PHAROAHE MONCH - P.T.S.D. (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) [10 Year Anniversary Edition] - 2LP - HellFire Vinyl [JUN 14]

2LP - Limited Edition 10th Anniversary Edition HellFire (Orange w/ Black Splatter) Vinyl.

Pharoahe Monch is one of the most revered and influential emcees in the history of hip hop, and 2024 marks the 10th anniversary of his fourth studio album "PTSD: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder". Originally released in 2014, PTSD stunned and haunted both fans and critics, as it continued the rich and compelling story Monch began telling in his previous LP, "W.A.R. (We Are Renegades)" released in 2011. The Queens emcee narrates, in both literal and metaphoric ways, about the trials and tribulations of an independent artist who is at war with the music industry and the struggle of the black male experience in America. 

In 2012, during an interview with Shawn Setaro, host of the podcast The Cipher, the rapper explained the connections between the two projects, beyond their titles. “The W.A.R. album was like, I’m going to battle against the machine, I’m doing this independently. I’m putting some things out that I learned and I’m going to expose about the music industry. PTSD is the result of me doing that, where I am emotionally now. It’s similar to how someone comes back from war and is stricken by re-adjusting to a regular situation.”

Monch told MTV Hive that PTSD is “more mental, emotional and personal” because it came out of the depths of a period of depression. He also gave the internal and external factors that helped him create the album. “I was working on the title track, which took me to a point in between Internal Affairs and Desire, where I was heavily depressed. Through the waiting period, the industry period, and going through a lot emotionally. Then there was the physical [problem] with asthma. It was the worst. So I started off with that title track and my manager was like, ‘Yo, let’s really dive into that state and how you got to where you are now, and how this follows what people go through to get back to a so-called ‘normal’ situation’.”

The concept album follows a veteran through combat experience, his return home, relationship dissolution, drug addiction, painful depression, and, finally, a triumphant but realistically rendered decision to keep living and struggling. 

Now 10 years since its release, the concepts and themes in "PTSD: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder" are unfortunately still as relevant and true today as they were back in 2014. The battles and struggles of the independent artist are evermore present today now more than ever as is the struggle of the experience of what it is to be black in America.

Tracklist: 

Side A
1. The Recollection Facility
2. Time2
3. Losing My Mind (Ft. Denaun)
4. Heroin Addict
5. Damage

Side B
1. Bad M.F.
2. The Recollection Facility Pt. 2
3. Rapid Eye Movement (Ft. Black Thought)
4. Scream 10. SideFX (Ft. Dr. Pete)

Side C
1. The Jungle
2. Broken Again
3. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Side D
1. D.R.E.A.M. (Ft. Talib Kweli)
2. The Recollection Facility Pt. 3
3. Eht Dnarg Noisulli (Ft. The Stepkids)
4. Stand Your Ground (Bonus Track)