Possessing one of the most lyrical styles in hip hop today, and already having released two critically acclaimed albums, he now has a third on the way. Blowing away Australian audiences on his last two tours, he will be here later this month to once again grace the stage. “Ya’ll know the name, Pharoahe fucking Monch, and ain’t a damn thing’s changed….”

I want to start by talking about the strong Australian connection you have been building up. A little while back you worked with The Hilltop Hoods on their State Of The Art record. Were you familiar with any of their music before you worked with them? How did the collaboration come about?
I forget the name of the one song I had heard before they had approached me, but I had found it on YouTube watching skateboarding videos.

At a guess, I would say it would most likely have been Nosebleed Section?
Yeah, yeah! Nosebleed Section, and I was like, who did this song? You know what I mean, it’s dope. Those guys are not only hard working artists and pioneers, but they are really cool people as well. It was just a real pleasure to come out. They are fans of Hip Hop in general like I am, the total culture of it.

Not only that, I was out there working with M-Phazes. It’s funny that I am over there so much now, cause in the tenure of my solo career, and with Organized Konfusion we had never been there. Then I was fortunate enough to come over the first time for Good Vibrations, and because of budgeting I was able to bring my band, it was just fucking amazing.

In regards to the music and the beats you use, something I always love about your records is the big lush sounds you get. Especially on Desire where you used a lot of horns, it’s a very soulful vibe. Most of the hip hop we are getting on the airwaves here is more dance and electronic music driven. Do you see this as a natural progression for the genre, or an off-shoot from hip hop?
I think the special thing about hip hop is that it does encompass so many different genres. I had a show in Miami the other night, it was a club gig and they were playing a lot of drum& bass and Miami Dance. I felt like I understood where that sort of music serves its purpose, within that sort of arena.

At the same time, there is still a place for what I am trying to implement as well. The club has always been a place which is good for marketing. So many people listening at the same time, it’s why people go to the club, and why people go for the sound your hearing on the radio right now. Because that pulse is what’s trendy right now. I feel also there is an audience which is ready right now, it may be a smaller percentage, but that’s ready for music on the same frequency. But it speaks to you and pulls your heart strings, and actually speaks to your soul as well.

Talking about speaking to the soul, let’s talk about your new album W.A.R. What are the general ideas you are trying to communicate through the album?
First off, it’s my most cohesive album with solid continuity throughout. It’s a story, it’s hard and it’s soulful. It speaks out against police brutality, the war against that and the struggle against that.