Search - Prince Po :: Slickness

Prince Po returns out of nowhere!

DukeOfEarl | Phoenix, AZ United States | 11/18/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Seven years since he last recorded as one-half of the legendary duo Organized Konfusion, Prince Poetry might as well be dead...oh wait, here is his debut LP! It's good to see that Po is alive and kicking afterall. Well, this cd sure stopped appearing in stores quickly, it was a pain to find. I'll agree that his voice shows a little aging and has pretty much lost his trademark intensity, yet he still offers stellar lyrics here for the most part.

The album starts off really well with two short songs: "Hello," and "Too Much." Hell, even "Love Thing" worked. I wouldn't expect a chorus like this on a Prince Po song, but the lyrics make up for it in this short song. From here, he just moves through more short songs and then quite a few guests and we lose sight of the main artist himself. I'll admit, first time through this I was dissappointed, but after the second time, it's starting to come around.

It's kind of hard to embrace when some of the best songs are so damn short. And there's only 12 tracks and one remix on this 46 minute journey. Songs like "Social Distotion"(feat MF Doom-great verse here) and "Be Easy" could have been classics if a little longer. The title track and "Grown Ass Man" are solid songs that are short as well. Although in the title track he drops that God-awful 'pooter' line. WTF? You know something's a little wrong when "Bump Bump"(feat. Raekwon) has an asinine hook and is one of the better songs. "Meet Me At Tha Bar" and "Fall Back" are a little longer, thankfully, and amount up to two solid songs. The former is quite funny actually, in some parts, and the latter is spectacular musically. We find his most conscious and personal rhymes in "Be Easy," but it is short and the momentum kind of dies somewhere in the second verse. His two attempts at a club hit("Hold Dat") are quickly forgettable, but he could have done worse. I think my two favorites here would have to be "Too Much" and "Be Easy," although I didn't find one clearly remarkable, or classic, song.

It seems the only complaints I have about this album are the brevity of the songs and the hooks(a little tiresome for most of them). Apparently, to me there is one clear remedy to this: Mo' Prince Po! Simple as that. Maybe he could have dropped a lot of the guests and made a fantastic EP with just his material. Anyways, you still have a decent album, that may take some time to adjust to. The production here is very solid throughout, even spectacular at a couple points. There are no bangers(a la "Stress" or "Stray Bullet") as it remains more mellow for the most part. His voice ain't quite the same, but Prince Po still shows that he can bring it lyrically and release those 'hypnotical gases.' HAHAHA! I can really only recommend this if you find it for a cheap price(like I did) or are a big fan of Organized Konfusion."

The long awaited return of Prince Poetry

Scott D. Gribble | Baltimore MD | 08/31/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Chances are if you're interested in "The Slickness" you already know Prince Po's background. It's been a long time since his Organized Konfusion days. You might have caught a verse or two on Pharoahe Monch's solo album or more recently Danger Mouse's Ghetto Pop Life album, but aside for those I haven't heard anything from Prince Po since 1997. Most people still haven't heard from Prince Po since then because this release flew drastically under the radar.

Fortunately for his return he's surrounded himself with good company. If you've had the privilege of hearing Danger Mouse's "The Grey Album" (or in my case have an original pressing) then you know what he's capable of and you'll be happy to know he takes on the Executive producer role for this album.



The production is handled by several players including Madlib ("Too Much", "The Slickness", "Bump Bump") Danger Mouse ("Love Thang", "Social Distortion", "Fall Back") J-Zone ("It's Going Down", "Meet Me at the Bar") & Prince Po himself ("Grown Ass Man", "Be Easy"). Addressing the production aspect, Madlib does an excellent job on "Too Much" but only fairs ok on the title cut. He also produces the surprising "club" track, which comes off pretty well although slightly odd inclusion on this album. I can say that while the chorus is ridiculous, Prince Po and guest Raekwon come off pretty well.

J-Zone's tracks are slightly disappointing given the previous creativity he's shown, but are still enjoyable. The Danger Mouse produced "Love Thang" is a smoothed out groove, with Prince Po lyrically dancing over the beat. What's surprising is that the best-produced tracks are by Prince Po himself! It seems like he knows perfectly how to lay down the ideal beat that also showcases his talents.



Lyrically, Prince Po may have lost a little intensity in his delivery, but instead of his style coming across as now inferior, you realize it's more of an adaptation. It's a more mature Prince, and as a result a more smooth flow of rhymes makes his slightly tailored technique work extremely well. Thankfully some things never change, as his delivery sounds as good as it ever did. OK followers will have nothing to be disappointed about lyrically on "The Slickness". In addition, the guest add a couple of nice touches here and there, that spice things up at just the right time. MF Doom drops a killer guest verse on "Social Distortion" over the slightly awkward Danger Mouse beat that still somehow works. Jemini the Gifted One on "Fall Back" rips the mic with grace and Raekwon's guest spot reminds people of his early days in the Wu.



The real story here is how well Prince Po flows along with the outstanding production. Prince never drops a wack verse, is never outshined by a guest, which are already kept to a minimum. The missteps only occur when Po doesn't complement the beat enough or when the beat altogether can't be salvaged. These cases are very few (and "Hold Dat Club Mix" doesn't even belong on the album and I didn't consider it in this review at all). And I can't go without saying that an appearance from Pharoahe Monch would have been more than satisfying.



If you get this album you won't be disappointed. If you've enjoyed Prince Po's previous work, you'll enjoy this. If you look for solid lyrics, great flow and smoothed out underground beats, this is worth your money and time. "The Slickness" couldn't be described any better than the title itself.



(7.5/10)"

4.5 stars for a Legend...

? | United Kingdom! | 04/25/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"* This was orginally wrote in 2004*

I copped this album, after lissening to tha sampler provided by "hip hop connection magazine". And as soon as listening to it, i knew there would be no hesitation that as soon as it drops,it was gettin' got. Production from Dangermouse( who is involved in the duo "dangermouse and jemini" who dropped an absloute BRILLIANT lp last year), Madlib and j-zone( who shows his consistency of talents via producing on this album). Guest appearances from ;jemini,j-zone himself, & newcomer rell...all leads to a brilliant outcome. However, the only downfall of this album is a dissapointment with the song "Bump Bump" featuring Raekwon. I personally believe that it is rather weak that doesnt really offer anything,and i expected better from the wu tang relative. In addition, the two tracks produced by "richard X" are quite dissapointing. Nevertheless,the other 10 tracks are flawless, especially "Social distortion", "the slickness"(Great prodcution here from madlib), "grown ass man", and "be easy"...which portrays a personal depiction of death and the city, and reveals the truth behind his close friend,Matt Doo's suicide.

Lyrics throughout the album are excellent and have obviously been written with deep thought...eg."I drift n reminisce on when my man took his own life,the overbearing stress in his hands had his dome tight"(Be easy). A common pattern throughout the slickness, is the fact that most tracks only offer 2 verses in total, which most fans may find as lazy and un-satisfying. But take it from me, considering how much Po rips all of his verses, no junkie will go wanting. Cop this, if you're into MF Doom, or like J-Zone & Dangermouse as, overall, most of the tracks have quite an acquired taste that maybe the old Organised Konfusion fans wont be feelin'. Peep this, and show some love to a Hiphop Legend.



Lyrics - 9.5/10

Beats - 9/10

Originality - 8/10

Replay value - 8.5/10



If you found this helpful, check out my other reviews"