DX: Fans have been liking you to Eminem and Shady camp for years now—even before you almost signed there—and a lot of it’s based on the fact that you once “collaborated” on “The Anthem” and just those hard-hitting, outlandish rhyme styles. I was curious: back in the days when Em was toying with the idea of signing to Rawkus, were you privy to that, and were there ever any plans to collaborate at any point?
Pharoahe Monch: Man, he is like…I don’t need to sit here and praise [Eminem] I think. I hope he knows how big a fan I am of his music and Slaughterhouse, as well as an inspiration. At that moment, when that was about to happen, that was like, the dopest shit. I really wanted to be there, but there was just so much red tape. I have to have the belief that things happen for a reason.
Like I said, I’m such a fan that I haven’t heard, on my side, the song yet that I would bring to him and be like, “Would you please get on this song?” It’s gotta be—and it would have to make sense for him—but for me, it would have to be some monumental shit. For me, as a fan, before I even get to see what other people think, I gotta be sitting there like, “Ohhhh, shit! I don’t believe it!”
He also talks about Mr. Porter a few times, so check out the whole interview here.
