EURweb
THE RETURN OF PHAROAHE MONCH: Rapper signs with new Rifkind label for first album since 1999.
E-mail to a friend
| 
Printer friendly
(February 23, 2006)
*After an intense bidding war, rapper Pharoahe Monch has inked a deal with a new unnamed label founded by Loud Records/SRC founder Steve Rifkind that will be distributed by Universal.
The venture will host the release of “Desire,” Monch’s first new LP since his 1999 debut “Internal Affairs,” on Rawkus Records. Rifkind’s label earned Monch’s signature following a bidding war that involved Sony, Bad Boy and Eminem's Shady Records.
"On a creative and business level, I've never been this excited," Monch said in a statement. "I've had the time to work on this album, and being a perfectionist, it's really come to fruition. It's very soulful, very gospel, a fresh, new sound for me. It shows so much growth spiritually, almost as if I'm a new artist. When I play the record for people, that's how they hear it."
The one-time member of rap group Organized Konfusion had his solo momentum interrupted after his 1999 hit single “Simon Says,” due to label drama. Monch recorded an album for Geffen, the label which absorbed Rawkus, but the project was never released.
“Desire’s” first single, "When the Gun Draws," will be released along with a short companion film. "It's a concept record," he explained, "about life from the perspective of a bullet."
.jpg)