Rock-infused hip-hop trio Th1rt3en is led by rap veteran Pharoahe Monch, who enlisted established musicians Daru Jones (Jack White) on drums and Marcus Machado (Anderson .Paak, Pete Rock) on guitar. Together they deliver hard-hitting crunchy tracks that don't pull their punches lyrically. Although the project was conceptualized by Monch in the late 2000s, it took a while to assemble the trio -- he had the players in mind from the start -- as they all had busy touring schedules. When they finally got together the tracks flowed with ease, although the Covid-19 pandemic meant that they'd write together long-distance, at least initially. Their debut album, A Magnificent Day for an Exorcism, surfaced in 2021, preceded by the single "Fire," which featured verses from Cypress Hill, the only guest to appear on the record. ~ Liam Martin