The concept album has a long history in rock & roll , with the Who's Tommy being by far the most successful (by virtue of its turns on the big screen and Broadway, respectively). Hip-hop has had a few interesting (Kool Keith's Sex Style) and not-so-interesting (RZA's Bobby Digital in Stereo) goes at the form, but not until Prince Paul's A Prince Among Thieves has the genre had a true epic of its own to claim. The album, a cynical story of two friends that turn into rivals over a record deal, is solid on every level, with a full story, great music, and a strong cast. The disc is populated by a bevy of characters, many played by solid veterans--Chris Rock and De La Soul as junkies, Everlast as a crooked cop, Biz Markie and Special Ed as enforcers for Chubb Rock's gangsta don, and Big Daddy Kane as a pimp--but features a pair of talented newcomers (Sha and Breeze) as the leads. Sha and Breeze are dynamic, and they show up some of the bigger stars here--though only a couple of the characters disappoint (most surprising of which is Kool Keith's Crazy Lou). Ultimately, it's a hell of a record, with Breeze, Chubb Rock, Big Daddy Kane, Heroine, De La Soul, Xzibit, Brand Nubian's Sadat X, and Kid Creole taking best advantage of the killer tracks Paul serves up for them. --Randy Silver

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Bringing aboard likeminded collaborators of the past, Itstrumental plays out like a party of hilarity and hotness born from Prince Paul’s Long Island studio. Black Italiano The Popmaster is praised over a harmonious backdrop on "My Friend The Popmaster". Steinski provides lessons in picking up girls on "Flattery", while MC Paul Barman pleads for the redemption of a failed relationship on the haunting "The Night My Girlfriend Left Me". From the rugged, dancehall bop of "The Boston Top" (an ode to donuts) to the inventive "And The Winner Is?" a hypnotic piece that finds the Prince playing all instruments (drums, electric guitar, keys and more) and re-sampling them into one strong composition.

With the MVA (Mental Victims Unit) of the New York City Police Department hot on his trails throughout the release, Paul drops one crazy beat after another, only to further solidify his position in hip-hop as one of the sickest, most vital producers still thriving. This is Paul’s first true go around at creating an instrumental album, and it never fails to keep all corners of interest in the listeners mind awake and aware that they’re witnessing something, very special.

It took Prince Paul an incredible four years to release a follow-up to his critically acclaimed 1999 album, Prince Among Thieves. What’s up with that? As Paul himself would say, it’s just the Politics of the Business, baby. Featuring old friends and collaborators, elderspokesmen and newcomers, poets, comedians, and off-the-beaten-track MCs, Politics takes a 360-degree look at what it takes to survive the music-industry shell game. Wildy creative and sprawling as you’d expect, the album juxtaposes straight-up hip-hop tracks with radio voiceovers, acoustic hip-hop poetry, and a "special word from DJ Premier," whose gravel-voiced pronouncement that "hip hop is wack right now y’all" makes you want to laugh and cry all in the same breath. On the music tip, Politics is Paul’s most experimental offering, signaling his desire to make his music "go even further undergound." Hope it’s not another four years before he resurfaces! --Rebecca Levine

The concept album has a long history in rock & roll , with the Who's Tommy being by far the most successful (by virtue of its turns on the big screen and Broadway, respectively). Hip-hop has had a few interesting (Kool Keith's Sex Style) and not-so-interesting (RZA's Bobby Digital in Stereo) goes at the form, but not until Prince Paul's A Prince Among Thieves has the genre had a true epic of its own to claim. The album, a cynical story of two friends that turn into rivals over a record deal, is solid on every level, with a full story, great music, and a strong cast. The disc is populated by a bevy of characters, many played by solid veterans--Chris Rock and De La Soul as junkies, Everlast as a crooked cop, Biz Markie and Special Ed as enforcers for Chubb Rock's gangsta don, and Big Daddy Kane as a pimp--but features a pair of talented newcomers (Sha and Breeze) as the leads. Sha and Breeze are dynamic, and they show up some of the bigger stars here--though only a couple of the characters disappoint (most surprising of which is Kool Keith's Crazy Lou). Ultimately, it's a hell of a record, with Breeze, Chubb Rock, Big Daddy Kane, Heroine, De La Soul, Xzibit, Brand Nubian's Sadat X, and Kid Creole taking best advantage of the killer tracks Paul serves up for them. --Randy Silver

It took Prince Paul an incredible four years to release a follow-up to his critically acclaimed 1999 album, Prince Among Thieves. What’s up with that? As Paul himself would say, it’s just the Politics of the Business, baby. Featuring old friends and collaborators, elderspokesmen and newcomers, poets, comedians, and off-the-beaten-track MCs, Politics takes a 360-degree look at what it takes to survive the music-industry shell game. Wildy creative and sprawling as you’d expect, the album juxtaposes straight-up hip-hop tracks with radio voiceovers, acoustic hip-hop poetry, and a "special word from DJ Premier," whose gravel-voiced pronouncement that "hip hop is wack right now y’all" makes you want to laugh and cry all in the same breath. On the music tip, Politics is Paul’s most experimental offering, signaling his desire to make his music "go even further undergound." Hope it’s not another four years before he resurfaces! --Rebecca Levine