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Top 5 favorite Pharoahe/OK songs
Top 5 favorite Pharoahe guest verses

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OK "Prisoners at War"
OK "Bring It On (Buckwild Remix)"
OK "Invetro"
OK "Stray Bullet"
OK "13"

"Metal Thangz" w/ O.C. & Street Smartz
"Oh No" w/ Mos Def
"Tight (Beatminerz Remix)" w/ Rah Digga & Lord Have Mercy
"Tender (OK Remix)" w/ Prince Po & Attica Blues
"Murder By Syntax" w/ Prince Po & DJ Spooky

1 - Queens
2 - Simon Says
3 - Walk Into The Sun
4 - Right Here (remix w/ Xzibit)
5 - Never Walk Together

1- Oh No w/ Mos & Nate Dogg
2- Murda 1 Case w/DJ Quik
3- The Matrix w/Black Milk
4- Tight remix w/Rah Digga
5- The Life w/ Styles P

Top 5 favorite Pharoahe/OK songs
1. OK - Releasing Hypnotical Gases
2. OK - Why
4. OK - Prisoners Of War
3. OK - Stress
5. Monch/MOP - No Mercy

Top 5 favorite Pharoahe guest verses
1. Street Smartz - Metal Thangz
2. Cella Dwellas - Ill Collabo
3. Jigmastas - Lyrical Fluctuation [Remix]
4. 2-Rude - Innovations
5. Rah Digga - Tight [Remix]

Honorable mention to Monch's verse on the X-Ecutioners song "Y'all Know The Name"

most of minez have been listed, to add on:

Do you guys prefer the original "Bring It On" or do you prefer the remix?

I love the original

Pharoahe Monch is arguably my favorite MC of all time, but 1998 is the cut-off point. The Simply II Positive demos were recorded in the late 80s, so he was great for roughly a decade - you can't ask for much more than that.

Guest appearances prior to 1999 were few and far between. It's a shame that OK didn't branch out more often, and I can't even begin to imagine how much quality unreleased material is sitting in their vaults. Hopefully, we'll see some limited vinyl releases in the future, as in the case of O.C from his glory years of 1991-1994.

His verse on Metal Thangz is dope, and the Ogee beat is amazing. I'm not feeling the overall track because I'm a white guy who grew up soft, but we're talking slim pickings with guest appearances during Pharoahe's prime.

Innovations with Saukrates is a great one. That would get my vote as his best-ever guest appearance. The recording date must have taken place shortly after the release of Equinox, so late 97/early 98.

He's pretty good on What Am I? with Antipop Consortium. The listed recording date for that one is 2000, but I'm guessing that it was completed a couple years beforehand. One of the MCs in Antipop Consortium is cringeworthy and unlistenable, so that really takes away from the overall track, but the Earl Blaize beat is outstanding. This was basically Pharoahe's last hurrah in my book.

I'll never forget the first time I heard Simon Says. Something inside me died that day. In the end, I can't blame him. He was just trying to get paid. Nowadays, if I come across someone who knows about Pharoahe Monch, they're pretty much only familiar with his solo output. That's sad, but whatever.

Organized Konfusion is all time great but "Internal Affairs" is a great album. "Simon Says" is killer, how can you not like that song?

Still haven't gotten in to OK. Way before my time, and just haven't gotten to them yet.

- Pharoahe Monch, Mos Def, & Nate Dogg - Oh No
- Pharoahe Monch - Hell feat Canibus
- Pharoahe Monch - No Mercy feat MOP
- Pharoahe Monch - Simon Says
- Styles P. - The Life feat Pharoahe Monch

All classics obviously.

Roy Johnson wrote:Pharoahe Monch is arguably my favorite MC of all time, but 1998 is the cut-off point. The Simply II Positive demos were recorded in the late 80s, so he was great for roughly a decade - you can't ask for much more than that.

