http://www.thahiphop.com/en/content/view/428/122
Prince Po: A Prince Among Thieves
Written by James Smith
Sunday, 30 April 2006
Ever since Organized Konfusion bumrushed the hiphop scene in '91 with their self-titled debut album, things haven't been the same. Their rapid fire delivery, cunning wordplay, and superb lyricism left hip-hop fans in shock. After releasing their final album together (Equinox), Pharoahe Monch and Prince Po parted ways to pursue their own solo careers. Now two years after releasing his solo album, Prince Po is back again to explain his new up-coming album, his production company, and possibly another Organized Konfusion album.
It's been awhile since we've heard any noise from you. What have you been up to?
I've been putting together my production company, Nasty Habits Entertainment. It's basically an offspring of our old company Medicine Men. I've been working on newer programs, y'know updating myself on that, supporting Monch, and working on new material. I'm working with different equipment. MPC 2000, 3000, 4000, learning Pro Tools, Garage Band, Windows...all of that. You have to remember we may have been emcees but we were also producers.
The Slickness came out about 2 years ago. Are you satisfied with how it came to be?
To tell you the truth, I wasn't really satisfied with it. It catered more to the European market but I hated their marketing strategies. Advance copies were already floating around in June when the album wasn't supposed to be out until October. I can say that I did plenty of touring and opened my eyes to how many fans I actually have. I've been out to Norway and Denmark and I was surprised. Hip-hop is big and universal.
Can you tell me a little more about the production company? Do you have any new acts that you are working with?
I have a couple of talented individuals that are putting things at a different angle. Everybody claims that they are bringing something new to the table when they really aren't. It just depends on how you place your perspective on certain things and that's what these artists are doing. I have GBG, Prestige from Staten Island, Soul Searching from Amsterdam, and a few others. They are all talented and incredible. They all have a genuine love for music and I'm trying to place them on the business side of it.
How did you and Pharoahe Monch come together?
Prince PoWe grew up in the same neighborhood and went to the same high school in Queens. Andrew Jackson High was crazy. There were plenty of gangs that always started trouble. We eventually went to another high school and we furthered our interests in music. We made a few tapes. Pharoahe would beatbox and I'd kick some rhymes. Me and Pharoahe are still tight. I think a lot of people think that me and Pharoahe split ways on a bad note. The reason why we split is because we never got any promotion and no promotion means that you aren't getting enough records sales. It's all because of the politics within the record labels. We'll be working on another Organized Konfusion album after he finishes his project. We're going to tour later this year and early next year.
What's your relationship with OC?
OC and me are cool. He's a like a little brother. We've had fallouts but we're still cool. When do the OK album, OC will definitely be on it. He's talented and dope, I didn't teach him to rhyme. O knows I know he's dope. Those rumors circulating that he was going to be an official member of OK was bullshit. This ain't a motorcycle club. He always wanted to be a solo artist. He was Monch's neighbor and he made noise on Fudge Pudge. I don't give a shit about credit. I never made a dime off OC unless we produced something for him. He's a friend first. He's apart of history with that song Time's Up.
Could you tell me about Paul C? A lot of people don't know about him.
He was the funkiest white boy I ever met. He had the biggest collection of James Brown records I've ever seen. You couldn't tell him shit about James Brown. Unfortunately he got killed before he could really get himself out there. He took us under his wing and helped us with our demo. He also mentored this kid who would mess around with some equipment during a few of our sessions. He was Large Professor. He was the best chopper ever. We wouldn't be anything without him.
What's your favorite Organized Konfusion record that you worked on?
I would say Stress would probably be the favorite but as far as the working process, I'd say Equinox. We had the most fun working on it. We had a bigger budget so were able to buy movie sounds. It was fun putting it all together.
When you guys came on to the scene, a lot of people were blown away with how ya'll would manipulate your styles so easily. What were your influences?
We just had a love for music. We had influences from everywhere. We listened to everyone. We were definitely influenced but we wanted to create a different angle. Nowadays the game has changed. Some people don't give us credit but it's good to hear when people say that you influenced them. I do that all the time. If I see Whodini or Kool Moe Dee I'll definitely pay homage.
What's the difference between the music business today compared to how it was during the mid 90s?
