the question on his Twitter page like “If 5 aliens came to the planet to destroy the planet and they had to battle, what 5 MC’s would be chosen? He asked the fans who the five MCs would be? It’s a relevant question, but I’m just kind of exhausted by that s###. I’m tired of it. I say F**K THAT S**T . (Laughs)
AllHipHop.com: That’s hilarious. Some people will sit down and spend mad time coming up with an answer and you say F**K THAT S**T ? (Laughs) So, you don’t have a Top 5, then who were you influenced by, or who did you listen to as you were forming your style, or what rappers did you listen to and say “I want to give the listener this type of feeling?”
Pharaohe Monch: [Kool] G Rap. (Silence)
AllHipHop.com: Kool G Rap. He was in the tape deck? (Laughs)
Pharaohe Monch: That’s it. (Silence)
AllHipHop.com: Ok man, that’s what’s up. Can you give us a little perspective on your legacy in Hip-Hop culture and where you feel you stand in hip hop history?
Pharaohe Monch: I feel great man, I feel like its halftime right now. Just coming up, I was fortunate enough to be inspired and listen to the 70s artists like Stevie Wonder and great artists like that, so the way that I viewed things had a long length to them. They had a body of work already, so my mentality wasn’t that you make a rap album, ”Laffy Taffy” record, you blow up and you’re happy and that’s it. I wanted to have number of records and a discography that people could look back on. From the Organized [Konfusion] to all the stuff now, I just feel really good. I’m really happy with it.