Afu Ra has been reppin’ his Perverted Monks crew since what seems like his debut on wax, but it’s not until roughly ten years later in 2004 that his crewmates Respect, A-Sun and Ca-See are officially brought out from the shadows. On Afu-Ra Presents: Perverted Monks these four self-proclaimed righteous men let us know that we all have perversions, so why try to hide them?

     This album is certainly on a different wavelength than Afu’s previous work–most notably his uplifting debut, Body of The Life Force. As Afu-Ra Presents… begins, we are greeted with the tranquil mantra intro “Ohm”; the listener is then thrust into the catchy booty call anthem “Backtodacrib” where the Perverted Monks let us know that “We’re into fucking–not into fronting.” And the perversion keeps on coming. Ironically enough, “Doin It”, arguably the best song on the album, has nothing to do with sex at all. The boom-bap is in full effect here as Afu unleashes his verbal martial arts with precision and JahDan adds his dancehall flavor nicely. “Make You Wanna” is another success that sees the rest of the crew get loose over a playful flute loop. Of the sex-driven tracks, “It’s On” is one of the few standouts as it features a wild East Indian-influenced raga beat, which the Monks are able to ride well.

     By the time the curtains roll on this album though some of the sex songs like “Freak” and “Gully” are not much different from the “back-to-the-hotel” type joints you can hear on the radio any day. There’s no doubt Afu and his crewmates can flow. So why the Monks didn’t expand their lyrical repertoire a bit makes you wonder. Take a look at the cover and you may find the answer: sex sells.