Pharoahe Monch was raised in the tough streets of New York City. He had his first exposure to music during the rise of hip-hop and began to become one of the great artists of the underground. He first made a name for himself as a lyricist to be reckoned with, and has not backed down from his hard-hitting words since the beginning. He began to gain recognition as one half of the rap duo Organized Konfusion, creating intelligent and intricate raps with his partner Prince Poetry. They recorded three albums together before they decided to go their own ways so that they could pursue their craft individually.

The collaboration with Prince Poetry brought something very valuable to Pharoahe Monch, giving him the outlet he needed to realize his calling as an emcee. He released his solo introduction to hip-hop with the album Internal Affairs, which brought him into the charts topping out at number 41 on The Billboard 200 and number six on R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. The album, which is often vulgar and violent in the successful attempt to get the theme across, met with accord from a wider audience than he had previously enjoyed. The album, released under the label Rawkus, was definitely a successful venture.

Monch did not release his second album until 2007, but in the time between albums he continued to grow in fame in the rap and club scene, waiting until the time was right for his next album. In 2007 he released Desire on the unsuspecting world. The album is tight and centered work that shows the maturity that he has gained during the intervening period since his last album. Desire peaked at number 58 on The Billboard 200 and at number 13 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.