Happy Born Day, Sean P! (Words by BigGhostLtd)

When you can't find the right words, look to the homie, BigGhostLtd: "I dont mean for this to be like one of them “back in the good ol days…” type write-ups…I promise. But it might be. We can talk talent or money or industry plants or whatever else. But if you could pinpoint the root cause of what prevents shit from becoming a shit show…it would come down to some very synonymous things... rules, guidelines, boundaries, GATES. What makes the gates even more effective is GATE-KEEPERS. See record labels and businesses PERIOD gon' do record label shit. And if the labels do it right the masses gon' eat all that trash up regardless. It's how we ended up having Vanilla Ice n em. But Vanilla Ice was never embraced by or propped up by the culture. Had KRS-One or Chuck D or Ice Cube or any other respectable artist at the time welcomed him n certified him as a legitimate artist it might be a different story. YES the Vanilla one was able to get a hit off n sell a quick 10 mil but he wasn't able to sustain a career in the game or continue to make a living off a culture he disrespected in every way possible. These days all you need is a pulse and a poppin TikTok dance.. or a cool 3 minutes to do some due diligence on one of the infinite alternative avenues of pure f#ckery at your disposal to catch a hit. The thing is when you no longer need to struggle or overcome anything… or actually possess any hunger or talent… you get the talentless weirdos runnin' shit n gentrification rap we see making a mockery of the culture so often today. When the man born Sean Duval Price was still roaming the earth n making life hell for the lesser gifted… not raking in platinum plaques n stacking millions... being broke but still somehow a fly ass living legend n considered one of the greatest MCs to ever breathe.. he wasn't biting his tongue or kissing ass to jump on songs with the biggest superstars. He wasn't afraid to make it uncomfortable for MFs. I don't think any other rapper ever took time to shit on another rapper just cuz his name happened to rhyme with whatever he happened to be rhyming in the line before it. Very few rappers inspired me as a writer. The obvious one would be Ghostface. But the one who inspired the content was the almighty Sean P." Sean Price would have turned 50 years old today! R.I.P to the late great, Sean P!

Take It Personal Podcast "Tribute to Sean Price! (R.I.P.)"

On Episode 99 of the Take It Personal, Jason Gloss and crew celebrate the life and the career of the late great, Sean Price. The podcast is joined by special guests Pharoahe Monch, Phonte, Torae, Meyhem Lauren and Peter Rosenberg, as they serve as your tour guide throughout this 4+ hour tribute. They've got hours of music, memories and laughs as they feature over 70+ tracks showcasing the remarkable catalog of the legendary Sean Price. The Boot Camp MC is joined by fellow Heltah Skeltah member, Rockness, as well as the O.G.C., AG, Pharoahe Monch, Tek, Phonte, Roc Marciano, Jedi Mind Tricks, Canibus, Ras Kass, Method Man, Freddie Gibbs, Black Milk, Skyzoo, Rahzel and more. I'm glad I got to meet Sean Price before he passed away - I didn't always agree with his public views, but I did come to respect him as a man. Dig into this great mix/tribute to him below...

Sean Price "Kimbo Slice" (October 27, 2009)

I wasn't sure what I was gonna throw on today, then I saw that on this day in 2010, the late great Sean Price dropped his mix-CD, Kimbo Slice. I dug back for the press notes, and here they are: "Hailing from Brownsville, New York. Standing at 6'1" and weighing in at 242 pounds. Formerly known as Scragbite, then RUCK, then Deceptacon Sean, and now going by MEGASEAN, Sean P!!! is back in the ring and he’s going to make sure you talk about him. In fact, borrowing words from the great Mike Tyson, Sean Price claims that “your grandkids and kids after that are going to know about me. I’m going to make sure of that. They are never going to forget about me. Your great grandkids are going to say WOW, wasn’t that a bizarre individual.” Bizarre or not, Sean Price has an ironclad fist on this rap game. His combination of witty word play, humor and hardcore lyrics leave fans wondering what the MC is going to say next. We have seen that Sean Price is a multifaceted individual. With the start up of his newly formed label, RUCK DOWN RECORDS, Sean Price still finds the necessary time to record and promote his own albums. KIMBO PRICE, the prelude to his next national album, MIC TYSON (2010), is a 23 track mix cd that brings the listeners into the world of Sean Price that we love so much. If you know Sean Price in some capacity, you probably got dissed on this album. The rapper goes so far as to say he doesn’t even like himself! Sean Price is joined by a select few artists on KIMBO PRICE. Artists such as Buckshot, Rock of Heltah Skeltah, Ruste Juxx, Royce Da 5'9" L.E.G.A.C.Y., Poisen Pen, and others help round out a very balanced collection music." Rest In Peace to the inimitable, Sean P! Listen to Kimbo Slice below + illustration above by Huey P.

