Polyrhythm is the simultaneous sounding of two or more independent rhythms. Polyrhythm in general is a nonspecific term for the simultaneous occurrence of two or more conflicting rhythms, of which cross-rhythm is a specific and definable subset.—Novotney (1998: 265)

Polyrhythms can be distinguished from irrational rhythms, which can occur within the context of a single part; polyrhythms require at least two rhythms to be played concurrently, one of which is typically an irrational rhythm.

Cross-rhythm

The terms ''polyrhythm'' and ''cross-rhythm'' are often used interchangeably.

Cross-rhythm. A rhythm in which the regular pattern of accents of the prevailing meter is contradicted by a conflicting pattern and not merely a momentary displacement that leaves the prevailing meter fundamentally unchallenged.—''New Harvard Dictionary of Music'' (1986: 216).

The physical basis of cross-rhythms can be described in terms of interference of different periodicities.

A simple example of a cross-rhythm is 3 evenly-spaced notes against 2 (3:2), with the 3-beat pattern being faster than the 2-beat pattern, so that they both take the same amount of time. Two simple and common ways to express this pattern in standard western musical notation would be 3 quarter notes over 2 dotted quarter notes within one bar of 6/8 time, quarter note triplets over 2 quarter notes within one bar of 2/4 time. Other cross-rhythms are 4:3 (with 4 dotted eight notes over 3 quarter notes within a bar of 3/4 time as an example in standard western musical notation), 5:2, 5:3, 5:4, etc.

There is a parallel between cross rhythms and musical intervals: in an audible frequency range, the 2:3 ratio produces the musical interval of a perfect fifth, the 3:4 ratio produces a perfect fourth, and the 4:5 ratio produces a major third. All these interval ratios are found in the harmonic series.

Another form of cross-rhythm would be phrasing to suggest a different meter than the one being played by the rest of the ensemble. A common example of this in jazz would be phrasing quarter notes in groupings of 3 to suggest 3/4 time while the ensemble plays in 4/4.

European (Western) art music

In some European art music cross-rhythm periodically contradicts the prevailing meter. For example, cross-rhythm is heard in the first few minutes of Beethoven's third Symphony and in the first movement of Brahms's Violin Concerto. Concerning the use of a two-over-three (2:3) cross-rhythm in Beethoven ‘s sixth quartet in B flat, Ernest Walker says:

The vigorously effective Scherzo is in 3/4 time, but with a curiously persistent cross-rhythm that does its best to persuade us that it is really in 6/8 . . .—Walker (1905: 79)

[[File:3-4 cross-rhythm-2.png|thumb|left|2:3 cross-rhythm written within its proper metric structure: ]]

Sub-Saharan African music

These polyrhythms are not cross-rhythms because they do not involve cross-beats. In Sub-Saharan African music traditions cross-rhythm is the generating principle; the meter is in a permanent state of contradiction. Cross-rhythm was first explained as the basis of sub-Saharan rhythm in lectures by C.K. Ladzekpo and the writings of David Locke.

Cross-rhythm pervades southern Ewe music.—Locke (1982: 231)

At the center of a core of rhythmic traditions within which the composer conveys his ideas is the technique of cross-rhythm. The technique of cross-rhythm is a simultaneous use of contrasting rhythmic patterns within the same scheme of accents or meter. . .

By the very nature of the desired resultant rhythm, the main beat scheme cannot be separated from the secondary beat scheme. It is the interplay of the two elements that produces the cross-rhythmic texture."—Ladzekpo (1995)

The ethnomusicological pioneer Arthur Morris Jones (1889–1980) observed that the shared rhythmic principles of Sub-Saharan African music traditions constitute ''one main system''. Similarly, Ewe master drummer and scholar C.K. Ladzekpo affirms the ''profound homogeneity'' of sub-Saharan African rhythmic principles.

From the philosophical perspective of the African musician, cross-beats can symbolize the challenging moments or emotional stress we all encounter. Playing cross-beats while fully grounded in the main beats, prepares one for maintaining a life-purpose while dealing with life’s challenges. Many sub-Saharan languages do not have a word for ''rhythm'', or even ''music''. From the African viewpoint, the rhythms represent the very fabric of life itself; they are an embodiment of the people, symbolizing interdependence in human relationships.—Peñalosa (2009: 21)

Adaptive instruments

Cross rhythms can easily be produced by two or more musicians, however producing this effect on one instrument by one musician can be very challenging. Not many western instruments are capable of easily doing this. Because of the great importance of cross rhythms in African music several instruments have evolved there that are especially adaptive for accomplishing this. The structure of these instruments are made to facilitate the creation of cross rhythms. They organize the notes in a uniquely divided alternate array – not in the linear bass to treble structure that is common to so many western instruments such as the piano, harp, xylophone, etc.