Guest appearances prior to 1999 were few and far between. It's a shame that OK didn't branch out more often, and I can't even begin to imagine how much quality unreleased material is sitting in their vaults. Hopefully, we'll see some limited vinyl releases in the future, as in the case of O.C from his glory years of 1991-1994.

His verse on Metal Thangz is dope, and the Ogee beat is amazing. I'm not feeling the overall track because I'm a white guy who grew up soft, but we're talking slim pickings with guest appearances during Pharoahe's prime.

Innovations with Saukrates is a great one. That would get my vote as his best-ever guest appearance. The recording date must have taken place shortly after the release of Equinox, so late 97/early 98.

He's pretty good on What Am I? with Antipop Consortium. The listed recording date for that one is 2000, but I'm guessing that it was completed a couple years beforehand. One of the MCs in Antipop Consortium is cringeworthy and unlistenable, so that really takes away from the overall track, but the Earl Blaize beat is outstanding. This was basically Pharoahe's last hurrah in my book.

I'll never forget the first time I heard Simon Says. Something inside me died that day. In the end, I can't blame him. He was just trying to get paid. Nowadays, if I come across someone who knows about Pharoahe Monch, they're pretty much only familiar with his solo output. That's sad, but whatever.

I know what you're saying, I was also kinda disappointed the first few times I listened to Internal Affairs ... Simon Says, The Next Shit, The Ass sounded underwhelming to me, the OK track could have been better ... but there's also some highlights on IA such as his verse from the Simon Says remix ... and since then, Pharoahe has always been capable of kicking awesome verses, I really like a lot of tracks from his last 2 albums, Free was a great opener on Desire, and Welcome To The Terrordome is the greatest hip hop cover/PE homage of all times.

Some of you listed Styles P's The Life ... does a version with a Pharoahe verse exist?

I used to spin this 12" a lot ... and still love it: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vlGnMbqByJs

need to mention this one too

Roy Johnson wrote:I'll never forget the first time I heard Simon Says. Something inside me died that day. In the end, I can't blame him. He was just trying to get paid.

Glad you posted that, 'cos I felt the same. Also the utter bemusement I felt whenever it was played in a club and people went absolutely bananas for it.

Last night we had Pharoahe on the show. Such a cool guy too. We easily could have talked to him for another 90 minutes. I'm not sure there is a topic we didn't cover. Hopefully, we'll have the show out by late Aug or first week of Sept.

Uh Simon Says fuckin slaps

Sweet. Pharoahe is one of my top dudes.
Top 5s are a tough thing.
His guest on metal things was so nice. People didn't like the Simon says and post OK period but dudes sound was dope. Haven't heard ptsd yet. Bought it but haven't heard it. Maybe tomorrow.
Livin it up
Honestly The backhand side is one of those jams I listen to over and over. The vibe with lox is just nice.
Queens
Invetro sure but like 9 times out of 10 or soundman. I mean there are so many joints on that one.
Fudge pudge is dope but there are other ones on OK I'm even more nutty about open your eyes. Releasing hypnotical gasses.
Tooley crew personafied had me hyped as FUCK for the next album and then it took like however long. Too long.
Stress had some good shit too. Title tracks. Maintain. Black Sunday. Why.
That hip hop for respect joint has a nice pharoahe verse or two iirc
The truth. The light.
Desire was dope by the way. Almost front to back for me. Same with Simon says though. People hate on tracks like the ass but it's actually pretty sweet to me. It's funny. The Simon says rmx is ill. And it's appropriate in my opinion to have the rmx at the end. Busta rhymes at the end doing his thing. Method man. Red. And then pharoahes verse is dope x2. Just a nice stable there. The truth very of its time and I listen to it and it still makes my eyes water from the beginning and some of those lines are like perfect. Show no mercy has a special place in my heart. I still rap that verse to myself just to hear it when I'm not around a source of music. When people ask me to rap for them which used to be all the time but obv not as we've grown older I still pull out the show no mercy verse because it's an opportunity to show people about this guy and get some people into his shit.
War has some good shit but serious once I hit black hand side that shit was on repeat for like 6 months and then I was listening to the rest of the album and I was digging it but I'd go back to black hand side immediately after listening. Like outkast levels of a song hitting on every cylinder.

