Happy 10th Anniversary to Sean Price’s third studio album Mic Tyson, originally released October 30, 2012.
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As an artist, Sean Price always knew who he was. Moreover, he knew his strengths, the foremost of which was his ability to smash wack rappers. He might do so with a smirk, but his aim on damn near every track he recorded was to pummel other emcees into verbal submission. This strength is on full display with Mic Tyson, his third official full-length, released 10 years ago.
The Brownsville, Brooklyn native had achieved legendary status well before his death in August 2015. He came up during the early and mid-1990s as a member of the Boot Camp Clik, debuting as one half of Heltah Skeltah. Though Price excelled in the duo and released such acclaimed albums as Nocturnal (1996) and Magnum Force (1998), he also became recognized as the best pure lyricist in the extensive crew. As time went on, Sean P continued to improve and establish himself on multiple BCC-affiliated projects. By the mid ’00s, he burst through, finding a dedicated audience as a rapper enjoying a renaissance in his late 30s, unequivocally at the peak of his powers.
Price rebooted his career with the acclaimed Monkey Barz (2005), demonstrating nearly a decade after his debut that he was still an emcee’s emcee. Not long after, he released Jesus Price Superstar (2007), a highly entertaining follow-up, as well as a few subsequent mixtapes, such as Master P (2007) and Kimbo Price (2009). Kimbo Price was designed as a preview of Mic Tyson. But various delays caused the full-length to drop a full three years later.
Fortunately, the album was worth the wait. It’s debatable where Mic Tyson stands in Price’s discography overall, but it certainly features many of the best songs “the brokest rapper you know” ever recorded. Price approaches Mic Tyson as a battle-tested war horse. As an “animalistic rapper, man of a certain age,” he’s comfortable with his veteran status, but has little patience for gimmicks and phony emcees.
Sean P unleashes a healthy helping of lyrical lashings throughout the long player, backed by his blunt sensor of humor. His complex delivery and rhyme patterns are his secret weapon, as is his ability to use repetition of certain words and phrases in an effective manner. There aren’t a lot of deeper meanings to many of the songs, just Price “spit[ting] prison imam bars that'll put you in the ER, pa.”
A wide array of producers provide Price with an ideal soundtrack for him to break bones and snap spines. Sean Price gets an assist from 9th Wonder and other members of his production squad, who provide rugged grooves. Songs like “Pyrex,” “Title Track,” “Straight Music,” and “Hush” all kick the listener in the grill with a steel-toed boot.
Sean P also works well with The Alchemist, then in the midst of his incredible production run. Alc’s warped, borderline-surreal sensibilities work well with Price’s rawness on tracks like “The Genesis of the Omega” and “Bully Rap.” “Bar-Barian” is a deceptively laid-back but fierce verbal explosion, as Sean unleashes a single 40-bar verse. He delivers devastating haymakers with clever flows and rhyme schemes that bend the mind. “Admire the admirable animal rap,” he proclaims. “Smack the shit out of a n***a and hand him his hat.” Later he boasts, “Playing for keeps, keep playing / I slam your ass on your face ’til your fucking teeth breaking.” He shows similar nimbleness on “STFU, Pt. 2,” where he proclaims, “You dealing with a motherfucking boss, you bastard / N****s die when I'm raising my voice a ratchet.”
Meanwhile, the grim and orchestral “Solomon Grundy” is hard enough to punch a hole in the space time continuum. Both Sean P’s longtime homie Ike Eyes and Non-Phixion/La Coka Nostra member Ill Bill contribute dope verses to Eric G’s gothic beat. After referencing eclectic painter Paul Lafoley, Bill raps, “Been labeled intelligent, irreverent, malevolent / True indeed, plus a veteran, on point like the Devil's chin.”
“Battering Bars” is a collaboration between “Simian twins,” as Sean P partners with Pumpkinhead, a fellow Brooklyn hard rock also known for verbal acuity. Producer Beat Butcher hooks up the smoothest track on the album, which contrasts with Price and Pumpkinhead’s fierce deliveries. “I get ends and set trends,” Pumpkinhead raps. “Roll with smokers that keep Bud on the side, like Rudy's best friend.” Sadly, Pumpkinhead would also die prematurely, passing almost exactly two months before Price.
Digital “pressings” of Mic Tyson also feature a great collection of bonus tracks, which further elevate Mic Tyson’s overall quality. “Remember” is a foreboding, Statik Selektah-produced team-up with Freddie Gibbs, who was then molding himself into his mid-2010s lyrical form. The Quelle Chris-produced “I See” runs just under a minute, but it features a ridiculously potent 16-bars from Price.
Sean P gives my favorite performance of Mic Tyson on “Haraam,” his assault on the disposable music that got mainstream play at the time. In between extended samples of Peter Tosh cursing out his own record label on a New York-based talk show, Sean P unloads on wack rappers. “Sean Price, Sabado Gigante,” he asserts, “You a chain snatcher, I’m Carlito Brigante / Spit bodies, you be hardly rapping / My shit off the wall, pa, you Marlon Jackson.”
Mic Tyson would be the last full-length album Price released during his lifetime. The Land of the Crooks EP, his collaboration with producer M-Phazes, dropped in 2014, but Sean P died just days before his Songs in the Key of Price mixtape (2015) was available to audiences. Normally I’m iffy when it comes to posthumous releases, but I must admit that the numerous projects that have dropped after Price’s death have honored his legacy.
Hip-Hop lost a titan when Price left this planet. He recorded and released music on his own terms, which never felt watered-down. Mic Tyson’s raw mic mastery, completely unfiltered and uncompromised, embodies this approach. As much as any of his albums, it reflects the pure essence of Sean Price.
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