Organized Konfusion Is Criminally Underrated - Here’s Why
In a world more connected to media past and present thanks to the internet, we’re looking at why Organized Konfusion raps best-forgotten duo.
When thinking of the best rap groups, many come to mind; Outkast, UGK, Wu-Tang Clan or Mobb Deep for example. There is a case to be made that Organized Konfusion is rap's greatest forgotten treasure and stands toe toe toe with its peers.
The group was formed in 1987 by Prince Poetry (later just Prince Po) and Pharoahe Monch. The group originally started with Po as the emcee and Monch as the beatboxer but Monch later transitioned into rapping.
The group was signed to Hollywood Basic Records and released their self-titled debut album in October of 1991. The album garnered rave reviews with four mics out of five from The Source magazine.
Following this, the duo released their magnum opus “Stress: The Extinction Agenda” on August 16, 1994. After the dust was settled, the general consensus is that the album is a classic rap album in its own right.
The sound of the record holds up well today with high-quality production, attention-grabbing lyrics and potent subject matter. The LP featured two guest spots on the track ‘Let’s Organise’ from O.C. and Q-Tip of D.I.T.C. and A Tribe Called Quest fame respectively.
Stress is quite the collector's piece with any edition of the album fetching a high price on the secondary market.
Following on from Stress, The group released their third and final LP ‘The Equinox’ in fall 1997 on Priority/EMI to lukewarm reviews.
The record is a loose concept album based where Monch and Po rap as unborn twins with one hoping for a good life and the other wishing to be aborted.
After the commercial failure of their third album, the group disbanded and embarked on solo careers.
Monch’s career has been the most fruitful, releasing multiple albums, most notably his classic 1999 album ‘Internal Affairs’.
Po released his debut solo single in 1998 followed up with his album ‘The Slickness’ in 2004. The album featured the likes of Madlib, MF DOOM and Raekwon.
So what went wrong? It’s unfortunate the first two and best Organized Konfusion albums (as of 2020) are not on streaming services. This cuts off a lot of the group’s potential exposure to new listeners and those who may have listened to them back in the 90s who may not own a CD player anymore.
This cuts especially deep considering how progressive, experimental and boundless their discography is.
Check out their album Stress on YouTube here.
