Live at Summerstage Review: Pharaohe Monch

Raking a turquoise rag across the deluge on his forehead during a performance at Queensbridge Park, courtesy of Summerstage, Pharaohe Monch wasn’t about to let the heat slow him down. As his rapid fire staccato echoed back from the housing projects adjoining the park, it felt like even the clouds were drawing closer to join the convergence of hard-core Pharaohe fans. His hour-long set touched on tracks spanning his entire career from conscious verses released with Organized Konfusion in the early 90s to the more soulful jams from his most recent solo release “Desire” (2007) to a couple new tunes from his upcoming “W.A.R.” Closing the set with his biggest hit “Simon Says,” Pharaoh laughed his way through the uncharacteristic misogyny that propelled him into the mainstream as if it were all a part of some Andy Kauffman-esque joke. If he had followed that track’s trajectory, he could have flown into the sun. Luckily for those of us rocking with him in Queens that day, it was damn good to see him still rooted firmly in the ground. – BrokeMC