Pitchfork

Rapping is too easy for Pharoahe Monch. For proof, just count the "i" sounds (long and short) in this short sample of lyrics from "Let's Go", the newest track from the forthcoming Desire that Monch has made available on his MySpace: "I'm the pinnacle rhyme kid, and any line of mine is criminal minded. I blind 'em with original rhyme shit." Rapped in his quick, effortless flow, it's even better.

Getting his music released has proven much harder for Monch, who hasn't put out an official record in almost eight years. Recently, his Clinton Sparks mixtape The Awakening-- which features "Let's Go" as well as the previously reported tracks "Desire" and "Push"-- made the internet rounds, but SRC has yet to announce a release date for Desire.

Another Desire track featured on The Awakening is "Gun Draws". "Gun Draws" reworks the concept of "Stray Bullet", a track by Monch's former group-- Organized Konfusion-- in which he raps about gun violence from the perspective of a bullet. The tense and slightly awkward video features scenes of a little boy shooting his sister after discovering Daddy's gun as well as historical footage of assassinations, and as such, it's an internet-only affair.

And though the video's concept is a little heavy handed, the song itself is great, and it's hard not to appreciate Monch's earnestness: he's also involved in the "Guns for Cameras" program, which-- according to a press release-- "works with law enforcement to take guns from the youth and give them video cameras and training in video production." He has even set up a website to explain his motivations behind writing the song.