Thumb piano type instruments including Mbira, Mbila, Mbira Huru, Mbira Njari, Mbira Nyunga, Marimba, Karimba, Kalimba, Likembe, Okeme, as well as marímbula (also called kalimba) in the Caribbean Islands have this quality.

The West African kora is another such cross rhythm adaptive instrument. It is in the double harp-lute family of instruments and it also has this separated double tonal array structure.

The Gravikord is an American instrument closely related to both the African kora and the kalimba that was created in the latter 20th century to also exploit this adaptive principle in a modern electro-acoustic instrument.

Doussn'gouni is another adaptive African instrument similar to the kora but of lighter construction with fewer strings. It also has a double array structure of notes.

On these instruments one hand of the musician is not primarily in the bass nor the other primarily in the treble, but both hands can play freely across the entire tonal range of the instrument. Also the fingers of each hand can play separate independent rhythmic patterns and these can easily cross over each other from treble to bass and back, either smoothly or with varying amounts of syncopation. This can all be done within the same tight tonal range, without the left and right hand fingers ever physically encountering each other. These simple rhythms will interact musically to produce complex cross rhythms including repeating on beat/off beat pattern shifts that would be very difficult to create by any other means. This characteristically African structure allows often simple playing techniques to combine with each other and produce polyrhythmic music of great beauty and complexity.

Simple examples

Three-over-two (3:2) The cross-rhythm ''three-over-two'' (3:2) or hemiola (also called ''sesquialtera''), is the most significant rhythmic ratio found in sub-Saharan rhythm. The following measure is evenly divided by three beats and two beats. The two cycles do not share equal status though. The two bottom notes are the primary beats, the ground, the main temporal referent. The three notes above are the secondary beats. Typically, the dancer's feet mark the primary beats, while the secondary beats are accented musically.

In traditional European ("Western") rhythms, the most fundamental parts typically emphasize the primary beats. By contrast, in rhythms of sub-Saharan African origin, the most fundamental parts typically emphasize the secondary beats. This often causes the uninitiated ear to misinterpret the secondary beats as the primary beats, and to hear the true primary beats as cross-beats. In other words, the musical "background" and "foreground" may mistakenly be heard and felt in reverse.—Peñalosa (2009: 21)

. . . the 3:2 relationship (and [its] permutations) is the foundation of most typical polyrhythmic textures found in West African musics.— Novotney (1998: 201)

3:2 is the ''generative'' or ''theoretic form'' of sub-Saharan rhythmic principles. Victor Kofi Agawu states very succinctly:

[The] resultant [3:2] rhythm holds the key to understanding . . . there is no independence here, because 2 and 3 belong to a single Gestalt.—Agawu (2003: 92)

Jazz

The New Harvard Dictionary of Music calls swing "an intangible rhythmic momentum in jazz," adding that "swing defies analysis; claims to its presence may inspire arguments." The only specific description offered is the statement that "triplet subdivisions contrast with duple subdivisions." The argument could be made that by nature of its simultaneous triple and duple subdivisions, swing is fundamentally a form of polyrhythm. However, the use of systematic cross-rhythm in jazz did not occur until the second half of the twentieth century.

In 1959 Mongo Santamaria recorded Afro Blue, the first jazz standard built upon a typical African 3:2 cross-rhythm. The song begins with the bass repeatedly playing 3 cross-beats per each measure of 6/8 (3:2).

The great jazz drummer Elvin Jones took the opposite approach, superimposing two cross-beats over every measure of a 3/4 jazz waltz (2:3). This swung 3/4 is perhaps the most common example of overt cross-rhythm in jazz. In 1963 John Coltrane recorded Afro Blue with Elvin Jones on drums. Coltrane reversed the metric hierarchy of Santamaria's composition, performing it instead in 3/4 swing (2:3).

In recent decades jazz has incorporated many different types of complex cross-rhythms, as well as other types of polyrhythms.

Usage and history

Nigerian percussion master Babatunde Olatunji arrived on the American music scene in 1959 with his album ''Drums of Passion'', which was a collection of traditional Nigerian music for percussion and chanting. The album stayed on the charts for two years and had a profound impact on jazz and American popular music. Trained in the Yoruba sakara style of drumming, Olatunji would have a major impact on Western popular music. He went on to teach, collaborate and record with numerous jazz and rock artists, including Airto Moreira, Carlos Santana and Mickey Hart of the Grateful Dead. Olatunji reached his greatest popularity during the height of the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s and '70s.

