Pharoahe Monch

One half of storied 1990s underground rap duo Organized Konfusion, Pharoahe Monch possesses one of the most remarkable (and instantly memorable) flows in hip-hop, along with a penchant for multisyllabic feats of linguistic acrobatics. The Queens native's 1999 Rawkus debut, INTERNAL AFFAIRS, earned him instant notoriety with brash beats, many self-produced, and angularly spit lyrics that swung from gutter-raw to reflective and refined. When a follow-up failed to quickly appear, the legend grew, anticipation stoked by sporadically released tracks on soundtracks and mixtapes. Finally dropped eight years later, DESIRE somehow lived up to the hype, boasting tight beats and gleefully extravagant rhymes.