My bootleg Sean Price Monkey Barz Album from 2005 (I’ve since paid for this and lots of other Duck Down product in my adult years lol)
On Saturday, August 8th, 2015, we lost another beloved member of the Hip-Hop community, Sean Price. I’m a fan for real, and here are just some thoughts and memories that come to mind and some of my favorite lines.
You fuckin’ Onion Head bastards…
These opening lines from “Onion Head,” the first song that I heard from Sean Price’s seminal debut solo album Monkey Barz, woke me the fuck up. It was probably around 2am and I was sleepily interning with Strictly Hip-Hop at Morgan State University’s 88.9 FM. I remember when “Onion Head” cut through the speakers and I heard humorous one liners like “got a dime bitch that live in Japan/ black belt, suck dick, chop bricks with her hands” and “gangsta rappers can’t fight so they rap about guns” over a beat that was soulful yet hard at the same time. I would later find out that it was produced by Khrysis of Justus League fame, and while in retrospect the beat is a pretty standard 9th Wonder-y/Justus League-y type of sound, at the time this wasn’t the more laid back, chill vibe that they supplied to the likes of Little Brother. You could tell that the production was tailored to booming, unique voice of Sean Price.
Call me Ruckus, but Sean’s the name that I choose to be called when I’m in front of my mom’s…
When I finally got the full Monkey Barz album, it was the soundtrack to the summer before I left for Howard University. I could play the whole album straight through. The production was extremely on point, and Sean Price had a mic presence unlike any emcee I had ever heard. He would say borderline nonsensical but humorous non-sequiturs with the carefree nonchalant air of someone who had no worries, because if you have something to say about anything, your face can easily get smashed in. He didn’t have to try to sound hard, he just kept it Hip-Hop and kept it funny, and it worked.
My flow is so spectacular that Marshall Mathers be wishin’ I go back to Africa…
I was somewhat familiar with the Boot Camp Clik at the time, which Sean Price was a part of. I had previously purchased Black Moon’s Enta Da Stage album and I was aware of various Smif-N-Wessun singles and collaborations, but Sean Price made me delve deeper into the Boot Camp archives and discover classics that I missed due to my age. He shined alongside his Heltah Skeltah groupmate Rock on the albums Nocturnal and Magnum Force and made strong contributions to numerous projects from Boot Camp Clik members. Through Sean, I stumbled upon a treasure trove of 90’s Hip-Hop to go back and dig through, and I even had new music to look forward to, because the aforementioned Monkey Barz album was the resurgence of his label, Duck Down, and new albums from most of the Boot Camp Clik members came out in subsequent years. It has been said that Sean was the savior of Duck Down records and that his album kept the lights on. Maybe that’s why he named his second solo album Jesus Price Superstar.
Dress sloppy but my rap is dapper/ watch Rosewood, go outside and slap a cracker…
Through my own journey through Hip-Hop, I’ve had the chance to interact with Sean on a few occasions. One of the first shows that I went to was a Boot Camp Clik show at the Ottobar in Baltimore, MD. Sean commanded the stage, but the thing that shocked me was that when I left the venue, he was standing right out there on Howard Street kicking it with fans. I was stunned. I had no idea that rappers did things like this, no matter how underground. I don’t remember exactly, but I think I said something along the lines of “good job” or “great show” to him, and he probably thanked me even though he knew that shit already. Sean was the people’s rapper.
Everybody know Jesus black/ everybody know the trigger finger is used to squeeze the gat…
Another time when I met Sean was years later at the old Bassline Studio in New York City. He was there with Buckshot and Kidz In The Hall to record for the latter’s album, and I just remember him being the life of the party. Through his physical stature, wit, and accomplishments he could be an intimidating bully if he wanted to, but instead he kept it humble, made people laugh (but not at anyone’s expense except maybe his own), and made people feel welcomed. He was the person who other rappers always spoke highly of in interviews, and being around him for a few hours I could see why. Just like in his music, he had a carefree, humorous, no worries type of air about him. He didn’t have to try to act hard. He was just cool and kept it Hip-Hop and kept it funny, and it worked.
RIP Sean Price. Click here to donate to his family to help them move forward.