Afro-Cuban music makes extensive use of polyrhythms. Cuban Rumba uses 3-based and 2-based rhythms at the same time, for example, the lead drummer (playing the quinto) might play in 6/8, while the rest of the ensemble keeps playing 2/2. Afro-Cuban ''conguero'', or conga player, Mongo Santamaría was another percussionist whose polyrhythmic virtuosity helped transform both jazz and popular music. Santamaria fused Afro-Latin rhythms with R&B; and jazz as a bandleader in the 1950s, and was featured in the 1994 album ''Buena Vista Social Club'', which was the inspiration for the like-titled documentary released five years later.

Among the most sophisticated polyrhythmic music in the world is south Indian classical Carnatic music. A kind of rhythmic solfege called konnakol is used as a tool to construct highly complex polyrhythms and to divide each beat of a pulse into various subdivisions, with the emphasised beat shifting from beat cycle to beat cycle.

Common polyrhythms found in jazz are 3:2, which manifests as the quarter-note triplet; 2:3, usually in the form of dotted-quarter notes against quarter notes; 4:3, played as dotted-eighth notes against quarter notes (this one demands some technical proficiency to perform accurately, and was not at all common in jazz before Tony Williams used it when playing with Miles Davis); and finally 3/4 time against 4/4, which along with 2:3 was used famously by Elvin Jones and McCoy Tyner playing with John Coltrane.

The Beatles used polyrhythm in their 1968 song "Happiness Is a Warm Gun"(from the ''White Album''). The song also changes time-signature frequently. The Beatles use polyrhythm again on Abbey Road's "Mean Mr. Mustard". Jimi Hendrix had the distinct ability to play polyrhythmic melodies on his guitar during live concerts and jam sessions. This ability was facilitated by the impressive length and size of his hands, and his unorthodox fretting method, in which he would maintain rhythm and lead melodies while using his thumb to fret underlying basslines. Examples are live concerts from 1968 to 1970, in particular a performance of "Killing Floor" live at Winterland 1968, an Improvisation during Woodstock 1969, a solo guitar jam for his song titled "Valleys of Neptune", among several other recordings.

Frank Zappa, especially towards the end of his career, experimented with complex polyrhythms, such as 11:17, and even nested polyrhythms. The metal bands Meshuggah, Nothingface, Periphery, Threat Signal, Lamb of God, Textures and TesseracT also use polyrhythms in their music. Contemporary progressive metal bands such as Tool, Animals as Leaders and Dream Theater also incorporate polyrhythms in their music, and polyrhythms have also been increasingly heard in techmetal bands such as Ion Dissonance and The Dillinger Escape Plan, Candiria and Textures. Much minimalist and totalist music makes extensive use of polyrhythms. Henry Cowell and Conlon Nancarrow created music with yet more complex polytempo and using irrational numbers like pi:e.

King Crimson used polyrhythms extensively in their 1981 album ''Discipline''. Above all Bill Bruford used polyrhythmic drumming throughout his career.

The band Queen used polyrhythm in their 1974 song "The March of the Black Queen" with 8/8 and 12/8 time signatures.

Nine Inch Nails front man Trent Reznor uses polyrhythm frequently. One notable appearance is in the song "La Mer" from the album ''The Fragile''. The piano holds a 3/4 riff while the drums and bass back it with a standard 4/4 signature. Talking Heads' ''Remain in Light'' used dense polyrhythms throughout the album, most notably on the song "The Great Curve".

Megadeth frequently tends to use polyrhythm in its drumming, notably from songs such as "Sleepwalker" or the ending of "My Last Words", which are both played in 2:3.

Carbon Based Lifeforms have a song named "''Polyrytmi''", Finnish for polyrhythm, on their album Interloper. This song indeed does use polyrhythms in its melody.

The Britney Spears single Till the World Ends (released March 2011) uses a 4:3 cross-rhythm in its hook.

Examples

The following is an example of a 3 against 2 polyrhythm, given in time unit box system (TUBS) notation; each box represents a fixed unit of time; time progresses from the left of the diagram to the right. It is in bad form to teach a student to play 3/2 polyrhythms as simply quarter note, eighth note, eighth note, quarter note. The proper way is to establish sound bases for both the quarter-notes, and the triplet-quarters, and then to layer them upon each other, forming multiple rhythms. Beats are indicated with an X; rests are indicated with a blank.

3 against 2 polyrhythm

3-beat rhythm

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

2-beat rhythm

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

A common memory aid to help with the 3 against 2 polyrhythm is that it has the same rhythm as the phrase "not difficult"; the simultaneous beats occur on the word "not"; the second and third of the triple beat land on "dif" and "cult", respectively. The second 2-beat lands on the "fi" in "difficult." Try saying "not difficult" over and over in time with the sound file above. This will emphasize the "3 side" of the 3 against 2 feel. Now try saying the phrase "not a problem", stressing the syllables "not" and "prob-". This will emphasize the "2 side" of the 3 against 2 feel. More phrases with the same rhythm are "cold cup of tea", "four funny frogs", "come, if you please".

