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- Artist: Prince Paul
- Rating:
- Release Date: February 23, 1999
- Total Time: 73:11
- Genre: Rap
Review
The concept album has been something of a rare beast in hip-hop. There have been plenty of rap albums with a cinematic feel, but very few actually tie things together with a coherent narrative throughout. Leave it to Prince Paul, long one of hip-hop's most imaginative producers, to assemble the first successful rap opera in A Prince Among Thieves. Not only does it maintain a coherent story line via skits that actually aren't filler, it manages to stay musically compelling and focused throughout. And that's no mean feat, considering the array of guest stars and the huge range of styles Prince Paul employs for their characters' supporting tracks. Perhaps the most daring aspect of the record is that it frames the story as fiction, with no pretense of the realism (or illusion thereof) that hardcore prides itself on. The story concerns a young rapper named Tariq (played by the Juggaknots' Breeze), who needs $1000 to complete a demo tape for a pending record deal. For quick cash, he turns to his friend True (Sha), once his mentor in the rap game but now a drug dealer who secretly resents Tariq's good fortune. As True immerses Tariq in the underworld, a tragedy of cinematic proportions unfolds. The star-studded cast features Kool Keith as a weapons dealer, Big Daddy Kane as a pimp, Chubb Rock as a gang kingpin, Chris Rock and De La Soul as crack addicts, Everlast as a crooked cop, and Sadat X and Xzibit as prison inmates. Yet the much lesser-known Sha and Breeze shine even in this select company, which is part of the reason the album works. The main reason, however, is that Prince Paul sounds like he can do anything, and do it well. A Prince Among Thieves touches on every sound he's ever tried on record, and it's conceptually airtight; in both senses, it's his magnum opus, and the crown jewel of a brilliant career. ~ Steve Huey, All Music GuideTracks
| Track Title | Composers | Performers | Time |
| Tariq's Dilemma (Intro) | Prince Paul | Prince Paul | (:37) |
| Pain | Prince Paul, |
Prince Paul, |
(2:13) |
| How It All Started | Prince Paul | (1:10) | |
| Steady Slobbin' (Lyrics) | Prince Paul, |
Prince Paul, |
(2:54) |
| Just Another Day | Prince Paul | Prince Paul | (2:18) |
| What U Got [The Demo] | Prince Paul, |
Prince Paul, |
(2:29) |
| The Hustles On | Prince Paul | Prince Paul | (1:37) |
| MC Hustler (Lyrics) | Prince Paul | Prince Paul | (3:51) |
| The Call | Prince Paul | (:52) | |
| The Other Line | Prince Paul, |
Prince Paul, |
(2:51) |
| Crazy Lou's Hideout | Prince Paul | (1:49) | |
| Weapon World (Lyrics) | Prince Paul | Prince Paul, Kool Keith | (3:27) |
| My Big Chance | Prince Paul | (1:54) | |
| War Party | Prince Paul | Prince Paul | (3:10) |
| Count Macula | Prince Paul | (:22) | |
| Macula's Theory | Prince Paul, |
Big Daddy Kane, Prince Paul | (2:35) |
| Mr. Large | Prince Paul, |
Chubb Rock, Biz Markie, Prince Paul | (1:06) |
| Can You Handle It | Prince Paul | Prince Paul | (:21) |
| Put the Next Man On | Prince Paul, |
Prince Paul, Superstar, |
(3:45) |
| I Was In | Prince Paul | (:40) | |
| My First Day | Prince Paul | Chris Rock, Prince Paul | (2:28) |
| More Than U Know | De La Soul, Prince Paul, |
De La Soul, Prince Paul | (4:23) |
| Room 69 | Prince Paul | (1:48) | |
| Mood for Love | Prince Paul | (3:16) | |
| The Bust | Prince Paul | Prince Paul | (:44) |
| The Men in Blue | Prince Paul, |
Everlast, Prince Paul | (3:32) |
| Central Booking | Prince Paul | (2:03) | |
| Handle Your Time (Lyrics) | Prince Paul | Prince Paul, Sadat X, Xzibit, |
(3:53) |
| The Rev | Prince Paul | Prince Paul | (:28) |
| Sermon | Prince Paul | Prince Paul | (1:00) |
| Showdown | Prince Paul | Prince Paul | (2:55) |
| You Got Shot | Prince Paul, |
Prince Paul, |
(3:07) |
| Every Beginning Must Have an Ending | Prince Paul | Prince Paul | (1:43) |
| The New Joint (DJ's Delite) | Prince Paul | Prince Paul | (:55) |
| A Prince Among Thieves | Prince Paul | Prince Paul | (:55) |
