I used to walk around in high school telling everyone-- teachers, hall monitors, Old Man O'Malley-- that Prince Paul was the greatest producer of all time, ever. I had a crush on him. The track record? Unfadeable, so please don't try to fade this: three absolute masterpieces for De La Soul, Stetsasonic, Gravediggaz, Handsome Boy Modeling School, Psychoanalysis (What Is It?), A Prince Among Thieves, etc. Here's a man with the guts to push sampling boundaries to their limits, creating broad, sonically cluttered terrain that remain tidy enough to still be logically rapped over, and not to mention being hip-hop's re-inventor of the "skit."
Despite ample success over nearly two decades, attempts are never made by others to emulate his sound; Prince Paul is constantly groundbreaking, and being the pioneer that he is, that shouldn't sound clichéd. Now, after severing ties with Tommy Boy, it's nice to see that the guts are still intact, and this time his audacity and valor are being used to... create a terrible album, on purpose! Like intentionally missing a free-throw to score an offensive tip-in for the win, Dew Doo Man fans are left scratching their heads, thinking, "just how is this gonna work?"
Obviously no stranger to the concept album, Paul's meta-flavor this time around is to be, well, mediocre. Citing the liner notes, he lays out his feelings towards the state of the industry today: "Hip-hop has remained stagnant... the level of greed has intensified. It's not about the music as much as what surrounds the music ($)." That one gets an "amen" and a "duh" from me, as I'd like to think everyone reading this essentially regards that as a given. At least, though, a prominent face in hip-hop has taken an "I'll be damned" attitude if he doesn't do something about it. "Record sales are like votes, it all counts," he states. "Your purchases have the power to change the course of the music being made and sold." Romanticizing aside, Paul still feels "a good portion of people probably won't go beyond the surface of this album or care enough to even get the meaning or irony of this project." After digging through every inch of it, I certainly have a grasp of what's being attempted; however, one can't help but think this thing was doomed from the start.
The story begins with Paul (as himself) in a meeting. After going "double wood" with the first attempt, record exec Dave Chappelle demands a new album that will sell. The result is Politics of the Business, a record designed strictly for commercial success. Thus, the barbs the "real" Prince Paul is hurling at the music-machine are themselves what the industry is made of. These are the most insipid and undemanding creations he has ever come up with. It's difficult to approach an album like this without plodding into an indie/commercial discussion, but I'll try to let it be with just saying these songs would fit right in on some Hott-Baby-Boy-Urban-Traffic-Jam-Hour-Dude corporate radio show. In short, this is generic, blandly accessible hip-hop that goes absolutely nowhere.
Trust me, if this review was rewarding whether or not Prince Paul achieved his goal, I'd crown him with a shiny 10-zillion.0 rating. Unfortunately, the concept just won't fly. Is this really the appropriate way to address the status of a genre that's on life support, or perhaps better yet, revive one that's already beyond the grave? The album is devoid of anything musically noteworthy. The synth horns of "Not Tryin' to Hear That" bash a hole into your skull; "So What" has a twangy organ line that's nauseatingly boring. The drum tracks in every song sound like they took ten seconds to program. One exception could be the acoustic neo-soul of "Beautifully Absurd", featuring poet-man W. Ellington Felton, but those drums are by far the only thing worth mentioning. Yes, I know production like this is the whole point, but what do you want from me? It sucks.
Unfortunately, emcee contribution helps in name only. Some of hip-hop's most intimidating make appearances accurately showing industry dissatisfaction, including Chuck D, Ice-T, and the gravelly voice of DJ Premier, though only by way of brief skits. Verses from Guru, Trugoy, Planet Asia, Eric Sermon, and Masta Ace (to name a few) fit right in with the "accessibility" the record should contain, but that just means being dull. To quote Kardinal Offishall's chorus on "What I Need": "We keep it hot when we up in the spot/ Every time when we on the grind/ Make it happen when you calling the shots/ Do you and I'm a do you mine." Now that's effectively not saying nothing.
Cynics that pass off the release as Prince Paul's last gasp, however, are missing the point. Honestly, the concept as a whole is clever, and I'm legitimately shocked that he would craft such an outing. He really pulls off a current (albeit boring) sound I didn't think he had in him. Musical evidence to prove his future hasn't been shaken for good-- aside from "Chubb Rock Can You Please Pay Paul the $2200 You Owe Him (People, Places and Things)", which only works due to the reuse of De La's "Pease Porridge"-- is the album's final tune. After the proper sham ends, Paul tacks on "The Way My Life Seems", an elegantly dreary half-Pharcyde reunion with Tre and Fat Lip. The guitar splashes and thick bass aren't far removed from Dre circa '91.
It must be reiterated that I know full well what Prince Paul is doing on Politics of the Business, but he's fighting fire with fire. His arm's too short to box with the industry gods. He set out to make a mediocre album, and succeeded admirably. Doing the unexpected, just as we've come to expect, at least one thing remains: Prince Paul is still my favorite producer.