One of the most obvious examples of a 3 against 2 polyrhythm is the Ukrainian Bell Carol, "Carol of the Bells".

Similar phrases for the 4 against 3 polyrhythm are "pass the golden butter" or "pass the goddamn butter" and "what atrocious weather"; The 4 against 3 polyrhythm is shown below.

4 against 3 polyrhythm

4-beat rhythm

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

3-beat rhythm

X

X

X

X

X

X

As can be seen from above, the counting for polyrhythms is determined by the lowest common multiple, so if one wishes to count 2 against 3, one needs to count a total of 6 beats, as lcm(2,3) = 6 (''1''2''3''4''5''6 and ''1''23''4''56). However this is only useful for very simple polyrhythms, or for getting a feel for more complex ones, as the total number of beats rises quickly. To count 4 against 5, for example, requires a total of 20 beats, and counting thus slows the tempo considerably. However some players, such as classical Indian musicians, can intuitively play high polyrhythms such as 7 against 8. Polyrhythms are quite common in late Romantic Music and 20th century classical music. Works for keyboard often set odd rhythms against one another in separate hands. A good example is in the soloist's cadenza in Grieg's Concerto in A Minor; the left hand plays arpeggios of seven notes to a beat; the right hand plays an ostinato of eight notes per beat while also playing the melody in octaves, which uses whole notes, dotted eighth notes, and triplets. Other instances occur often in Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2. The piano arpeggios that constitute much of the soloist's material in the first movement often have anywhere from four to eleven notes per beat. In the last movement, the piano's opening run, marked 'quasi glissando', fits 52 notes into the space of one measure, making for a glissando-like effect while keeping the mood of the music. Other instances in this movement include a scale that juxtaposes ten notes in the right hand against four in the left, and one of the main themes in the piano, which imposes an eighth-note melody on a triplet harmony. Another example is the fluid 7:3 polyrhythm at the beginning of Charles Griffes’ ''The White Peacock.''

See also

Ewe music

Beat (acoustics) - another example of the same effect (mathematically), but with two continuous waves rather than a hit of the instrument only at every peak and trough of either wave.

Hemiola

Further reading

Peter Magadini (2001). ''Polyrhythms: The Musicians Guide''. ISBN 0-634-03283-6. Polyrhythm reference book.

Peter Magadini (1993). ''Polyrhythms For The Drumset''. ISBN 0-89724-821-X. Study in polymetric independence for drummers.

Sources

External links

Superimposed Subdivisions (Polyrhythm Hell) - An article by Heikki Malmberg

C.K. Ladzekpo's Foundation Course in African Dance-Drumming

Novotney, Eugene D. (1998) The Three Against Two Relationship as the Foundation of Timelines in West African Musics, PhD thesis. Urbana, IL: University of Illinois.

African Music Encyclopedia: Babatunde Olatunji

"Africano, the mother of groove," an article on polyrhythms and the African drumming tradition

Article about polyrhythm

Tempo Mental- Article by Steve Vai on Polyrhythms

Drums Database- More Polyrhythms

polyPulse An athenaCL netTool for on-line, web-based MIDI polyrhythm generation

polymath Another on-line, web-based MIDI polyrhythm generation tool which uses symbolic input

Polyrhythm Lessons- Information on applying polyrhythms on the guitar

How many tuplets- Post on triplets and duplets in West African music

More about polyrhythm

Metronome for Rhythms and Multi-Beat Polyrhythms Audio clips of many polyrhythms

How to Play Polyrhythms - Videos Video clips of polyrhythms

4 different time signatures Polymeter An example of 4 layer Time Signatures (2:4, 3:8, 5:16 & 7:8) played by Denny AJD simultaneously on a drumset.

Polyrhythms ...an Introduction Peter Magadini - as seen on " You Tube "

Category:Rhythm Category:Jazz techniques

ca:Polirítmia da:Polyrytme de:Polyrhythmik es:Polirritmia fr:Polyrythmie it:Poliritmia he:פוליריתמיקה nl:Polyritmiek ja:ポリリズム no:Polyrytme nn:Polyrytme pl:Polirytmia pt:Polirritmia ru:Полиритмия simple:Polyrhythm fi:Polyrytmi sv:Polyrytmik zh:复节奏

Coordinates	3°8′51″N101°41′36″N
name	Dean Brown
order	41st Premier of South AustraliaElections: 1993
term start	14 December 1993
term end	28 November 1996
deputy	Stephen Baker
predecessor	Lynn Arnold
successor	John Olsen
office2	Deputy Premier of South Australia
term start2	22 October 2001
term end2	5 March 2002
predecessor2	Rob Kerin
successor2	Kevin Foley
order3	Member for Finniss
term start3	11 December 1993
term end3	18 March 2006
predecessor3	''New District''
successor3	Michael Pengilly
birth date	April 05, 1943
nationality	Australian
party	Liberal Party of Australia
spouse	}}

Dean Craig Brown, AO (born 5 April 1943) was the Liberal Premier of South Australia between 14 December 1993 and 28 November 1996, and Deputy Premier of South Australia between 22 October 2001 and 5 March 2002 to Rob Kerin.

