Organized Konfusion

Organized Konfusion (OK) is an alternative hip hop duo from Queens, New York, composed of Prince Po and Pharoahe Monch.

History

Recording career

Group members Prince Po and Pharoahe Monch began their career under the name Simply II Positive MCs. Originally, Po was the rapper and Pharoahe was a beatboxer, but after realizing his rhyming skill, Monch joined Po as MC. The duo caught the attention of hip hop producer Paul C, who produced a demo for the group in the late 1980s. They signed a record deal with a small record company in Queens named Solid Sound Records. Two producers named Kevin Osborne and Neal Kelley produced two singles for the group. The first was "Memories of Love" in 1987 and the second was "South Side in Effect". In 1987, they released "Memories of Love"; however, it did not receive any radio play. During that time, Def Jam was considering signing the duo, which led to the group changing its name. In an interview with Halftimeonline.net, Monch stated:

Paul C was murdered in 1989, but the duo went on and signed a record deal with Hollywood BASIC. In 1991, the group released its critically acclaimed self-titled debut album, '' Organized Konfusion''. The album was produced entirely by the duo, and featured only one guest appearance, provided by the group's childhood friend, future D.I.T.C. member O.C., who appeared on the single "Fudge Pudge". The album's single, "Walk Into The Sun", became a minor hit for the group, peaking at No. 15 on the Hot Rap Singles chart. The album itself did not make any Billboard chart, despite high praise from numerous sources, including AllMusic, which granted the album a perfect five-star rating, with reviewer Stanton Swihart stating that it is "arguably ''the'' underground ip-hopalbum of the 1990s."

The duo returned in 1994 with their second album, '' Stress: The Extinction Agenda''. This album was once more low on guests, featuring another appearance by O.C., and A Tribe Called Quest's Q-Tip, who both appeared on the song "Let's Organize". The album's lead single "Stress" charted on the Hot Rap Singles chart, but the most famous song from the album is arguably "Stray Bullet", a concept track which sees the MCs describing the travels of a stray bullet in first-person narrative.

In 1996, they appeared on the Red Hot Organization's compilation CD, '' America is Dying Slowly'', alongside Biz Markie, Wu-Tang Clan, and Fat Joe, among many other hip hop artists. The CD, meant to raise awareness of the AIDS epidemic among African American men, was heralded as "a masterpiece" by The Source magazine.

Following the release of ''Stress'', Organized Konfusion moved from Hollywood BASIC to Priority Records. The group's third album, '' The Equinox'', was released in 1997. The album featured a concept, complete with numerous storytelling skits. Many saw the concept as a failure, which led to the album receiving less critical acclaim when compared to the group's previous efforts. Led by the single "Somehow, Someway", the album managed to reach higher on the ''Billboard'' charts than its last two albums.

Separation

After this release, Prince Po and Pharoahe Monch split to pursue solo careers. In a 2005 interview with MVRemix.com, Prince Po discussed the break-up:

::—Prince Po

Solo careers

Pharoahe Monch signed a deal with Rawkus Records after the duo's break up, and released a highly acclaimed solo album, '' Internal Affairs'', in 1999. The album just missed a debut in the Top 40 on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart, and spawned the Hot 100 hit single "Simon Says". Pharoahe and Rawkus were met with a lawsuit over a ''Godzilla'' sample used in the track, which forced Rawkus to pull the album off the shelves, to be re-released without the single. The album was not re-released and remains out of print. OK partner Prince Po joined Pharoahe for an appearance on the track "God Send". Other album guests included Canibus, M.O.P., Busta Rhymes, Apani B, Common, Talib Kweli, Redman, Method Man, Lady Luck and Shabaam Sahdeeq.

Prince Po released his solo debut ''The Slickness'' in 2004 on Lex Records. The album almost completely missed the radar, but received fair reviews. Guests included Jemini, Rell, MF Doom and Raekwon.

Between 2004 and 2005, Pharoahe recorded an album while he was signed to MCA/Geffen Records, which was never released. After a bidding war between prominent labels such as Bad Boy Records, Shady Records and Sony Records, Pharoahe Monch signed a deal with Steve Rifkind's SRC Records in February 2006. He released his second album, ''Desire'', on June 26, 2007. Prince Po released his second solo album ''Prettyblack'' on August 8, 2006. Around this time he was also featured on Adverse's album ''David''. Another Po solo LP, ''Saga of the Simian Samurai'', was released in November 2007 and was produced entirely by TOMC3. The two had worked together previously on Kool Keith's '' Project Polaroid''.

Reunion

In 2004, it was announced that the group would be reuniting with a new third member, O.C. who made his debut on '' Organized Konfusion''. But the reunion was called off due to tensions between O.C. and Prince Po.

In interviews conducted during the promotion of Monch's album ''Desire'', questions have repeatedly come up in question to whether or not a reunion would take place. Monch likes to answer the questions with a vague, but optimistic, "Who knows what the future holds". Monch, now signed to a major label, still insists that, if a reunion were to take place, the record would be released on an independent label, citing that the high-end concepts Organized Konfusion deals with and tackles are not heavily supported by major labels.

On March 30, 2009, it was announced that Organized Konfusion would reunite at the 2009 All Points West Festival in Jersey City, New Jersey.

Discography

Albums

Appearances

*1992: "The Rough Side of Town (South Side)" and "Open Your Eyes" (from ''BASIC Beats Sampler'')
*~~~~: "Fat Bottomed Girls (Organized Konfusion Remix)" (from ''BASIC Queen Bootlegs'')
*1993: "Short Life of a Gangsta" (from Lifers Group album ''Living Proof)''
*1994: "Bring It On" ( Buckwild Remix)" (from '' Buckwild: Diggin' in the Crates'')
*1995: "4 My Peeps" (from Red Hot Lover Tone album ''#1 Playa)''
*~~~~: "You Won't Go Far" (from '' New Jersey Drive, Vol. 2'')
*1996: "Decisions" (from '' America Is Dying Slowly'')
*1997: "War Games" (from O.C. album '' Jewelz'')
*~~~~: "Metal Thangz" (from Street Smartz 12")
*~~~~: "Tender (Remix)" rom Attica Blues 12"/nowiki>
*~~~~: "Late Night Action" (from ''Soul in the Hole (soundtrack''))
*1998: "Rekonstruction" (from DJ Spooky album '' Riddim Warfare'')
*~~~~: "Murder by Syntax" (from ''Deep Concentration, Vol. 2: Deeper Concentration'')
*1999: "God Send" (from Pharoahe Monch album '' Internal Affairs'')
*2000: "Ill Collabo" (from Cella Dwellas album '' The Last Shall Be First'')
*2002: "Frontline" (from El Da Sensei album ''Relax, Relate, Release'')
*2009: "Then And Now" (from Prince Po EP ''X Files EP')
*2013: "3-O-Clock" (from Marco Polo album '' PA2: The Director's Cut'')
*2014: "Smash" (from Prince Po & Oh No album '' Animal Serum'')

References

External links

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African-American musical groups
American hip-hop record producers
American hip-hop duos
Hip-hop groups from New York City
Hollywood Records artists
Musical duos from New York (state)
Musical groups established in 1987
Musical groups disestablished in 1997
Musical groups reestablished in 2009
Musical groups from Queens, New York
Priority Records artists
Underground hip-hop groups
Record producers from New York (state)