His memory lives on through his music and his beautiful family. R.I.P., Sean P!

DJ Invasion "Price of Death" (Sean Price x Stu Bangas, Mix)

Price Of Death is the latest mash-up tribute by the talented DJ Invasion. The mix combines the late great Brownsville MC, Sean Price's vocals with long time collaborator and producer, Stu Bangas. DJ Invasion explertly blends these vocals over Stu's punch-you-in-the-face production. The mix also features Lil' Fame, Ruste Juxx, DJ Grazzhoppa, Apathy, Ghost of the Machine, Dirt Platoon, Rockness, Rozewood, Milano Constantine, Tone Spliff, Ill Bill, Vinnie Paz, Nutso, Spit Gemz, and Conway the Machine. The passing of Sean Price left a huge void in hip-hop, but mixes like this help us revisit his material in a new light. Check out DJ Invasion's Price of Death blend mix tape below...

Happy Born Day, Sean Price!

Since the news of Sean Price's passing in 2015, I've come to accept that the loss of Sean P hit me harder than I'd anticipated. I'm on the record saying that I didn't always agree with his stance on various things, and that often times his music (especially as 1/2 of Heltah Skeltah was more of a "guilty pleasure" for me.) At the time, I missed a lot of the subtleties/nuance in his personality and his character, which were clear as day if I'd just paid closer attention. They scream out to me now from his music and in his comedic skits as I continue to look back. I was, however, fortunate to be introduced to Sean P at Southpaw via someone I'd known and respected since '96, and we had a chance to build about some things... I realized I'd had it all wrong. People humble me with their energy and it's a life lesson to see someone for who they are, and not just what you think. I won't say what'd irked me but he was quick to say something to the effect of "yeah, my old heads tell me not to be saying shit like that", with humility. Glad I had that convo before his passing. One of my favorite things about Sean Price has always been his signature delivery. He was well aware of his signature flow, as he described it in his own words in How To Rap 2 (2013), "I got my signature things that I do that you know is Sean P, like most of my rhymes end off with "P!" or "motherf#cker!" So you'll definitely have "P!" at the end of a rhyme or "motherf#cker," I guess [that's] my exclamation point -- "motherf#cker." I got a tendency to stop in the middle of my bar and just be like, "psssh," something like that, I got my own signature things. [And] the beat tells me which way to touch it, I listen to the beat, I just don't try to force no flow on it." I tell artists that rhyming a lot of words - quickly - doesn't make you an exceptional MC... Try to find the pocket; be clever with your wordplay and delivery, too. Last year, I posted a 60+ track playlist with many of my favorite verses/tracks... it's still relevant as ever. Sean Price would have turned 49 today... May he Rest In eternal Peace.

In Memory Of... Sean Price (Playlist + NY Daily News, 2015)