Political career

Dean Brown's political career was marked by his rivalry with John Olsen, the two representing the moderate and conservative wings of the South Australian Liberal Party respectively. He was first elected to Parliament in the seat of Davenport on 10 March 1973, and joined the Liberal Movement faction of the party. He served in the ministry of the government of David Tonkin from 1979 to 1982. In 1982, after the electoral defeat and retirement of David Tonkin, Olsen defeated Brown for the State Liberal Party leadership. For the 1985 election, an electoral redistribution left both Brown and Stan Evans vying for Liberal preselection for the safe Liberal seat of Davenport. Brown won preselection, but Evans stood as an Independent Liberal and won the seat.

Dean Brown returned to politics in 1992. The Labor government of John Bannon was embarrassed by the losses of the State Bank of South Australia, but the existing Liberal leader (Dale Baker) was failing to capitalise. The moderate and conservative wings of the Liberal party each convinced a sitting member to give up his safe seat (Ted Chapman giving up Alexandra for Brown, Roger Goldsworthy giving up Kavel for Olsen), allowing both Brown and Olsen to re-enter parliament at by-elections on the same day, the 1992 Kavel by-election and 1992 Alexandra by-election respectively, and contest the Liberal leadership. In the ensuing ballot, Brown narrowly defeated Olsen.

Brown then led the Liberal party to a landslide electoral win at the 1993 South Australian election, becoming premier. But in 1996, Olsen successfully challenged for the leadership.

After Olsen resigned as premier in 2001, Brown sought to regain the top job that he had lost to Olsen in 1996 but lost out to Rob Kerin. As a concession to Brown, Kerin named Brown deputy premier. After the Liberal Party lost government at the 2002 State election, Brown became Deputy Opposition Leader until 2005 when he announced that he would leave politics at the 2006 election, and resigned the deputy leadership.

In October 2007, Brown was appointed special drought adviser to South Australian Premier Mike Rann.

References

External links

MP Profile: SA Parliament

Past Premier profile: SA Parliament

|- |- 1993}} |- 2005}} |- |- |- |-

Category:1943 births Category:Living people Category:South Australian Liberal politicians Category:Premiers of South Australia Category:Deputy Premiers of South Australia Category:Officers of the Order of Australia Category:Leaders of the Opposition in South Australia

fr:Dean Brown ht:Dean Brown

Coordinates	3°8′51″N101°41′36″N
background	solo_singer
born	September 05, 1974
origin	Glumslöv, Sweden
instrument	Drums, percussion, vocals
occupation	Musician
genre	Heavy metal, progressive metal
associated acts	Arch Enemy, Armageddon, Majestic, Pestilence, Silver Seraph, Darkane, Electrocution 250, Grimmark, James LaBrie, Dream Theater, Old Man's Child, In Flames, Soilwork
website	}}

Karl Peter Wildoer is a Swedish drummer in the bands Darkane, Electrocution 250 & Grimmark. He has also drummed for the bands Armageddon, Majestic, Pestilence, Silver Seraph, Arch Enemy, Time Requiem, Gardens of Obscurity and Dawn of Oblivion amongst others. He has been tagged to perform sessions drums on Old Man's Child's latest album, Slaves of the World. He is the drummer/harsh vocalist of the James LaBrie solo record Static Impulse. He also joined the experimental metal trio Electrocution 250 along with Todd Duane and Lalle Larson, with which released the album ''Cartoon Music from Hell''.

He received his first drumset when he was 7. When he was nine he started to play the flute at the local music school (Kommunala musikskolan) where he learned how to read sheet music. After a year of playing the flute he quit and decided to take drum lessons instead. In 1986 he joined a brass band. He stayed with this band for 8 years. At the age of 14 he created his first rock band named "Dammer", which was later changed to "Zaninez." In 1989 Christopher Malmström joined the band Zaninez and he and Peter became friends. This friendship would later help to form Darkane.

He also auditioned for Dream Theater in 2011, as revealed by a recent documentary trailer released by the band. He competed along with 6 others, who the band called "the worlds greatest drummers". The band was openly impressed with his audition, going as far as to name him in their Top 3 favorites, along with Mike Mangini and Marco Minnemann.

