Hip Hop Gold Dust
Label: Antidote
Rated: NONE
WorkNameSort: Hip Hop Gold Dust
Prior to running the Handsome Boy Modeling School, Prince Paul birthed both the hip-hop album skit and a widely celebrated alternative approach to rap music. Both conventions culminated in 1989, on the Paul-produced debut from De La Soul, Three Feet High and Rising. Hip Hop Gold Dust also marks Paul’s considerable impact on the genre, in both limited release productions of his and those that never surfaced. From the crusty drum loop and intentionally ridiculous verse on the unreleased “My Mindstate” from De La to the crisp, organ-laced bounce of “Top of the Hill” from Groove B Chill to the otherworldly RZA-blessed Gravediggaz remix, Dust contains both early and recent pieces in Prince Paul’s legacy. Even his turntablist days with Stetsasonic are highlighted here with a live radio snippet from 1986. If anything, this indicates that Paul’s never shed any of his early heat, whether it was in prime production or absurd skits.
This article appears in Dec 21-27, 2005.