Brooklyn Rapper Sean Price died in his sleep Saturday (August 8, 2015). The 43-year old hip-hop artist was a member of the rap super-groups Boot Camp Clik and Random Axe. Price got his start in the music world as part of the group Heltah Skeltah before rising in the underground hip hop community as a noted solo act.... "It is with beyond a heavy heart that Duck Down Music is sadly confirming that Sean Price passed away early this morning in his Brooklyn apartment," said a statement from his representatives. "Sean's family and friends are asking for time to grieve and process the news...." As a solo artist, Price released "Monkey Barz" in 2005 and "Jesus Price Supastar" in 2007. The lifelong Brownsville resident was featured in the video game "NBA 2K11" as a playable character in street mode. Price's latest album, "Mic Tyson," was released in 2012 and he was working on a mixtape, "Songs in the Key of Price" slated to be release by Duck Down Music on Aug. 21. "I"m going fishing Sunday at Sheepshead Bay I did it last week it was relaxing," he wrote on Twitter a day before his death. The MC's fellow lyricists took to social media to mourn the loss of the influential star. "Hip Hop has lost another great. RIP Sean P! #RealOne," The Roots' Black Thought tweeted. Others commended Price's tenacious spirit. "RIP to Sean Price one of the illest to ever do it. 1/2 of Heltah Skeltah aka Ruck. He was always a good brother to us and down to build," the Bronx-based rap group Rebel Diaz wrote. "Sean Price went from being a childhood hero of mine to a great friend. He was the most competitive MC I've ever met and kept me on my game," rapper Talib Kweli wrote. Price is survived by his wife and three children, according to his representatives. - New York Daily News (August 9, 2015). Rest In Peace, Sean P!, who passed away 5 years ago today. To continue to celebrate the Brooklyn barbarian, below is a playlist with 50+ tracks, dig into it...

Original cover story in the NY Daily News (August 9, 2015). R.I.P. Sean P!

Heltah Skeltah "Nocturnal" (June 18, 1996)

"In 1993 a little-known group called Black Moon released an album that would become an underground classic, Enta Da Stage. Thus was born the Bootcamp Clik and their distinct brand of sonic mayhem: quirky, Caribbean-influenced lyrical phrasing atop deep, moody tracks. Black Moon's offering was soon followed by Smif-N-Wessun's equally compelling Dah Shinin'. Now Bootcamp's third edition, Heltah Skeltah, release their own opus, Nocturnal. As former members of the Decepticons (a Brooklyn-based gang that terrorized NYC high schools in the late '80s), Ruck and Rock - Heltah Skeltah's twin cannons - could be expected to do the obvious: rehash how many broken bodies they've left in their wake. Uhhh-uhhh. Nocturnal's menace doesn't come from self-propaganda. Heltah Skeltah derive their edge from the dynamic vocal presence delivered by Rock's low-pitched growls and Ruck's irrationally tinged mutterings; dark, gritty production; and the duo's creative song structuring, as on "Therapy," a scintillating bit of back-and-forth wordplay which has Ruck playing the gruff psychiatrist to Rock's tormented patient, and "Sean Price," where Ruck appropriates Super Cat's haunting lament from "I'm Not Sure Anymore" to chilling effect. Nocturnal never takes the hard-edged vibe over the line. The two MCs possess a dry sense of humor that gives the album a multidimensional feel." - Spin Magazine, 8/96 // The full review is below... Rest In Peace, Sean P!

DV One x Hex Murda "Sean Price: Immortal" (Mix)

DV One from the Rock Steady Crew and Detroit's inimitable Hex Murda have created this dedication mix entitled Immortal for their mutual friend and beloved eMCee Sean Price who passed in 2015. Immortal is an hour-long mix of some Ruck classics, soundbites, and lots of drops from his family and peers. In the words of Rakaa, "Sean Price is a true inspiration because he kept getting better and better while carving out his own lane through this jungle. The animals and trees were no match. Hip Hop is now a little bit less fun, and we'll all need to pitch in to supplement the level of realness that he blessed the scene with. Incredible artist and person, so I have no doubt that his soul is at peace. It's just surreal. Strength and prayers to his family." Rest In Peace, Sean P aka You the worst aka the opposite of a fucking Duran Duran song. Listen to the mix below or click HERE to download. 

Sean Price x Lil Fame "Price Of Fame" (Album Stream)

Sean Price & Lil Fame join forces for 'The Price of Fame' album on Duck Down Records. The 11-track project features M.O.P., Smif N Wessun, Rock of Heltah Skeltah, Conway The Machine, Illa Gee, and Guilty Simpson. The album is entirely produced by Lil Fame of M.O.P., and contains all unreleased Sean Price verses! Rest In Peace, Sean Price, one of the best lyricists to ever pick up a microphone. Don't sleep on Fizzy Womack's production neither, salute Lil Fame! You can listen to the LP below...

