Prince Among Thieves

Prince Paul, ???????? | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 23, 1999)
• Original Release Date: February 23, 1999
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Rhino / Ada
• ASIN: B00000HZVC
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (53 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #122,512 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Tariq's Dilemma (Intro)

2. Pain

3. How It All Started

4. Steady Slobbin'

5. Just Another Day

6. What U Got [The Demo]

7. The Hustles On

8. MC Hustler

9. The Call

10. The Other Line

11. Crazy Lou's Hideout

12. Weapon World

13. My Big Chance

14. War Party

15. Macula's Theory

16. Mr. Large

17. Put the Next Man On

18. I Was In

19. My First Day

20. More Than U Know

See all 32 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars NIce concept makes a nice album, November 30, 1999

By 

Masir (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Prince Among Thieves (Audio CD)

People have to realize that not all hip-hop CD's are meant to be bumped in the ride or played daily on radio stations. Prince Paul exemplifies this brilliantly with his newest version of the concept album. I will be the first to say that i don't like skits all over albums. They usually stop the flow of the album and lose their thrill after a couple of listens or so. But with Prince Among Thieves, skits are the string that holds this record together. More of a work of art than an actual hip-hop album, Prince Among Thieves lacks the sonic power to compete with other 1999 standouts such as Things Fall Apart and Black on Both Sides. But after a few mind turning listens, you realize that it's originality stands out above even those two albums. But this hip-hopera does have music and some standout tracks to boast. In particular, Kool Keith comes with his usual compex style on Weapon World. Big Daddy Kane is as smooth as he comes on Count Macula. Sha and Breeze, the two leading characters, also make worthy contributions throughout. Prince Paul masters something that he help break in but is rarely seen in hip-hop; expression. With Chris Rock recently purhcasing the rights for the movie, Prince Among Thieves may become a classic sleeper that cements his legendary status.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Greatest Concept Album Ever, June 16, 2004

By 

J. McQueen "part man/part machine, all scientist" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Prince Among Thieves (Audio CD)

I put it out there.
This has got to be the great and most complex and complete concept album ever. It is a album that could be made into a movie easily and somewhat is if you ever saw the music video for the album.
The ablum tells the story of Tariq, who is trying to get a record contract and needs to make some money to finish up his tracks and ...well, I don't want to give it away.

This album also has great appearances by: Sadat X, De La Soul, Kool Keith, Xzibit, Big Daddy Kane, Chubb Rock, Everlast, Biz Markie, Chris Rock, and Rza.

And as always Prince Paul put several skits throughout the album.
(Check out Tariq's mom the end of track #3 -- it's hilarious). Chris Rock also does a funny skit as a crack head.
There also is a great remake of the Ice Cube song "Steady Mobbin'" (off the Death Certificate) called "Steady Slobbin'"

This is a true classic hiphop album.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars CLASSIC HIP-HOP, March 22, 2001

By 

Wade D. Haynes "postmodern_pundit" (Minneapolis, MN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Prince Among Thieves (Audio CD)

Anyone who knows even a little about hip-hop knows that storytelling has been central to hip hop music almost since its inception. Hip-hop fans will also recognize that concept albums are nothing new to the world of hip-hop (Ice Cube's "Death Certificate" immediately comes to mind, though there are countless others that lay claim to the status of concept album). It should also be noted that the use of skits on hip-hop albums is commonplace, if not ubiquitous. This being said, Prince Paul's "A Prince Among Thieves" is not only a bonafide hip-hop album that fits neatly into the tradition, it also redefined the genre. The thing that sets Prince Paul's masterpiece apart from the rest is its consistency in theme, tone and character. Over the course of this album, we see the main character travel through the flipside of the American Dream - the ghetto. As the album chronicles the main character's struggles to garner enough money to present a demo for a record deal, we see Prince Paul production technique in constant flux, embracing a different genre of hip-hop with every turn. From hardcore gangsta posturing to laid-back player/pimp macking to old school freestyle flava, the music fits the storyline flawlessly. The beats are fresh, the story is compelling and the rhymes are simply second to none. With a little help from several of underground hip-hop's luminaries (both past and present) Prince Paul has produced a hip-hop masterpiece on par with the Who's "Tommy." "Prince Among Thieves" tells the story of youth at a crossroads, of a culture on the brink, of life at its most crucial moment. It's patchwork of genre and subject-matter flows effortlessly together into a narrative so strong that only the most detached listener will not be able to relate to the struggles of the main character. In today's culture of shrinking attention spans, this album may be a challenge to most, but a careful listen reveals some insights that we all can learn from. I'll tell you one thing - after listening to the final, self-titled track, I will never listen to a "Dead Homies" song the same way even again. Never. Buy this one. It's a true classic.