999,943: Pharoahe Monch — Mayor

Back in the late 90’s, Rawkus Records was the king- the hands down, undisputed KING- of putting out rap comps that I liked. They split the difference between the smart but sometimes precious backpack rap I thought I should like, and other, more aggressive stuff I always enjoyed listening to, but which never seemed to completely satisfy- and I’m a little ashamed to use the word here- intellectually.

The first two Soundbombing comps are pretty consistently great, but this Pharoahe Monch track is a standout. It’s one of those rare rap songs that not only has a narrative structure, but which actually has an interesting narrative structure.

We begin in media res, with a brief, but to the point, dramatic scene. The Mayor answers a knock on his door. “Officer Fleming” is outside. The Mayor lets him in and offers him a doughnut. “Officer Fleming” shoots the Mayor in the head.

A searing string loop kicks in, the drums drop, and Pharoahe unpacks the story... sort of. Unlike other mid-90s “I killed the mayor” jams- Cypress Hill’s “Pass Anotha Blunt (While I Kill Da Mayor)”, “Ofukikiltdamayor” by Onyx, or Tribe Called Quest’s classic “Peoples Intrinsic Disciples And Look Out Because I Just Killed The Mayor” for instance, Pharoahe starts with the assassination, glosses over the intense planning, skips the running gun battles with the cops, then goes straight to the part where the shooter holes up in a cheap motel with a mountain of coke and stares into the existential void until he is inevitably tracked down and killed.

He watches a post-assassination riot from the 15th floor “behind the curtains in the nude.” He spent 12 months planning the crime without really worrying about what would happen next. That part doesn’t matter. Fuck it. At least he shot the mayor.