Boot Camp Clik "The Basement Cypher" (Rap City, 2003)

Here's some throwback footage of the Boot Camp Clik at BET in the Basement for the Rap City cypher. With DeeJay Logic on the 1s and 2s, Big Tigger sets it off (as per usual), then we got the Boot Camp Clik's O.G.C., Sean Price, Bucskhot, and General Steele droppin' bars. Sean Price uses this verse on "60 Bar Dash" off Donkey Sean Jr, where he says "Pootie Tang n!@@as always got a lot to say / Ain't talking 'bout shit though, sa-da-tay / Classical soul, I got the nastiest flow / Sean Price, big gun by the grassiest knoll / Can't see me coming, like I was fucking a blind b!tch / Grabbing the radio and then commence to rewind this / Leave it alone, or you can bleed from the dome..." This clip was recently reposted to the official Duck Down YouTube page, I think it was originally from around '03. Rest In Peace, Sean Price and salute the whole Duck Down Records family. Watch below...

Sean Price x Small Professor "86 Witness" (Album Stream)

Several years in the making, the highly anticipated collaborative project from the late Sean Price (Rest In Peace) and producer Small Professor, '86 Witness,’ is here. The album features Rock of Heltah Skeltah, Guilty Simpson, Your Old Droog, AG Da Coroner, Illa Ghee, Reef the Lost Cauze, Curly Castro, Zilla Rocca, Rob Kelly, Quelle Chris, Elucid, Castle, and scratches by DJ Revolution throughout. Man, Hip-Hop as a whole misses the presence of Sean Price. R.I.P. Listen to it below...

Sean Price "Jesus Price Supastar" (January 30, 2007)

Sean Price has always rapped with a hard-edged whimsy. He's earned a dual fan base of backpackers and indie kids like fellow East Coast old-heads Ghostface and MF Doom, but despite name-dropping Malachi York, Tony Atlas, and Hotel Rwanda on his second official solo album, he's never been quite weird enough to curry as much favor with the avant-garde. Instead, with an effortless delivery and mastery of negative space, the artist once known as Ruck of Heltah Skeltah spends most of Supastar boasting about "f#cking people up" and lamenting the idea that he's "the brokest rapper you know." As Sean P pledges, "All praises due to the rhyme," over revving motorcycle synths and an interpolation of Gap Band's 1979 "I Don't Believe You Want To Get Up and Dance (Oops, Upside Your Head)," his altar runs red not only from blood of sucker MCs, but also from his sacrifice of song topicality. This is traditionalist boom-bap, mainly scored by North Carolina sample-choppers 9th Wonder and Khrysis. Guests like Little Brother's Phonte, Buckshot, and Sadat X nestle in comfortably. But when Price makes it all about himself--like on the breezy, guitar-loaded "Mess You Made"--complaints about "not having a hit since '96" and "making sure Elijah ain't bummy in school" prove that, despite appearances, Price has a vision beyond aggro one-liners. - Vibe (2/07).

The Jesus Price Supastar review in Vibe Magazine is below...

Sean Price "Donkey Sean Jr" (Mixtape, 2003)

Donkey Sean Jr. served as a prelude to Sean Price’s first solo album Monkey Barz. It was released in 2003 through Duck Down Records and is mixed by producer/DJ, PF Cuttin. The title of the album is a play on words referencing the 1982 arcade-style video game Donkey Kong Jr. The track “Jail Shit” was later featured on Monkey Barz. The mixtape also features Ruste Juxx, Rockness Monstah, Rampage, Steele, Agallah, Lil' Dap, Buckshot, Joe Budden, Nardo Ranks, and more. Dig in below...

Sean Price "Imperius Rex" (Album Stream)

The Sean Price legacy continues with the highly anticipated posthumous release of his 4th studio album, “Imperius Rex”. The CD is housed inside an 84-page hard cover book packaged with rare photos spanning Sean Price’s life; exclusive fan art; and an iconic 11x17 poster featuring the album cover art. The project features all new music with features from DOOM, Prodigy, Styles P, Smif N Wessun, Rock, Method Man, Raekwon, Inspectah Deck, Junior Reid, Buckshot, Ruste Juxx, Bernadette Price & more. Production from Alchemist, Harry Fraud, Nottz, amongst others.

