The record, however, was a pyrrhic victory for the veteran emcee.

Internal Affairs isn’t as much a new beginning as a thrilling recap, adapting the tenets of Monch’s long-standing game into a pithier, more concentrated blast of microphone mathematics. “The Light” is a genuinely affecting love story, played out over a soft-spoken riff and propped up by Monch’s own commanding melody, a skill perhaps best displayed on Stress: The Extinction Agenda closer “Maintain.” Even “Simon Says,” a raucous and heaving club anthem that’s unmistakably the record’s ‘radio song,’ channels the same unrestrained chaos as the darkest and heaviest of his preceding work, using his animated and charismatic voice to incite moshpit rebellion.

“No Mercy” moves with the antiquated dramatics of a Hollywood thriller, a la The Equinox cut “Chuck Cheese,” whilst “The Ass” toys with the playful irreverence of a call-and-response hook, an attitude reminiscent of OK’s lighter 1991 debut. “Rape,” one of the boldest and most relentless concept tracks in hip-hop history, is reminiscent of OK cuts such as “Stray Bullet,” in which Monch spits as a wayward shell causing chaos in an inner-city neighborhood, “Invetro,” in which Monch and Po give voice to unborn fetuses, and “Hate,” where the pair channel the psyches of white supremacists. Though it may have been a debut, Internal Affairs fuses the old and the new, running with the work of Organized Konfusion and continuing their cerebral mission whilst delving into heavier sounds and darker palettes, an impressively unconventional route to chart success. Fat Booty,” Def’s breakout single, was similarly climbing the charts. The LP arrived on October 19, 1999, just as “Simon Says” was reaching critical mass one week after another Rawkus-released debut, Mos Def’s Black On Both Sides. That chart position betrays the impact of the heavy-hitting anthem, a hip-hop staple and Monch’s definitive pop culture contribution. No lowkey inclusion could prepare the world for “Simon Says,” Monch’s debut single, which hit #3 on the Hot Rap Singles chart whilst peaking at a modest #97 on the Billboard Hot 100. Monch’s solo contract with Rawkus positioned him alongside artists such as Company Flow and Black Star, and appearances on lauded compilations such as Lyricists Lounge, Volume One and Soundbombing II helped cultivate a solo fanbase in preparation for his debut. The amicable split, though itself a loss, was tinted with possibilities: new directions, new collaborations, new approaches and a new millennium stretched out before the former duo. Whilst The Equinox proved the death knell of Organized Konfusion, it provided a unique opportunity for both Prince Po and Pharoahe Monch, who’d long toiled as the underground’s finest purveyors of concept tracks and heady bars. That’s not to discount the range presented throughout the record, testament to the Queens emcee’s decade of nigh-unparalleled artistry. Hell may just be the operative word here: from the album cover, which shows a blood red Monch cradling flames in his hands, to the record itself, an oft-startling and vivid illustration of hardships and nightmares, there’s a whole lot of unholiness at play. There’s a hell of a lot going on inside Pharoahe Monch’s head.

Twenty years on, we’re looking back at the Organized Konfusion emcee’s classic solo debut, exploring the feud that all but erased it, and celebrating the anniversary that brought it back from the brink! 1999’s Internal Affairs thrust underground veteran Pharoahe Monch into the spotlight, imbued with the might of Godzilla and a vocabulary like none other.

Pharoahe monch simon says spotify