Sean Price – Mic Tyson (8/10)

"I sell white rock and clap cannons,

I'm old school like white rock soda and backgammon.

Rap famine, Sean is a starving artist,

I gain a lot of weight 'cause a nigga eating regardless."

from By The Way

Sean Price made his name in the 90's as part of Heltah Skeltah, and later the supergroup Boot Camp Clik. Since Heltah Skeltah broke up and BCC was dropped in the early 2000's he has released three solo albums that all mimic the 90's hiphop sound that he's familiar with, this being the latest release.

Price's lyrical style is tight, his wordplay is mostly excellent, sometimes great and never poor. I find that he especially shines when he goes for cynical and funny at the same time and that his best rhymes tie in to this seemingly dark sense of humour("due to my weight gain I had to double the dosage/of the drugs that I do- a nigga stay toasted", "wake up, all that 'crack in the street' talk/is made up like jack and the beanstalk"). The lyrics are tightly packed with punchlines that mostly revolve around Price's greatness on the mic, his prowess with firearms and the depressing state of the music industry. Classic themes for sure, and not ones that bother me in particular, but admittedly where one might feel a little innovation could be a positive.

The beats are minimalistic, sometimes reminiscent of classic east coast jazz sampling, sometimes more eclectic and on one track("By the Way") a real throwback to late 80's boom bap. Overall the album sounds great and manages to sound as a nostalgic throwback to a golden era of hiphop production while at the same time being clearly contemporary.

There might be one or two too many guest artists for my taste- especially since Price tends to outshine them anyway(notably an unusually weak effort by Pharoahe Monch on "BBQ Sauce") and that the beats often times will be too slow paced for Price's high tempo rhyming. The album, while solid, is also yet to impress me in the same way Price's last solo album "Jesus Price Superstar" once did.

High point: Price & Shining Armor ft. Ruste Juxx

Low point: STFU Pt. 2