Prince Paul Politics Of The Business CD

After a four-year hiatus, POLITICS OF THE BUSINESS finds Prince Paul biting the musical hand that's fed him with a string of parody skits mercilessly skewering the symbiotic relationship between hip-hop and the music industry. An all-star roster of guests from the worlds of music and comedy helps the Amityville, NY native achieve his vision. Right out of the gate, comedian Dave Chappelle takes on the persona of a two-faced record exec on "A Day in the Life," going from unconditional support of an album project to scorn in the span of a year, reflecting a true-life scenario from Paul's experiences.

Other notable names kicking it include Chuck D. and Ice T, delivering spoken-word diatribes about music business realities on the title cut. Chris Rock serves as a huckster announcer on the faux commercial "Princepaulonline.com," and Gang Starr's DJ Premier offers hope for hip-hop's future on "The Word." Prince Paul packs plenty of grooves on this outing, from Horror City using "Controversial Headlines (Champion Sound)" to skewer the likes of Ray-J, Lil' Kim, and Destiny's Child, to Guru doing the same to labels that don't support their artists on "Not Trying to Hear That."

.W/Princepaul ,E.Sermon,Chuck D,Ice T,Guru++

Personnel includes: Prince Paul, Prince Paul Jr., Dave Chappelle, Biz Markie, Popmaster, Mally G, Erick Sermon, Sy Scott, Kokane, Masta Ace, Pretty Ugly, Dave, Truth Enota, Guru, Planet Asia, Chuck D, Ice-T, Tash, The Beatnuts, Tony Touch, Kardinal Offishall, Sly Boogie, Horror City, W. Ellington Felton, K'Alyn, Jean Grae, Chubb Rock, Wordsworth, MF Doom.

Personnel: Prince Paul (scratches); Chris Rock, Belinda Thompson, Jazzy Jeff, John Nelson , Mr. Len, Biz Markie (vocals); Scott Harding (guitar); Jennifer Birsamyn Buenafe (violin).

Audio Mixer: Prince Paul.

Arranger: Prince Paul.

This is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files.Rolling Stone (5/29/03, p.60) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...As Dave Chappelle, Erick Sermon and others serve up cheap laughs and good rhymes, Paul updates his signature sound for the new millennium..."
Uncut (6/03, p.111) - 5 stars out of 5 - "...It all works....The unknown collaborators are great....Even the skits are funny. All that is good in hip hop is here..."
The Wire (6/03, p.69) - "...Years of adversity and disillusionment with the biz haven't extinguished Prince Paul's sense of mischief or his creative itch..."
The Source (6/03, p.140) - "...While it's some of his most accessible work, it's also his downright funkiest to date....Paul's collection spews vitriol for the industry atop beats anyone would be silly not to embrace..."