Sean Price "Off The Radar" (The Source, April 2001)

I just realized that today would have been Sean Price's 45th birthday. Taken from us far too soon, he is greatly missed in the culture but more importantly, by his family and loved ones. Known by those closest to him as a great father and husband; he was loyal and charismatic - his unique sense of humor shined through in all his solo efforts, interviews, twitter and viral videos. Whether you knew him as Ruck, Sean Price or P!, you saw an artist who reinvented himself for years, while remaining true to himself and his craft. I can't say I agreed with his public views on everything, but it took meeting him face-to-face to really get it and celebrate him as a man and a creative. For his born day, today's selection below is 'Heartburn,' produced by 9th Wonder, and featured on his 2005 LP, 'Monkey Barz' (a favorite at Fat Beats). Follow Duck Down Records for all the latest news on Sean Price's music and how you can support his legacy! The image above is his 'Off The Radar' feature in The Source, April 2001. Rest in Peace, Sean Price, much love to the whole Boot Camp Clik.

Heltah Skeltah "Operation Lockdown" (The Source, 6/96)

Securing their place in the already well equipped Boot Camp Clique, Heltah Skeltah step front and center for the "the ninety now." Each track is sound - fashioned by E-Swift and Mr. Walt respectively - and both fit with the smoked-out, baritone lyrics of Ruck and Rock. The two tracks complement each other and provide a balanced attack like a proper single should. The A-side, "Operation Lockdown," begins with a comical, stimulated narrator whose daydream leads the listener into a circle of hypnotic strings that come at you in seamless waves. From then on the two MCs do indeed "lock it down with the full court press." Their lyrics are compact and concise - each MC building off the other - and flow all the way into the short and unobtrusive chorus. The B-Side, "Da Wiggy," hits with the familiar, brooding, bass heavy Bucktown production that you feel more than hear. Lyrically, Ruck and Rock ("Sparsky and Dutch") flow back and forth with an ease that is only truly manifested between partners in crime, much like their clique compatriots Tek and Steele. These two double team MCs from all angles, promising to "split 'em in half, divide and conquer," and warning, "if I'm bein' polite I'm schemin' like Eddie Haskell." The voice-boxed chorus recalls the "wikky, wikky, wikky" of the old school hit "Jam On It," but unlike the little voice on the Newcleus record, this one doesn't know when to quit. Heltah Skeltah should follow the talented trail blazed by Black Moon and Smif-N-Wessun. So Bucktown heads can carve yet another notch in their rhyme revolvers. - Another Sure Shot Single from The Source, back in June 1996. I don't know why the album is not available to stream, a major oversight! Rest In Peace, Sean Price; one of the greatest MCs EVER!

Heltah Skeltah "Nocturnal" (The Source, 7/96)

"This seems to be the master plan for hip-hop domination: first, set things off with an undeniable masterpiece, such as Black Moon's debut Enta Da Stage. Next, put on other members of your crew, who proceed to amaze and astound in their own right - see Smif-N-Wessun's Dah Shinin. And then, just when headz are salivating for any piece of work bearing your imprimatur, start your own label and sew things up with more dope product. This is how far Brooklyn's Boot Camp Clik has come in just three short years. The next group up to represent Bucktown is Heltah Skeltah, whose debut, Nocturnal - on Buckshot's own Duck Down Entaprizez - may just vault the Clik into the same category as the other East Coast super crews. Heltah Skeltah is made up of the high-powered MCs Ruc and Roc, who were introduced as two-thirds of the Fab 5 cipher on "Leflah Leflaur Eshkoshka." Make no mistake: these two rip the mic like a two-headed monster, with Ruc's deep-voiced flow perfectly situated as the backbone to Roc's hard-as-nails delivery." Continued below...

"The production is also solid, designed to highlight rather than overshadow the MCs. Most of the work is handled by Beatminerz Baby Paul, Mr. Walt and Evil Dee, who create multi-layered soundscapes using ambient samples to prop up the simple drum-propelled tracks. But the centerpiece of this LP still remains the endless stream of tight verses kicked by Ruc and Roc. So far no member of the Boot Camp Clik has slipped up. Nocturnal continues this tradition of dopeness." - The Source (July, 96). You can read the full 3.5 mic review in The Source below...

