What is the meaning behind “I know there was a time where once I Was king of the underground But I still rap like I’m on my Pharoahe Monch grind”? Rap God by Eminem
- by imrk
- March 24, 2023
In a 2013 interview with Sway , Em mentioned how he admired underground rapper Pharoahe Monch , who started half of the 90’s duo Organized Konfusion with fellow rapper, Prince Po before going solo. Monch was once rumored to be signing to Shady Records. Monch is known in the Indie Hip Hop scene for his incredible technical ability and intricate rhyme schemes, like Eminem. Even though Eminem has been a financially successful and popular artist for over a decade now, he believes that he still rhymes with the type of hunger of a respected underground emcee like Pharoahe Monch. Em plays on both parts of Pharoahe Monch’s name: ul li King and strong pharaoh , as the Pharaoh was the ruler of ancient Egypt. li The line before mentions hunger and lunchtime, so the food-related terms continue with monch as in strong munch , and follows later to crunch rhymes, munch and crunch both being common onomatopoeia for eating. In a song rife with shout outs to other lesser deities of rap, the “king of the underground” line is likely a nod to UGK (underground kingz).