Business wise it's the same bullshit. There's nothing different. We can talk about problems all day but we need to talk about solutions. There really isn't any unity anymore. I remember back in the days we would listen to demos from A Tribe Called Quest and maintain friendly competition. We were friends and fans so it was easy to build with them. People got Hollywood attitudes, especially underground acts. They give dudes like me attitude knowing damn well they got their styles came from us. They really don't have any respect. Even promoters are on that bullshit. What they do is make plans for a show that'll be about $1000 and only give me $300 for it. Dudes are full of shit. They act like they got fans and act snobbish towards each other. They better keep that shit away from me before they get scraped! I'm not going to put them on blast but there are some folks who still show love. Medaphoar, Percee P, Buckshot, Killah Priest, Prodigal Sunn....dudes like them show love.
Is there anyone that you would like to work with that you haven't yet?
I'd like to work with Oh No. I was going to work with Dilla, RIP. Pos and Dave from De La Soul, Dr. Dre, he's a born talent. DJ Quik, Foreign Exchange, Alchemist. As long as we have a balanced set of ideas, I'd want to work with these dudes. Just Blaze is dope.
If you could go back in time, would you do anything different?
Nah, we made it on TV without any promotion back in those days. I wouldn't change anything. I'm glad to still be here. A lot of artists that I was fans of have disappeared. I'd like to see them all come back.
Do you have any up-coming projects?
I have a mixtape coming soon called Lost Groves of Dr. Feel Good and my album Pretty Black will be out this summer. It has Madlib, Rockwilder, Large Pro, and an Organized track on it. There really isn't a deep concept into it but usually black is associated with death and funerals. Things of that nature, it isn't pretty. This album is just me letting everyone know what black means to me. It talks about culture. As far as the way it sounds, it'd be like Hypnotical Gases (from Organized Konfusion) meets Black Sunday (from Stress: The Extinction Agenda). It's going back to the boom-bap. Although I never worked with Dilla he was a friend of mine. I have a song on there You Right Here that's about him. I drop plenty of jewels on the album but it's enjoyable.
What advice would you give to someone that's just setting foot in the music industry?
Get a complete plan. Find out what kind of artist you are, find your direction get a team-not your homeboys, not yesmen. Have an idea and apply them. Get everything in order. It takes time. Keep it moving. You need elements. Make yourself alike to people, no one wants to buy anything that they can't relate to. That sets up your longevity.
Any last words?
Check out the Pretty Black album. People will relate to the different scenarios and some of the double metaphors. Today you have to find creative ways to feed information to people. There are plenty of nice beats and rhymes. You have to understand that I am an artist/producer. I think people will definitely appreciate this. Also check for Nasty Habits Ent.
Prince Po: A Prince Among Thieves
Written by James Smith
Sunday, 30 April 2006
Ever since Organized Konfusion bumrushed the hiphop scene in '91 with their self-titled debut album, things haven't been the same. Their rapid fire delivery, cunning wordplay, and superb lyricism left hip-hop fans in shock. After releasing their final album together (Equinox), Pharoahe Monch and Prince Po parted ways to pursue their own solo careers. Now two years after releasing his solo album, Prince Po is back again to explain his new up-coming album, his production company, and possibly another Organized Konfusion album.
It's been awhile since we've heard any noise from you. What have you been up to?
I've been putting together my production company, Nasty Habits Entertainment. It's basically an offspring of our old company Medicine Men. I've been working on newer programs, y'know updating myself on that, supporting Monch, and working on new material. I'm working with different equipment. MPC 2000, 3000, 4000, learning Pro Tools, Garage Band, Windows...all of that. You have to remember we may have been emcees but we were also producers.
The Slickness came out about 2 years ago. Are you satisfied with how it came to be?
To tell you the truth, I wasn't really satisfied with it. It catered more to the European market but I hated their marketing strategies. Advance copies were already floating around in June when the album wasn't supposed to be out until October. I can say that I did plenty of touring and opened my eyes to how many fans I actually have. I've been out to Norway and Denmark and I was surprised. Hip-hop is big and universal.
Can you tell me a little more about the production company? Do you have any new acts that you are working with?
I have a couple of talented individuals that are putting things at a different angle. Everybody claims that they are bringing something new to the table when they really aren't. It just depends on how you place your perspective on certain things and that's what these artists are doing. I have GBG, Prestige from Staten Island, Soul Searching from Amsterdam, and a few others. They are all talented and incredible. They all have a genuine love for music and I'm trying to place them on the business side of it.
How did you and Pharoahe Monch come together?
Prince PoWe grew up in the same neighborhood and went to the same high school in Queens. Andrew Jackson High was crazy. There were plenty of gangs that always started trouble. We eventually went to another high school and we furthered our interests in music. We made a few tapes. Pharoahe would beatbox and I'd kick some rhymes. Me and Pharoahe are still tight. I think a lot of people think that me and Pharoahe split ways on a bad note. The reason why we split is because we never got any promotion and no promotion means that you aren't getting enough records sales. It's all because of the politics within the record labels. We'll be working on another Organized Konfusion album after he finishes his project. We're going to tour later this year and early next year.
