P.T.S.D.: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

by Pharoahe Monch

Overview

Going big with his 2014 release, Pharoahe Monch offers a conceptual album that is somewhere between Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon and Marvin Gaye's What's Going On with a bit of the influence of Philip K. Dick, the sci-fi writer who gave the world Blade Runner and Total Recall. The Dick bit comes from the theme that a company called Recollection can remove anxiety, stress, and other bad thoughts from the brain, but with Monch pulling such inspiration and creativity out of isolation (the Pink Floyd influence) and injustice (the Marvin Gaye influence), the album as a whole is a vibrant argument against the Recollection company's tactics. It's a funky blow against the empire as well, as "Damage" borrows a weird bit of LL Cool J's "Mama Said Knock You Out" to tell its tale of gun violence; then there's the stately and aptly titled "Bad M.F.," which comes on like the brightest, proudest Kanye West production, thanks to longtime collaborator Lee Stone. Speaking of beats, check out the psychedelic kick Quelle Chris puts behind the rapper's cathartic therapy session called "Scream," while "D.R.E.A.M.," featuring Talib Kweli, finds Stone brewing up a sweet and soft funky shuffle over which Monch offers dreams both sublime ("You could benefit from getting off the Internet/For just a minute") and ridiculous ("I dreamed of candy-coated cars and panties that go with bras"). All of it comes together for an album that's deep, attractive, and well-executed, but it's also incredibly wise, as the 40+ rapper turns in a series of age-appropriate rhymes packed with insight and, at times, an "I can see clearly now" sense of purpose. ~ David Jeffries

Product Details

Release Date:	06/14/2024
Label:	War Media
UPC:	0784085100687
Rank:	119499

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Pharoahe Monch   Primary Artist
Tim Walsh   Primary Artist
Dan Edinberg   Primary Artist
Jeff Gitelman   Primary Artist
Ashley Grier   Vocals
Denaun   Featured Artist
Dr. Pete   Featured Artist
Nick S.S. Banns   Strings
Black Thought   Featured Artist
Talib Kweli   Featured Artist
Michael Ciro   Drums,Guitar
The Stepkids   Featured Artist
Clara Ines Schuhmacher   Vocals

Technical Credits

Brian Cid   Mixing Engineer,Engineer
Christopher Willcocks   Cover Photo
Q. Chris   Composer
Brandon "B.A.M." Hodge   Producer
Jeff Gitelman   Mixing,Engineer,Producer
Jesse Singer   Mixing,Engineer,Producer
Chris Soper   Mixing,Composer,Engineer,Producer
Nick S.S. Banns   String Arrangements
M. Bruno   Composer
Alex Merzin   Mixing,Editing
David Kutch   Mastering
Guy Routte   Executive Producer
Lee Stone   Mixing,Composer,Producer
Boogie Blind   Producer
Joe Nardone   Mixing
Dan Edinberg   Mixing,Engineer,Producer
Tariq Trotter   Composer
Troy Jamerson   Composer
King of Chill   Engineer
Marco Polo   Mixing,Producer
Jesse West   Producer
Nick Banns   Mixing,Composer,Engineer,Producer
Michael Ciro   Engineer
T. Green   Composer
Pharoahe Monch   Producer,Executive Producer
Ola Kudu   Artwork,Cover Design
Tim Walsh   Mixing,Engineer,Producer
Alby Cohen   Engineer
Tsidi Ibrahim   Composer
Quelle Chris   Producer
Cullen Brooks   Vocal Engineer
J. Singer   Composer