Sean Price "Songs In The Key Of Price" (Mixtape)

This is the first posthumous release of Sean Price. The plan was to release the mixtape on August 21st, 2015. He passed away on August 8th, 2015 but the mixtape was still released as planned. The iTunes release only has 8 songs but the digital download as well as the physical CD from Duck Down contains 30 songs. The title is a play on Stevie Wonder’s 1976 Motown classic Songs in the the Key of Life. The original artwork (not featured above) also mirrored Stevie Wonder’s classic. #riP!

Keychain bottle opener (promo) from Sean P.  - R.I.P.

Dru-Ha Pens a Letter For Sean Price (R.I.P.)

Following the sudden and tragic loss of Sean Price a few weeks ago, Dru gathered his thoughts and wrote an extensive letter to and about his friend: "We go so far back, I remember he had his fun with the beepers too. In a late night nocturnal studio session at D&D he would sneak off and page my beeper with a popular rappers number and watch me call them back. Some how I’d end up on a call with the likes of a Jeru the Damaja, asking him what he wants, and him asking the same of me; both equally confused on how we connected, Sean in the studio cracking up. The practical jokes at my expense didn’t end there, and I adored them. They were personalized and imaginative. He never made you feel bullied or humiliated (unless you had fur on your shoes) it was always something we could laugh at together after the pranks unfolded. In early Heltah Skeltah interviews, when he became predictably bored with the questions, and I had still had a flickering rap career from my verse on Black Moon’s “U Da Man”, straight faced, he told various reporters that I was recording an album with Bon Jovi. Later when I stopped traveling on the road with Sean, whenever he found himself in Baltimore he would tell the audience in the middle of his set that I wasn’t there because I watched the Wire and I was too scared. In present internet days, there’d be times with no warning, where he might go on a twitter rampage encouraging people to send me their demos and beats. My timeline and email would fill up. That was Sean with his mischievous and appropriately inappropriate sense of humor. He made us laugh till Tek had water in his eyes and all of our stomachs hurt… But at the heart, he played for one team throughout his career. He declared “I’m Boot Camp 4 Life” and no matter how turbulent times could become, he never waivered. He knew that his BCC kin loved him unconditionally, accepted his irrational ways, and most importantly that they could rhyme on his playing field. He always insisted that Rock was the better MC in Da Incredible Rap team of Heltah Skeltah, and told me on more than one occasion that coming up through the game, Steele was his favorite MC. Buck was a mentor and trusted confidant. We never had to ask, he proudly wore the Duck Down uniform, hats, shirts, hoodies, jackets, whatever, he carried our flag with him. Most importantly it seemed to him, he represented for Brooklyn..." r.i.P.

The Fab 5 "Leflaur Leflah Eshkoshka" (Review, 1995)

The Fab 5 was a super-group that consisted of Heltah Skeltah (Sean Price & Rockness Monstah) and O.G.C. (Starang Wondah, Louisville Sluggah and Top Dog). As part of the Boot Camp Clik and signed to Duck Down Records, they released their debut 12", "Blah" and "Leflaur Leflah Eshkoshka" in 1995. The Source covered the single, saying: "When Black Moon first hit the streets, they paved the way for one of the strongest crews ever to come out of Brooklyn. Next up, Smif-N-Wessun. Recently, the names Heltah Skeltah & O.G.C. have been popping up. The two groups represented lovely on "Heads Ain't Ready." Now they've joined forces on a double single - just to let heads know what the future holds. "Leflah Leflour Eskoshka" is unadulterated dope. Don't let the name fool you, the track consists of straight-up, rugged lyrics over a butter-smooth beat. The MCs interact in a way that reminds the listener of a freestyle session where amped heads jump in without allowing the last man to finish his verse. The lyrics are so phat, it's almost impossible to pick out the best ones.... Heltah Skeltah and O.G.C. have definitely brought more props to the Boot Camp Clik and Bucktown USA. Can't wait to hear the album." Well, there was no group album ... with the charting success of the single, O.G.C went on to release "Da Storm" and Heltah Skeltah released "Nocturnal" in 1996.