Credits

;Drum Technician

Colony - In Flames

;Record producer

Sworn to a Great Divide - Soilwork

References

External links

The Official Peter Wildoer Website

Official YouTube channel

Category:1974 births Category:Living people Category:Death metal musicians Category:Swedish heavy metal drummers

pl:Peter Wildoer ro:Peter Wildoer

Coordinates	3°8′51″N101°41′36″N
Name	Pharoahe Monch
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Troy Donald Jamerson
Birth date	October 31, 1972
Origin	South Jamaica, Queens, New York, U.S.
Genre	Hip hop
Years active	1989–present
Label	Hollywood/Priority RecordsRawkus/SRC RecordsDuck Down/W.A.R. Media, LLC
Associated acts	Organized Konfusion, Hilltop Hoods, Busta Rhymes, Adam F, Shabaam Sahdeeq, The HRSMN, Talib Kweli, Common, Mos Def, Kanye West, Erykah Badu, Mr. Porter }}

Pharoahe Monch (born Troy Donald Jamerson, October 31, 1972) is an American hip hop artist. He is known for his complex lyrics, complex delivery, and internal and multisyllabic rhyme schemes.

Biography

Pharoahe Monch's name is derived from the monkey doll Monchhichi. After receiving a bad haircut, which left Monch looking like a "chimpanzee", girls in Monch's class at the High School of Art and Design began calling him "Monchhichi", which was later shortened to "Monch". Monch adopted the "Pharoahe" prefix after meeting future Organized Konfusion partner Prince Po.

Monch released three albums as part of the rap duo Organized Konfusion with partner Prince Poetry: The self-titled ''Organized Konfusion'', ''Stress: The Extinction Agenda'' and ''The Equinox''. The duo handled a large amount of production on these albums themselves. All albums received positive critical reviews, but moderate sales. As a result, the duo split up after recording their final album ''The Equinox'' in 1997. Prince Poetry has since denied the possibility of an Organized Konfusion reunion.

Pharoahe Monch then signed to Rawkus Records, an indie label. After making several guest appearances on albums like the best-selling Rawkus compilation ''Soundbombing II'', Monch's much-hyped debut, ''Internal Affairs'' was released in 1999. The first single of the album, "Simon Says", became a hit single, peaking at #97 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was also featured in the 2000 cinematic releases ''Charlie's Angels'' and ''Boiler Room''. Despite its success, the song caused controversy when Monch was later sued for the song's use of a sample from Akira Ifukube's ''Gojira Tai Mosura'' for the hook. The uncleared sample use caused a halting in his album's distribution.

After ''Internal Affairs'' and the controversy from his hit song Pharoahe would not release another solo project for several years. He did still make some songs and guest appearances however. In 2000 he featured with Mos Def and Nate Dogg on the hit song "Oh No" from the Rawkus compilation record ''Lyricist Lounge 2''. He contributed the song "F**k You" to the ''Training Day'' soundtrack in 2001, and rapped the theme song to Madden NFL 2002. In 2003 Pharoahe released his final single through Rawkus Records, "Agent Orange", a war inspired song which revisited the 1991 Organized Konfusion track "Releasing Hypnotical Gases".

Pharoahe is also affiliated with the rap group The HRSMN. Although not a member of the group (there are only four real members), he is constantly linked to someday join the group when/if they ever expand.

There were rumors his next album, at first tentatively titled ''Innervisions'', was to be released under Denaun Porter's new Shady Records imprint Runyon Ave., but apparently the deal fell through; Monch later announced a deal with Street Records Corporation, home of Wu-Tang Clan, David Banner and Terror Squad. In June 2007 Monch released his second solo album ''Desire'' to critical acclaim. Monch said about the album; "...it's very soulful, very gospel, a fresh, new sound for me." The album's lead single was the self-produced track "Push", with "Let's Go" as its B-Side. The song's music video and single were released in late September 2006. Pharoahe Monch released a second music video entitled "When the Gun Draws" at a Brooklyn music festival in February, 2007. The track was inspired by a song he did with Prince Po entitled "Stray Bullet" which was featured on the ''Stress: The Extinction Agenda'' album. A final video was made for the title track "Desire" in late 2007. It was directed by New Zealand director Andy Morton and shot on the Rock the Bells tour with full band. The video features both MeLa Machinko and of course, a huge performance from Showtyme.

Monch also produced and ghost-wrote the track "The Future" and ghost-wrote the track "Hold Up" with Mobb Deep member Havoc on rap mogul Diddy's latest album ''Press Play''. Critics contest that Monch's writing is evident in both the content and the delivery of Diddy's rhymes.

On July 9, 2010, Pharoahe Monch allowed hip hop website hiphopdx.com to leak a song from his forthcoming album ''W.A.R. (We Are Renegades)''. The song was called "Shine" and featured vocals by MeLa Machinko and was also produced by Diamond D. On February 14, 2010, another song from Monch was leaked, which is called "Clap (One Day)", produced by M-Phazes.

