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Pharoahe Monch Speaks on Album’s Delay

Written by Tyler Hakes. Published: Monday, October 4, 2010.

Ambition can be a downfall — especially when you’re relying on other people to move forward.

It seems to have been the Achilles’s heel of Pharoahe Monch’s next solo album, he said in a recent interview with HipHopChronicle where he discussed what caused his album, W.A.R., to be pushed back to 2011.

“We decided collectively — me and my manager — to push this record back, because it simply wasn’t ready,” he explained somberly, “we were a little bit too ambitious.”

The New York MC continued by explaining that part of the hold-up was caused from guest vocals not coming in on time. “We were waiting for vocals from another artist,” he said, “and they didn’t come in.” Monch did not disclose what artist he was referring to.

He also said that the album still needed some work, saying he, “wanted the album under a tight microscope.”

When asked about the content of the album, Monch explained it as “dark” and “scary”. He didn’t expand much on the specific issues he would be discussing on the record, but the language he used seems to indicate political undertones to the record.

“A lot of our liberties are being taken away,” explained Monch, “we’re losing touch with our sensibility and we’re becoming desensitized. I worry about the generations to come.” He then started laughing — “That’s not what the album is about,” he said.

In the same interview, Jean Grae also discussed her record briefly, although she didn’t have any specifics as to what has yet to be completed or when Cake or Death, her first release under Talib Kweli’s Blacksmith imprint, may see the light of day. She echoed Monch’s idea of being overly-ambitious in her pursuits.

Monch’s album, W.A.R., was originally scheduled for a fall 2010 release on Duck Down Records. It is currently slated to be released sometime in early 2010. Reports have indicated it may hit shelves near the end of February.

Watch the full interview with Pharoahe Monch and Jean Grae below.