matthos's Full Review: The Slickness [Digipak] by Prince Po
This record is not as slick as the title promises.
Prince Po (Prince Poetry as his former self) was half of one of the greatest rap duos that never made it. He and his partner in crime, Pharaohe Monch, created three masterpiece records as Organized Konfusion that were critically acclaimed but didn't sell. 1997 was the last time Prince Po was heard from until now, with the release of The Slickness. Organized Konfusion was a bit more Monch than Po (IMO). Monch actually went on to release an exceptional solo record on Rawkus called Internal Affairs. His rhyme prowess in Organized Konfusion was overtly evident while Prince Po's was a bit more understated. Enter 2004.
The Slickness is nicely packaged. Combined with the title and the Prince Po moniker (he makes sure everyone knows that it doesn't mean Po as in Po'), I was excited to pop the disc into my car's deck and roll.
The proceedings begin sickly enough with a Hello of strings and flute pitching highly with syncopated drum kicks slicing through matter. Enter the rhyme..."Lock and load with Depeche Mode cold..." Oh, man! The cut goes on to use rhyming band names ad nauseam. While some might find this cleaver, I found it annoying.
Nasty Habits Entertainment, the production company that Prince Po has been developing over the past seven or so years, along with Lex records, is the vehicle he used to get The Slickness out to the folks. The irony here is that the beats on this record are slick - interesting, nice, and fresh - while the rhymes just aren't. It's too bad because I really dig slick (the word, the connotation, the idea, etc.).
Too Much pops with a familiar hood game cheddar rhyme scheme that works fairly well. Tension in the beat is built with high hat play and sucked back organ and leads into Love Thang. The smooth ride laid down doesn't match the rhymes that speak of "...sop up your biscuits with gravy from the pot..." but realistically, Love Thang is quite nice.
Hold Dat is a straight up, if above average, club cut with muddy production and a bumpin' beat. Jemini and Rell lend their expertise. I like this track.
Other highpoints include It's Goin' Down, Social Distortion, The Slickness, Grown A** Man, and Fall Back.
Bump Bump is a waste as is Meet Me at the Bar.
With The Slickness, Prince Po is attempting to invent/reinvent himself and does a decent job of it. The creativity of the production and the beats are refreshing. The guest artists include the likes of Raekwon, J-Ro, J-Zone, Cairo, and MF Doom. Prince Po does a good job of not letting any of them outshine him. It's obvious that he has planned well but unfortunately the rhymes don't measure up. Childish in nature, they wreak of a cloudiness of vision and a need for acceptance that I expect will diminish over time. The cuts balance precariously between underground and commercial which points toward a Prince Po who hasn't completely found his voice. The potential is obvious however and I plan on being all over his next release. Perhaps he'll hook-up with Monch again?
Many heads most likely won't be as critical of The Slickness and that's why I am actually recommending it. Perhaps my older sensibilities (god, I am 36!) skew my vision here but I didn't learn anything except for being reminded that I still dig tight, cleaver, dare I say slick beats.
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