Pharoahe Monch released his third solo album ''W.A.R. (We Are Renegades)'' in March 2011. It featured guest appearances from Jill Scott, Styles P, Citizen Cope, Jean Grae, Royce da 5'9", Immortal Technique, Vernon Reid, Phonte, Mr. Porter, Mela Machinko, Showtyme & DJ Boogie Blind. Pharoahe revealed that the album is a "throwback to 1993, '94 hip-hop" and featured production by Exile, Marco Polo, M-Phazes, Fatin, Diamond D, Mike Loe, Samiyam, Adam Deitch, Eric Krasno and Pharoahe Monch himself. Four singles have been released from the album: "Shine", "Clap (One Day)", "Black Hand Side", and "Assassins". A ten year anniversary re-issue of ''Internal Affairs'' will also be released featuring a documentary about the making of the album.

Rapping technique

Pharoahe Monch is acclaimed for his complex rapping technique - Allmusic says he has, "a reputation as one of underground hip hop's pre-eminent lyricists, crafting intricate and intelligent raps." Kool Moe Dee ranks him at 26 in his best MCs of all time list, from his book, ''There's a God on the Mic''. Kool Moe Dee notes: "Pharoahe Monch is like an eloquent linguistics professor moonlighting as a rhyme serial killer terrorist, challenging the listeners' I.Q. while daring him or her to keep up."

Monch compares writing and recording his lyrics to writing and filming a movie - in the book ''How to Rap'' he says he will 'punch-in' vocals so he can "retake some things, just like a film", and he 'rewrites' lyrics, saying he will "go back as a screenwriter and rewrite scenes and leave more to the imagination."

For his biggest hit, "Simon Says", he comments that he wrote the choruses before he wrote the verses, and fellow rapper and collaborator O.C. notes that Monch will write single lines down and then use them five years later. His vocal delivery is inspired by Jazz music and musicians such as John Coltrane.

Discography

Group albums

With Organized Konfusion:

Album information
align="left"	*Released: October 29, 1991	*Certification: None	Hollywood Records>Hollywood Basic Records	*Singles: "Who Stole My Last Piece of Chicken?"/"The Rough Side of Town", "Fudge Pudge"/"Walk Into the Sun"
	*Released: August 16, 1994	*Certification: None	*Label: Hollywood Basic	*Singles: "Stress"/"Keep It Koming", "Bring It On"
align="left"	*Released: September 23, 1997	*Certification: None	Priority Records>Priority	*Singles: "Somehow, Someway"/"Soundman"/"Numbers"/"9x's out of 10"

Solo albums

Album information
align="left"	*Released: October 19, 1999	*Billboard 200 chart position: #41	*R&B;/Hip-Hop chart position: #6	*Singles: "Simon Says"/"Behind Closed Doors", "The Light"/"Right Here (Remix)"
align="left"	*Released: June 26, 2007	*U.S. Sales: 12,200 (First week)	*Billboard 200 chart position: #58	*R&B;/Hip-Hop chart position: #13	*Singles: "Push"/"Let's Go", "Desire"/"When The Gun Draws", "Body Baby"
	*Released: March 22, 2011	*U.S. Sales: 9,600 (First week)	*Billboard 200 chart position: #54	*R&B;/Hip-Hop chart position: #14	*Singles: "Shine", "Clap (One Day)", "Black Hand Side", "Assassins"

Mixtapes

''The Awakening''. Released December, 2006. ''The Awakening'' was Pharoahe Monch's first and only official mixtape released prior to Desire.

Singles

1999: "Simon Says"

2000: "The Light"

2001: "F**k You"

2002: "The Life"

2003: "Agent Orange"

2007: "Push"

2007: "Let's Go"

2007: "Body Baby"

2010: "Shine"

2011: "Clap (One Day)"

2011: "Black Hand Side"

2011: "Assassins"

Appearances

1998: "Live from the DJ Stretch Armstrong Show with your host Bobbito The Barber" (from ''Lyricist Lounge, Volume One'')

1999: "Mayor" and "WWIII" (from ''Soundbombing II'')

1999: "Lyrical Fluctuation (feat. Jigmastas, Mr. Complex, Talib Kweli and Shabaam Sahdeeq)" (from the DJ Spinna album ''The Beyond Real Experience'')

1999: "Dirty Decibels" (from The High & Mighty album ''Home Field Advantage'')

1999: "Take Me Home" (from the Polyrhythm Addicts album ''Rhyme Related'')

1999: "The Anthem" (featuring Eminem, RZA, Tech N9ne, Xzibit, Kool G Rap, Chino XL and KRS-One) (from the Sway & King Tech album ''This or That'')

