NEWS

Slim-Fit

As our denim gets tighter, we’re getting a little self-conscious of busting from our seams. Hey, there just ain’t enough room in our pockets to fit a wad of dollar bills from a night of making it rain at the local gentlemen’s club, much less room for our cell phones. Thankfully, T-Mobile knows what’s up by going razor thin with the new Samsung Trace phone. Attendance at this week’s launch party at NYC’s Y Apartment guaranteed us the free slimly designed phone and one less uncomfortable bulge. That is, until Nina Sky made a guest appearance. Just peep the photos while we hang our heads in shame.

The Nina Sky appearance gave us more than we bargained for.

The last of the backpack rap dynasty, Pharoahe Monch delivers for nostalgic fans later this year with his highly-anticipated sophomore album, Desire.

Fabolous keeps it gangsta with some Samsung execs.

Photography by Soul Brother

The Light

The rap nerds here at Complex HQ have been stuck in the darkness since the end of the Rawkus heyday—seven years to be exact. Today, we crawled out from under our Jansports with an invite to SRC/Universal’s Manhattan offices for an exclusive preview of Pharaohe Monch’s new album, Desire. Joined by label CEO Steve Rifkind, we got goose bumps listening to Pharaohe’s self-produced single, “Push,” on which Monch raps and sings about the blue-collar struggle. There is more harmonizing than one might expect throughout Desire, but longtime fans need not worry—the Pharoahe hasn’t gone Lauryn Hill on us. Monch is in top form on “Gun Draws,” which is topically reminiscent of the Organized Konfusion classic “Stray Bullet,” and the Alchemist-produced title cut. Come November, we’ll all see the light again.