It’s been said that cynicism is the humor of hatred, and during his 20 years in the rap industry, Sean Price’s raison d’être was being one of the genre’s most trenchant misanthropes. (Hence his original moniker “Ruck The Irrational”). He could spit hard on the mic and in your food, yet you’d likely remain be entertained and forgive him for his unrelenting candor and vivid metaphors.
Two years to the day after his untimely death, Price’s career-long record label Duck Down released his fourth solo LP, Imperius Rex. The spirit of Brooklyn’s self-proclaimed Bar-Barian lives on with his King Kong raging imagery on this16-track posthumous album. The cast of underground rap royalty along for the ride includes MF DOOM, Prodigy, Styles P, Smif N Wessun, Method Man, Raekwon, Inspectah Deck, Buckshot, Ruste Juxx, Price’s wife Bernadette (who also acted as the album’s co-executive producer) and up-and-comers Rim P and Vic Spencer.
According to his wife, Sean was four tracks into recording Imperius Rex before his death, and she assisted in the completion of the album’s featured guests. Beat contributions come from top-tier producers including Alchemist, Harry Fraud and Nottz.
The title track sets off the album with Sean’s daughter, Shaun, momentarily corrupting her 9-year-old innocence by channeling her father’s spirit for a multi-syllabic rhyme filled with profanity. Price’s unhurried alliteration over the slow-pitched wobbly wah-wah guitar loop from Gwen McCrae’s frequently sampled “90% of You” sets the tone for the album.
Much of the production on Imperius Rex offers the feel of a quintessentially ’90s Boot Camp Clik album, with Timberland-stomping bass drum kicks, push-up adrenalizing snare chops, and criminology and gunplay-filled lyrics with codified references to the Brooklyn crew’s Jamaican acculturation and Islamic faith. The second track, “Dead Or Alive,” dives right into trunk-rattling bass and eerie piano keys with Bernadette delivering a stellar hook.
As with his previous work, the “Don’t say shit to Ruck” mantra remains the theme on this project. Sean’s gruff baritone, wry diatribes (“You being my friend is asinine, assi-ten, ass-eleven”), cheapskate apathy (“This is my slot, rookie/ Your snot box get rocked over Hydrox cookies/ Slapbox niggas/ Free can of soda with the snack box, nigga”), and the love for his longtime partner (“Knowledge my wisdom/ See me with Bernadette, you must acknowledge my wisdom”) are all blazing along at full speed.
Standout cuts include “Apartheid” featuring Boot Camp Clik founders General Steele and Buckshot, “Resident Evil,” which explains the album cover’s imagery of Sean’s head superimposed onto the Lincoln Memorial (“Abe Lincoln/ Emancipate 8 in your face and the place stinkin’”), and “Lord Have Mercy,” featuring Rim P and Vic Spencer.
Others include “Apex In His Apex” with Rustee Juxx, and the thumping acoustic bassline loop and brassy horns of “Rap Professor” with a mid-tempo BPM that sounds like it’s from a ’70s sitcom or cartoon soundtrack.
The most anticipated tracks include “Negus” featuring MF DOOM and Ike Eyez with an awkwardly humorous soundbite from Spike Lee’s 2000 film Bamboozled serving as the chorus. “The 3 Lyrical Ps” with Styles P and late Mobb Deep legend Prodigy brings NYC rap’s favorite goons together over Harry Fraud’s understated-but-menacing chords. And the posse cut “Clans & Cliks” is a great reprisal of the similarly titled song from Heltah Skeltah’s Nocturnal with Rock, Smif N Wessun, Raekwon, Inspectah Deck, and Method Man exuding the energy of their younger selves over a booming bassline.
There is some overarching how-much-wood-would-a-woodchuck-chuck-like verbiage on the album (“Shit to share, shoot the fair, shot a gun/ Shoot the shit ’til your shit shot, shoulda shot a fair one”). And the banal “Church Bells” with Junior Reid slows the momentum of the album’s pace at the midpoint
The rap game isn’t the same without Sean, but this is an impressive showcase for his fans. Thou art in Heaven can never shut the Ruck up.
His flow and sound changed (you could tell something was right health wise) but It didn’t disappoint. The 3 lyrical P’s was a genius move. Rest in Power!
Interesting thought, being that he had breathing problems when he slept, I did notice a gruffiness in his voice
Not worth it.
Dope album……..not Jesus Price but still an enjoyable album.
Bruh Jesus Price was/is on some nex nex ish forreal!!!
Hall of famer!
R.I.P. To The Imperius Rex, Sean Price!
One of the most underrated of all time. Love Sean P…. album is highly recommended.
Ain’t nobody care about this review. Where that Based God review? BLACK KEN STRAIGHT FIRE 5 STARS ALL DAY
One of the best this year, didn’t disappoint. Rock got an album coming out next month too. Should be fire! Let tha madness continue..
This album is 100% pure dope!.
Really dope which aint easy we seen the state of Biggies last 2 albums and all that shit they have had Pac on is a fucking disgrace ‘Pacs Life’ smfh……P! n S.P on lyrical P’s is a highlight they both rip it up
i agree with you on Biggie and Pac posthumously released crap. and yes, The Big Picture is dope – “Flamboyant”, “Holdin it down” etc..
that harry fraud track? my lord i wish harry fraud did an album with Sean P album r.i.p
“The 3 Lyrical Ps”? are you serious? it sounds like something like it could be on early 2000s D12 albums. and Harry Fraud usually makes decent beats (“Bird on a wire” is sick)..
“Sean was four tracks into recording Imperius Rex before his death, and she assisted in the completion of the album’s featured guests.” – so for the rest of the album they just slapped his vocals over some beat. and the features were recorded after his death too, without Sean P involvement. so it’s like “Born again” and “Duets” by Biggie. or like every Pac album released after his death (excluding Makaveli). i can’t support this, sorry!
i dunno. i still think its dope. didnt wanna know that info though. and at least guest rhymers dont mention/say rip in the songs like… i think that big one. (didnt touch duets or nothin since makaveli. eh.
don’t get me wrong i’m not saying listening to this couldn’t be a positive experience, not trashin the album here. it’s just that with these albums released years after the death of the artist there’s just no way to ever know if this was done according to the artist’s vision, was this how he wanted it to be..
Im pretty sure P has no problem with his family and friends making some money off his music…This isn’t Diddy shamelessly milking BIG’s legacy for every penny. This is your run of the mill Sean P album…even if it wasn’t his 100% vision, I guarantee it was close enough
Usually i would agree but the project is fire. Sound very official you wouldnt know. Im still bumping it. the Hardest project out this year.
Album is Great! sucka said “i can’t support this”, keep yo chump change. Proceeds go to Sean Price family. go fuck yourself, you fake ass fan
THis is nothing like Biggie’s Born Again or Duets album. This is actually good.
Long time fans and new fans will definitely enjoy this installment in the Sean Price catalogue. To me this album IS the exclamation point of the infamous phrase coined by “P!”. REGARDLESS of the completion process of this record, it doesn’t feel rushed. It feels like it was carefully pieced together by family. As this album hits EXTREMELY HARD, it also has this warmth in it. Mic Tyson wasn’t my favorite chapter but this record is an amazing way to seal the Legacy for latest leader of Boot Camp Clik. RIP Sean Price
dope album! AOTY!!!!!
Dope
why on last couple of albums i keep getting 2 and a half minute songs … any body else notice this
FIRE FUK WAT ANYONE SAY best album of the year BY FAR SO FAR riP! …WHENDA CHURCH BELLS RING
I agree with you it has some good songs, but the beats are weak for the most part.
Did they ever say what Sean Price died from?