What's your relationship with OC?
OC and me are cool. He's a like a little brother. We've had fallouts but we're still cool. When do the OK album, OC will definitely be on it. He's talented and dope, I didn't teach him to rhyme. O knows I know he's dope. Those rumors circulating that he was going to be an official member of OK was bullshit. This ain't a motorcycle club. He always wanted to be a solo artist. He was Monch's neighbor and he made noise on Fudge Pudge. I don't give a shit about credit. I never made a dime off OC unless we produced something for him. He's a friend first. He's apart of history with that song Time's Up.
Could you tell me about Paul C? A lot of people don't know about him.
He was the funkiest white boy I ever met. He had the biggest collection of James Brown records I've ever seen. You couldn't tell him shit about James Brown. Unfortunately he got killed before he could really get himself out there. He took us under his wing and helped us with our demo. He also mentored this kid who would mess around with some equipment during a few of our sessions. He was Large Professor. He was the best chopper ever. We wouldn't be anything without him.
What's your favorite Organized Konfusion record that you worked on?
I would say Stress would probably be the favorite but as far as the working process, I'd say Equinox. We had the most fun working on it. We had a bigger budget so were able to buy movie sounds. It was fun putting it all together.
When you guys came on to the scene, a lot of people were blown away with how ya'll would manipulate your styles so easily. What were your influences?
We just had a love for music. We had influences from everywhere. We listened to everyone. We were definitely influenced but we wanted to create a different angle. Nowadays the game has changed. Some people don't give us credit but it's good to hear when people say that you influenced them. I do that all the time. If I see Whodini or Kool Moe Dee I'll definitely pay homage.
What's the difference between the music business today compared to how it was during the mid 90s?
Business wise it's the same bullshit. There's nothing different. We can talk about problems all day but we need to talk about solutions. There really isn't any unity anymore. I remember back in the days we would listen to demos from A Tribe Called Quest and maintain friendly competition. We were friends and fans so it was easy to build with them. People got Hollywood attitudes, especially underground acts. They give dudes like me attitude knowing damn well they got their styles came from us. They really don't have any respect. Even promoters are on that bullshit. What they do is make plans for a show that'll be about $1000 and only give me $300 for it. Dudes are full of shit. They act like they got fans and act snobbish towards each other. They better keep that shit away from me before they get scraped! I'm not going to put them on blast but there are some folks who still show love. Medaphoar, Percee P, Buckshot, Killah Priest, Prodigal Sunn....dudes like them show love.
Is there anyone that you would like to work with that you haven't yet?
I'd like to work with Oh No. I was going to work with Dilla, RIP. Pos and Dave from De La Soul, Dr. Dre, he's a born talent. DJ Quik, Foreign Exchange, Alchemist. As long as we have a balanced set of ideas, I'd want to work with these dudes. Just Blaze is dope.
If you could go back in time, would you do anything different?
Nah, we made it on TV without any promotion back in those days. I wouldn't change anything. I'm glad to still be here. A lot of artists that I was fans of have disappeared. I'd like to see them all come back.
Do you have any up-coming projects?
I have a mixtape coming soon called Lost Groves of Dr. Feel Good and my album Pretty Black will be out this summer. It has Madlib, Rockwilder, Large Pro, and an Organized track on it. There really isn't a deep concept into it but usually black is associated with death and funerals. Things of that nature, it isn't pretty. This album is just me letting everyone know what black means to me. It talks about culture. As far as the way it sounds, it'd be like Hypnotical Gases (from Organized Konfusion) meets Black Sunday (from Stress: The Extinction Agenda). It's going back to the boom-bap. Although I never worked with Dilla he was a friend of mine. I have a song on there You Right Here that's about him. I drop plenty of jewels on the album but it's enjoyable.
What advice would you give to someone that's just setting foot in the music industry?
Get a complete plan. Find out what kind of artist you are, find your direction get a team-not your homeboys, not yesmen. Have an idea and apply them. Get everything in order. It takes time. Keep it moving. You need elements. Make yourself alike to people, no one wants to buy anything that they can't relate to. That sets up your longevity.
Any last words?
Check out the Pretty Black album. People will relate to the different scenarios and some of the double metaphors. Today you have to find creative ways to feed information to people. There are plenty of nice beats and rhymes. You have to understand that I am an artist/producer. I think people will definitely appreciate this. Also check for Nasty Habits Ent.