Maintain
Thirteen
Hypnotical
Audience Pleasers Demo
Queens
Black Sunday
Invetro

so many fuckin classics one of the GOAT

^^ nice

Roy Johnson wrote:Pharoahe Monch is arguably my favorite MC of all time, but 1998 is the cut-off point. The Simply II Positive demos were recorded in the late 80s, so he was great for roughly a decade - you can't ask for much more than that.

Guest appearances prior to 1999 were few and far between. It's a shame that OK didn't branch out more often, and I can't even begin to imagine how much quality unreleased material is sitting in their vaults. Hopefully, we'll see some limited vinyl releases in the future, as in the case of O.C from his glory years of 1991-1994.

His verse on Metal Thangz is dope, and the Ogee beat is amazing. I'm not feeling the overall track because I'm a white guy who grew up soft, but we're talking slim pickings with guest appearances during Pharoahe's prime.

Innovations with Saukrates is a great one. That would get my vote as his best-ever guest appearance. The recording date must have taken place shortly after the release of Equinox, so late 97/early 98.

He's pretty good on What Am I? with Antipop Consortium. The listed recording date for that one is 2000, but I'm guessing that it was completed a couple years beforehand. One of the MCs in Antipop Consortium is cringeworthy and unlistenable, so that really takes away from the overall track, but the Earl Blaize beat is outstanding. This was basically Pharoahe's last hurrah in my book.

I'll never forget the first time I heard Simon Says. Something inside me died that day. In the end, I can't blame him. He was just trying to get paid. Nowadays, if I come across someone who knows about Pharoahe Monch, they're pretty much only familiar with his solo output. That's sad, but whatever.

Feel a lot of the same feelings here. But I don't cut him off at 1998. He's done some amazing new things in the last few years. 'PTSD' was a fucking phenomenal solo album ( = "Time2", "Grand Illusion Part 2", "Rapid Eye Movement" with Black Thought: BEST COLLAB of that year arguably) that improved upon 'W.A.R.', which was WAY better than 'Desire', but we always new that Pharaohe Monch wanted to sing his heart out, ever since he found new fame and exposure singing on the 'My Life' hook for Styles P. Dude deserves the greatest love and support for being one of the most innovative MCs ever to spit from NYC.

Diggin all the love for 'Innovations', it's a classic. Pharoahe and Saukrates and 2Rude made MAGIC.
The remix is dope af too.

Pharoahe's Shut Em Down remix is pretty awesome too.

Oh, I said all this to say: Yeah it kinda sucked to hear Pharoahe so simple trying to get the money he deserves on 'Simon Says' but it kinda warms the heart that that song and lawsuit ultimately killed Rawkus Records.

Anything with Organized and his piece on the Styles P joint...

Mindbender Futurama wrote:
Pharoahe's Shut Em Down remix is pretty awesome too.

Not familiar with this. Do you mean Welcome To The Terradome?

Philaflava wrote:

Mindbender Futurama wrote:
Pharoahe's Shut Em Down remix is pretty awesome too.

Not familiar with this. Do you mean Welcome To The Terradome?

Thats prob what he means. I think Busta did Shut Em Down maybe ?

He did.

Philaflava wrote:

Mindbender Futurama wrote:
Pharoahe's Shut Em Down remix is pretty awesome too.

Not familiar with this. Do you mean Welcome To The Terradome?

I know the difference between 'Welcome to the Terrordome' and 'Shut Em Down'. I interviewed Chuck D for THIS website

Here you go.

Evidently you dont know the difference between a remix and a freestyle though.

Philaflava wrote: I'm not sure there is a topic we didn't cover.

Yeah, like "why you keep choosing wack beats to rap over?"

step one wrote:Evidently you dont know the difference between a remix and a freestyle though.

Simon Says: go fuck yourself.