Edmonton, ON – If you’re going to talk to Pharoahe Monch, you better be ready to just slow down, take a breath and listen. Anything but your typical hot shot, fast talkin’ New York rapper, Pharoahe speaks on his own time. If you jump in, he doesn’t talk over you. When he tells stories, he does it in slow, thought out phrases reflecting intense focus. Yet answering a question provokes an almost distracted look as he sifts through the ideas in his head before deciding what to say next. It’s an interesting demeanor for a man legendary for brash, in your face songs like “Simon Says” and “Fuck You.”

“He always got jewels though,” explains Joell Ortiz. “If you sit down and kick it with Pharoahe, he always got something to tell us. He always got a little insight. He’s very unselfish with that too. He’s always willing to give himself and his words of wisdom to a younger class of MCs in his eyes. You know sometimes we’ll be sitting there cracking jokes and Pharoahe will say something and everybody will turn and listen because he usually got some good shit to say.”

So I asked Pharoahe if he’d ever dissed another rapper and not released the song. After nearly a five second pause, he told me he was never into dissing people for the entertainment and “so if I dissed someone I would have to really have hate for them. And (pausing again and putting his forehead in his palm) I try not to let myself go there, because I have a dark side.” He delivers it with authentic uncertainty, as if he’s fully aware of the conflicting parts of his personality.

“That’s the type of dude he is,” explains DJ Dames Nellas. “You can tell he’s on a next level of thinking. He doesn’t see shit the way you and I would see shit. He’s on some next spiritual involvement where it’ll take him away.”

Yet even as his words are spoken softly, Pharoahe’s stage show is explosive and passionate. You can count on “Simon Says” every night to blow the top off the party. With his left t-shirt sleeve rolled up, he anchors the center of the stage as his hype man and singer Showtime dances around, behind and beside him. He claims the stage like a true veteran and by the middle of his set has total control over every crowd. It’s evident; he’s transformed by his element.
On tour, he’s quiet, but you always know he’s there.

“I witnessed that first hand in Whistler when Pharoahe suddenly appeared next to me outside the 7/11. No security, no entourage, just a humble man looking for breakfast.”

“P was cool though,” explains DJ Dames Nellas. “He was more or less just there the entire time. P reminds me of that dude that rolls in your click that’s just always there. Always down for anything. Anything going down, P going to be there. You might not necessarily know he’s there but he’s there.”
I witnessed that first hand in Whistler when Pharoahe suddenly appeared next to me outside the 7/11. No security, no entourage, just a humble man looking for breakfast.

“We call him the wizard,” says Royce Da 5’9. “He’s like a wizard, man. He knows everything!”

“He always speaks like it’s his last breath (imitates Godfather croaking voice) ‘One time….in Aspen,’” jokes Joell Ortiz. “And he always gotta make you do something, ‘Yo reach over there and pass me that (imitating Pharoahe).’”

It seemed the more I heard about Pharoahe, the more I realized the pieces we get through his music are really just the tip of the iceberg. There’s an entirely different beast below the surface.

That’s Tour Life with Pharoahe Monch.

Written by Jonathon “Bizz” Brown for HipHopCanada

Don’t forget to check out http://www.itlivesinthenorth.com.

Tour Life

• Tour Life (Introduction)
• Tour Life (Part 1): The Salesmen
• Tour Life (Part 2): Peter Jackson
• Tour Life (Part 3): Pharoahe Monch

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Tags: Concrete Guerilla Clothing, DJ Dames Nellas, Hip-Hop Ain't Dead It Lives In The North, Joell Ortiz, Jonathon "Bizz" Brown, Pharoahe Monch, Royce da 5'9"

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Posted by @ThatsBizz

@ThatsBizz is a Senior Contributor for HipHopCanada and a member of the Central Canada team. The nuts and bolts of Jonathon “Bizz” Brown are impressive, but it’s his ability to apply his skills, identify opportunities, adapt to new environments and get the job done that makes him who he is. An engaging combination of education, experience and vision, Brown continues to make his mark on many fronts and plant his flag as a professional on the rise. Entrenched in the urban music scene for more than half a decade, Bizz launched Crack House Radio in 2004. Over the next four years, the online radio show would evolve into a major outlet for Canadian music and hip hop culture in general. Over that time, Bizz interviewed countless artists and professionals including Belly, Bishop, Drake, Classified, Guru, Joell Ortiz, author and gang specialist Michael Chettleburg, Brent (owner of Just Ent) & many others. In 2007, Bizz joined Urbanology Magazine as a staff writer and would go on to contribute dozens of articles over the next three years including a cover story on Classified in 2009. 2007 also saw the launch of Bizz' line of t-shirts reading "Hip Hop Ain't Dead It Lives In The North." Since then, he's toured with Peter Jackson, Busta Rhymes, DJ Dames Nellas, Bishop, Slaughterhouse & Pharoahe Monch and secured a strong following with his column on Cityonmyback.com called "The Fine Print."

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