Prince Paul

Editor's Review:

Prince Paul, the legendary New York producer who has been responsible for the production of such acts as De La Soul, Stetsasonic and Tribe Called Quest, has just released Prince Among Thieves, seemingly a soundtrack without a film; or, rather, the CD is the film and the Soundtrack.

It is the story of a young rapper named Tariq and his friend True, an older rapper and a drug dealer. The story is rife with doublecrosses, jealous sellouts and harsh ghetto realities. Featuring Breeze and Big Sha in the title rolls, and Kool Keith, Chub Rock, Chris Rock, Big Daddy Kane, Everlast, Biz Markie, RZA, and a host of others in supporting roles, the story of Prince Among Thieves is a classic tale we've all heard before, told from a unique perspective.

The music is the truly impressive part of this joint. Prince Paul is known for his innovative production, possessing the ability to see music from a new point of view, and also for taking hip-hop cultural axioms and twisting them around to fit his purpose. Take for example, "Steady Slobbin'," a tongue-in-cheek play on Ice Cube's "Steady Mobbin'" that fits with the story. Other musical interludes are full of the smooth, jazz-oriented cuts that feature many of the rappers who have roles in the story, as well as others, like De La Soul, Xibit, and Sadat X.

All together, Prince Among Thieves presents a frightening story with tight beats and rhymes, quality rappers, and cultural references abound. In fact, Paul's referral to things like "tossing salads" "government cheese" and the music and posturing of other rappers and rap music movements is the quiet genius at work here. But what else can we expect from Prince Paul?

- Philip Bole


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Record Label Tommy Boy Records Released April 2001

Tracks 1. Tariq's Delimma 2. Pain 3. How It All Started 4. Steady Slobbin' 5. Just Another Day 6. What U Got (The Demo) 7. Hustles On, The 8. MC Hustler 9. Call, The 10. Other Line, The 11. Crazy Lou's Hideout 12. Weapon World 13. My Big Chance 14. War Party 15. Count Macula 16. Macula's Theory 17. Mr. Large 18. Can You Handle It 19. Put The Next Man On 20. I Was In 21. My First Day 22. More Than U Know 23. Room 69 24. Mood For Love 25. Bust, The 26. Men In Blue, The 27. Central Booking 28. Handle Your Time - 29. Rev, The 30. Sermon 31. Showdown 32. You Got Shot 33. Every Beginning Must Have An Ending 34. New Joint (DJ's Delite), The 35. Prince Among Thieves, A