1999: "Turnablist Anthem" (from the Rob Swift album ''The Ablist'')

1999: "Innovations" (from the Saukrates album ''The Underground Tapes'')

1999: "Livin' It Up" (from the ''Next Friday Soundtrack'')

2000: "Why Don't Cha", "Big Fronter" and "Divine Intervention" (from the Mr. Complex album ''The Complex Catalog'')

2000: "Ill Collabo (feat. Prince Po)" (from the Cella Dwellas album ''The Last Shall Be First'')

2000: "Kenny Rogers - Pharoahe Monch Dub Plate (feat. Kenny Rogers)" (from the Wyclef Jean album ''The Ecleftic: 2 Sides II a Book'')

2000: "What Am I? (feat. L.I.F.E. Long)" (from the Antipop Consortium album ''Tragic Epilogue'')

2000: "Ghost Weed Skit 1" (from the De La Soul album ''Art Official Intelligence: Mosaic Thump'')

2000: "One Four Love Pt.1 (from ''Hip Hop for Respect'')

2000: "Horsemen" (from the Canibus album ''2000 B.C. (Before Can-I-Bus)'')

2000: "Connect (featuring Xzibit & Gipp)" (from the DJ Hurricane album ''Don't Sleep'')

2000: "Oh No (feat. Mos Def & Nate Dogg)" (from ''Lyricist Lounge 2'')

2001: "F**k You" (''Training Day (soundtrack)'')

2001: "I Pledge Allegiance" (from the Nate Dogg album ''Music and Me'')

2001: "Last Dayz" (from the Adam F album ''Kaos: The Anti-Acoustic Warfare'' )

2002: "Madden 2002 Theme" (from the video game ''Madden NFL 2002'')

2002: "Guerilla Monsoon Rap (feat. Black Thought)" (from the Talib Kweli album ''Quality'')

2002: "The Life (featuring Styles P)" and "Round & Round (Remix)", (from ''Soundbombing III'')

2002: "The X (Y'all Know The Name) (featuring Xzibit, Inspectah Deck and Skillz)" (from the X-Ecutioners album ''Built From Scratch'')

2002: "H! Vltg3 (featuring Evidence and DJ Babu)" (from the Linkin Park album ''Reanimation'')

2002: "Frontline (featuring Prince Po, Mike Zoot and F.T.)" (from the El Da Sensei album ''Relax Relate Release'')

2002: "Murda 1 Case (featuring KK)" (from the DJ Quik album ''Under Tha Influence'')

2002: "See What I See" (from the Ras Kass album ''Goldyn Chyld'')

2002: "Talking to You (feat. Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Rah Digga & A-Butta)" (Rawkus Single)

2003: "Oblivion" (from the Aimee Allen album ''I'd Start A Revolution (If I Could Get Up In the Morning)'')

2003: "What is the Law" (''Oz'' Soundtrack)

2004: "Just Do It" (from the Pete Rock album ''Soul Survivor II'')

2005: "It Ain't The Money" (from the Macy Gray album ''The Very Best of Macy Gray'')

2005; "Evaridae" (from the O.C. album ''Starchild'')

2005: "New World Symphony" (from the Miri Ben-Ari album ''The Hip-Hop Violinist'')

2006: "Fish Filet" (from the Sa-Ra double-single ''The Second Time Around'')

2006: "Book Of Judges" (Marc Eckō's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure Soundtrack)

2006; "Loose Ends (feat. Justin Timberlake & will.i.am)" (from the Sérgio Mendes album ''Timeless'')

2006: "Love" (from the J Dilla album ''The Shining'')

2007: "Rehab (Remix)" (feat. Jay-Z) (from Amy Winehouse album ''Back to Black'')

2007: "Reachin'" (from the Polyrhythm Addicts album ''Break Glass'')

2008: "Apocalypse RMX" (from the Immortal Technique album ''The 3rd World'')

2008: "The Matrix (feat. Pharoahe Monch, Sean Price & DJ Premier" (from the Black Milk album ''Tronic'')

2009: "Classic Example" (from Hilltop Hoods album ''State of the Art'')

2009: "Salute" (from Slaughterhouse's self-titled album Slaughterhouse)

2009: "One Shot" (from the KRS-One & Buckshot album ''Survival Skills'')

2009: "Dollaz & Sense" (with RZA) (from The Black Keys' album ''Blakroc'')

2009: "Back and Then" (from the Prince Po EP ''X-Files'')

2010: "Let U Live" (from the Consequence mixtape ''Movies On Demand'')

References

External links

Official website

Category:Living people Category:African American rappers Category:American hip hop record producers Category:Rappers from New York City Category:1972 births

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