Albums by this artist

A Prince Among Thieves (1999)

Prince Paul

A Prince Among Thieves

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» GINA VIVINETTO | STAFF WRITER

Prince Paul A Prince Among Thieves Tommy Boy, 1999 RiYL: De La Soul, The Who's Tommy, Black Star

Prince Paul, who produced De La Soul's influential 3 Feet High And Rising, virtually invented the rap concept album -- skits between songs, a fun little story to follow, nutty jokes, etc.

A Prince Among Thieves takes that concept and turns it into a morality play. A good one.

With dance-oriented singles dominating the airwaves, it's refreshing to find a strong rap album with an hour's worth of meat. Originally performed as a one-man off-Broadway show in 1995, it's a ""hip-hopera'' starring protagonist Tariq (Breeze of Indelible MCs fame), an aspiring rap star, and True, his drug-dealing friend. The plot: Tariq turns to True to finance his band's demo tape.

Instead, Tariq gets bogged down in the drug underworld with its dons and pimps and crooked cops. Dozens of guest appearances add up to a who's who of hip-hop: Big Daddy Kane, Kool Keith, De La Soul, Biz Markie, even Everlast.

Unlike the booty-shaking radio jams currently defining rap, A Prince Among Thieves has the one crucial thing the genre is known for: something to say.

GINA VIVINETTO |