Prince Paul

Thrasher Magazine, Dec, 2003 by Aki X

COLD CHILLIN' POOLSIDE at the Grafton Hotel on Sunset with my man Prince Paul, it's a beautiful hot, sunny evening in Ho-llywood, and it's on baby. Yep, the same legendary Prince Paul that produced Stetsasonic, De La Soul and the almighty Gravediggaz back in the day. Paul has a hanging new album Politics of the Business about to drop, featuring Dave Chappelle, Kokane, Eric Sermon, Masta Ace and Chris Rock, that totally satires the rap music industry. While we're just kicking it, Michael Malbon, DJ PF Cuttin', and a big-ass crew from Fatbeats NYC join Paul and me. We spend the next hour blazing Ls, ordering Stoli tonics from the waiter, and straight clowning the participants of some stupid-ass MTV dating show that's being filmed across the other side of the pool. After the dating show winds down we focus on a dorky, gray-haired bunch of record execs sitting next to us ordering Cristal and discussing sales figures. All of a sudden Paul's manager sidebusts and drags him away to play his gig at the House of Blues. We throw the music execs and the furniture into the pool, grab the Cristal and break out to the HOB to continue the party. Fuck the industry.--Aki X

Word up, OG?

Yo! What's going on? Chillin'. That's old school, saying "chillin'," not "holla."

A new album, it's been a while.

Yeah, Politics of the Business. It's a record about making records. Some people get it, some people don't. I wouldn't say it was poking furl al the new styles today. But its kind of like a piece of music so that people can discuss the state of hip-hop, 'cause I figured that people are really getting into the fast food style. That's what I call it. So I like to experiment with it and talk about the music on the style, not dissing the music, but making a commentary on it. For some people it's a little confusing, but people will get it and appreciate it.

It's a hip-hop album in a time when hip-hop doesn't really exist?

Yeah, yeah. Hip-hop doesn't exist. I call it hip-pop, 'cause everybody is just making pop music. Instead of hip-hop being made or defaulting to pop, or like "Wow, that's a good record," people are making records to try and hit the pop charts, which kind of takes away from the science of it being from the street.

Is that Ralph Nader sample on the album real?

Yeah. That was my man Mr Lance. He had to do some party over at Madison Square Garden. Not to brag that we are at this place now, but it's been a long lime since we carried speakers and turntables to a gig. Carrying records is usually it. But man, this cat is having a party at Madison Square Garden and he wants us to bring turntables? And he is running for president of America? I mean, he didn't rent 'em for us and this cat is going to try and run the country? I don't know. Man, you can't get turntables? That's not good.

Did you send a copy of the album to him?

I think he's a little hurt 'cause we did that for free. It was like a publicity thing, and yo! If you're gonna do that to us in that type of situation, then you're asking for it.

You got Dave Chappelle up on the album. How was working with Dave?

I met Dave Chappelle while working on the Chris Rock albums I did. Well, it was amazing, 'cause when I first met him he knew who I was. I don't really expect anybody to know who I am. So that was kind of a complement and when I asked him to be on this album, without a problem he was like, "Cool. Yeah, yeah. I'm down." I love comedians, man.

Me too. They're the most subversive, because they don't give a fuck.

Yeah. They are so easy to work with, man. Rappers are cool--don't get me wrong--but there's a whole lot of red tape surrounding rappers.

Comedians come in all happy and fun.

Are you a big Richard Pryor fan?

Hell yeah. Woooh ... Richard Pryor was incredible. Obviously everyone based their style off of him, all the present-day black comedians.

Black comedians, man ... hip-hop needs a big injection of that.

Yeah. Ain't too many hip-hop cats working with them; a little bit here and there, but not too much.

That "So What" track is straight comedy.

Thanks. That's a little interesting, because I was listening to Snoop and Dre and I wanted to do something like that. I wanted to get Nate Dogg on there but I couldn't afford him. He's like 40-G a hook. Forty Gs, man? I could pay my mortgage. So I was like, "Who else?" Kokane.

Kokane is dope. I like that "Back It Up" track he did with Ras Kaas. Have you heard that?

That shit is dope. He makes the album bad. So yeah, that worked out; we got him and Masta Ace. I know Masta Ace can get with that style, and my man Pretty Ugly from Philly. A lot of people don't know about him but he is dope. I've been experimenting with that style, that West Coast, laid-back smoothed-out style. And also, to talk about people who brag all the time.

Cats ever front on you over that track?

People mention it once in a while, but all they can say is: "You're bragging. But you're bragging?"

You got Def Squad up on there too. That's dope.

I got my man Eric Sermon; he lives down the block from me so that makes it easy, He's a nice dude, What's good about working with old school cats is--when you work with a lot of new emcees they're like "We gotta have this and do that, and we gotta get some of this." With Eric I can just go, "Let's do whatever," and he's like "Cool. Yeah, let's do it." That's how we used to do it back in the day. Dealing with him is real cool. I also wanted to get Keith Murray, but Def Jam wouldn't give me clearance. That was messed up. They were like, "No, sorry. Keith Murray has an album coming out, can't do it."