th1rt3en is the project of rapper Pharoahe Monch joined by Jack White drummer Daru Jones and guitarist, Marcus Machado. The trio previously shared “Fight” (ft. Cypress Hill) and “666 (Three Six Word Stories)” which finds the band musically covering Black Sabbath’s “Hand of Doom”. The band gave their first live performance on their dynamic NPR Tiny Desk Concert, released on Monday in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

th1rt3en has unleashed the searing “Cult 45” single/video a few days before their debut album release and during inauguration week. Monch describes the song as “verbal voodoo” and wants it to speak to an exorcism from hyper consumerism and political corruption, with 45 only as a backdrop for a commentary on the entire system.

Pharoahe Monch has had a fine career, first as a member of the 90’s group Organized Konfusion and even more notably as a solo artist revered by his peers including Eminem and Questlove. He recently collaborated with De La Soul and fellow hip hop veterans Styles P, Talib Kweli, Mysonne, and Chuck D for the Supa Dave West-produced “Remove 45,” a call to arms about removing Trump from office. Aggressive, abrasive, often irreverent and fearless with their examination of the world today, the propelling percussion, bewitching hooks, elite lyricism and brilliant guitar work makes for a sonic explosion worthy of the best of all genres.