Legendary hip-hop producer Prince Paul knows more than most about the
machinations of the music industry. After two decades of producing acts like
De La Soul as well as putting together releases such as the excellent
Handsome Boy Modelling School album, in his latest opus, he demonstrates his
knowledge of the hip-hop 'game' both musically and lyrically.
The beats and samples, as you would expect from a guy with such experience,
are top class. Lyrically, there are guest turns from some of the biggest
names in hip-hop, with Chuck D, Ice T, Guru and Erick Sermon all making
appearances. 'Drama Queen' featuring Dave from De La, is a wonderfully
melancholy track about relationship pressure and appears to be related to
direct experience, as is the acoustic guitar-based 'Beautifully Absurd'. On
'Not Trying To Hear That', Guru rocks the mic as well as he's ever done with
Gangstarr while on 'Chryme Pays' the rough beats are combined with a fierce
polemic on greed. And as is often the case with a Prince Paul production,
the skits in between tracks are excellent, with 'The Drive By' in particular
being a hilariously sarcastic piece on bling-bling gangsta chic.
Add all the above up and you get a quality album from someone with a real
understanding of hip-hop and with the knowledge and respect to be able to
call upon some of the best MC's in hip-hop history. And if you buy a vinyl
copy, you'll also get two great bonus tracks featuring the Beatnuts, Tony
Touch and Fat Lip amongst others. Recommended.
Reviewed by Sean Keltie
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