Pharoahe Monch live @ the Jazz Cafe, London

Pharoahe Monch with Foreign Beggars @ the Jazz Café, London

- 10 June 2007

Reviewed by Chloe McCloskey

It’s half eight, still light out, and there is no other way to describe patrons at Camden’s Jazz Café than suffering from a Sunday laze. As Foreign Beggars’ DJ NoNames churns out classic beats preparing for his crew’s opening performance, it becomes obvious that it will take much more than a dope KRS-1 remix to get this crowd rolling.

The room begins to fill and one can begin to detect a hint of buzz developing as NoNames introduces the Beggars. Busting out low-key afternoon raps, Metropolis and Mr Orifice Vulgatron are expressly struck by the chilled out vibe and the fact that most punters are still sober.

In a gimmick-free act Metropolis spits a cappella lamentations about the recent spate of violence in the city, while Orifice’s spitfire nasal twang (reminiscent of a pre-bullsh*t Eminem) reveals what true talent this London squad encompass. By the time they touch down on hot single ‘Let Go!’ (the recording features Wildchild of Stones Throw’s Lootpack), the crowd is certainly warmed up and ready for headliner Pharoahe Monch.

When Monch’s six-part band (including male and female vocalists) take the stage, the crowd is eager, stinky and anxiously bumping. Singing, ‘Pharoahe, are you ready for Pharoahe?’, gorgeous back-up singer MeLa Machinko, who appears in three tracks on the rapper’s new LP ‘Desire’, looks about to explode and our hero of the evening hasn’t even stepped up.

When Mr ‘Simon Says’ himself finally struts into view, donning a big head of curls, a white v-neck and that gap-toothed smile true heads know and love, he is cool and collected, oozing the confidence gained only from a 16-year tenure in the game. From ‘Let’s Go to Free’ to ‘Agent Orange’, Monch spits with an awesome look of disgust resulting from his mouth used as an instrument to shape a calculated and highly impressive delivery.

By the time they break into true banger ‘My Life’, Pharoahe is moved by his own band, watching his singers in awe as they lose themselves in song. ‘Desire’ marks what you’d think was the evening’s climax, especially when singer boy loses it, freaking like a five foot tall R. Kelly.

To close, Monch rhymes his hilarious verse over Amy Winehouse’s ‘Rehab’ before inviting surprise guest Maseo of De La Soul performing ‘Stakes is High’ to the crowd’s gracious amazement. If this wasn’t the evening’s highlight, what could it be? Well no night of hip hop is complete without a little “Get the f**k up! Simon says, get the f**k up!” and as hands were thrown in the sky, Queens rocked the stage and the Pharoahe Monch confirmed once again that he definitely knows what’s up.

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	Pharoahe Monch with Foreign Beggars @ the Jazz Café, London - 10 June 2007 Reviewed by Chloe McCloskey It’s half eight, still light out, and there is no other way to describe patrons at Camden’s Jazz Café than suffering from a Sunday laze. As Foreign Beggars’ DJ NoNames churns out classic beats preparing for his crew’s opening performance, it becomes obvious that it will take much more than a dope KRS-1 remix to get this crowd rolling. The room begins to fill and one can begin to detect a hint of buzz developing as NoNames introduces the Beggars. Busting out low-key afternoon raps, Metropolis and Mr Orifice Vulgatron are expressly struck by the chilled out vibe and the fact that most punters are still sober. In a gimmick-free act Metropolis spits a cappella lamentations about the recent spate of violence in the city, while Orifice’s spitfire nasal twang (reminiscent of a pre-bullsht Eminem) reveals what true talent this London squad encompass. By the time they touch down on hot single ‘Let Go!’ (the recording features Wildchild* of Stones Throw’s Lootpack), the crowd is certainly warmed up and ready for headliner Pharoahe Monch. When Monch’s six-part band (including male and female vocalists) take the stage, the crowd is eager, stinky and anxiously bumping. Singing, ‘Pharoahe, are you ready for Pharoahe?’, gorgeous back-up singer MeLa Machinko, who appears in three tracks on the rapper’s new LP ‘Desire’, looks about to explode and our hero of the evening hasn’t even stepped up. When Mr ‘Simon Says’ himself finally struts into view, donning a big head of curls, a white v-neck and that gap-toothed smile true heads know and love, he is cool and collected, oozing the confidence gained only from a 16-year tenure in the game. From ‘Let’s Go to Free’ to ‘Agent Orange’, Monch spits with an awesome look of disgust resulting from his mouth used as an instrument to shape a calculated and highly impressive delivery. By the time they break into true banger ‘My Life’, Pharoahe is moved by his own band, watching his singers in awe as they lose themselves in song. ‘Desire’ marks what you’d think was the evening’s climax, especially when singer boy loses it, freaking like a five foot tall R. Kelly. To close, Monch rhymes his hilarious verse over Amy Winehouse’s ‘Rehab’ before inviting surprise guest Maseo of De La Soul performing ‘Stakes is High’ to the crowd’s gracious amazement. If this wasn’t the evening’s highlight, what could it be? Well no night of hip hop is complete without a little “Get the fk up! Simon says, get the fk up!” and as hands were thrown in the sky, Queens rocked the stage and the Pharoahe Monch confirmed once again that he definitely knows what’s up. Return To Concert Review Archive
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