Stress: The Extinction Agenda

Performer: Organized Konfusion
Artist: Q-Tip; O.C.; Large Professor
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Additional personnel: Q-Tip, O.C. The Large Professor (vocals); D-Ave (scratches). Producers: Buckwild, Organized Konfusion, Rockwilder. Engineers: Antonio Smalios, D. Anthony "The Bomb" Johnson, Anton Puchshansky. Recorded at Unique Studios and Battery, New York, New York; Power Play Studios, Long Island City, New York. Samples include "Mingus Fingus No. 2" (as performed by Charles Mingus), "Rain Dance" (as performed by Herbie Hancock), "Melody For Thelma" (as performed by Blue Mitchell) and "Who Sey Me Dun" (as performed by Cutty Ranks). Recording information: Battery, New York, NY; Power Play Studios, Long Island City, NY; Unique Studios, New York, NY. After earning both BET video play and underground cred (reaching beyond the rap community) for their 1993 debut with clever and twisted rhymes delivered with unique cadence, the duo of Pharoahe Monch and Prince Po returned two years later with another classic late golden age of hip-hop record. About the only change-up on STRESS: THE EXTINCTION is hinted at in the title; there is a stronger sense of urgency on Organized Konfusion's sophomore slice. While "Let's Organize" contains some playful call-and-response, the general tone is solemn seriousness; no one would dare question the pair's commitment to change. Meanwhile, the disc confirmed Pharoahe as one of the premier voices in political hip-hop with dexterous refrains like "a driver sprayed my face with mace/she didn't know I enjoyed the taste of radioactive waste" spit in a style combining Kool Keith staccato with Chuck D sound and fury.

Spin (1/96, p.64) - Included on Spin's list of the `10 Best Albums You Didn't Hear In '95' - "...a potent concoction--metaphoric contortions, moody textures, snappy drums--that cemented Organized's place among the beat generation's core..." Entertainment Weekly (9/23/94, p.70) - "...Combining rock-hard rhyming skills and a radical hip-hop critique of Christianity, the paranoid and apocalyptic visions this group expresses would be going down easier if the run-of-the-mill beats lived up to the lyrics..." The Source (9/94, p.91) - 4 Stars - Slammin' - "...The essence of Organized Konfusion is pure lyricism. More so than any other artists out now, Monch and Prince are masters of words and phrases...they become verbal contortionists, creating moving molecules of syllables and sounds..." Rap Pages (11/94, p.25) - 9 - "...This is a must-have LP for any aspiring lyricist, as well as for avid fans who are tired of the saturated, unexceptional, untalented, crime-related, or sexual, close-minded MCs." Urban Latino (10/94, p.53) - "...[Organized Konfusion] create a sophisticated hip-hop style that is often as innovative as it is infectious....there's enough head-bobbing and bounce-type material here to keep the attention of even the most jaded listener..."

Coming across at times goofy and nostalgic, but at most times unrelentingly serious, Organized Konfusion, the duo of Prince Poetry and Pharoahe Monch, gained instant underground celebrity in the early-1990s with its brash, cerebral brew of hip-hop. While for some the act is best remembered for the quasi-novelty single "Who Stole the Last Piece of Chicken?" which received heavy rotation on BET, the bulk of the act's critically lauded work is much darker and introspective, tackling issues from angles unseen before or since. While Pharoahe Monch's solo forays were few and far between, his distinctive voice delivering multi-syllabic flow has made him one of hip-hop's legendary mystic MCs.

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