Episode 098: Prince Paul, Pt. 1 Show/Hide Search
“Prince” Paul Huston is one of hip-hop’s most notable producers. He began in the mid-1980s as a teenage DJ with Stetasonic, “the hip hop band.” But his career really took off in 1989 when he produced De La Soul’s classic debut 3 Feet High and Rising.
Paul helmed the group’s first three albums, and went on from there to release a wide variety of projects under his own name, as a producer, and as part of a group. Just a short list of his collaborators reads like a who’s-who of musicians and comedians: RZA, Queen Latifah, Bernie Worrell of P-Funk, Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle, Big Daddy Kane, and even Cat Power, to name only a few.
In the first half of our conversation, we talk about Stetsasonic, De La Soul, his relationship with a pre-Wu-Tang RZA, his surprising-sounding 2003 solo album Politics of the Business, and much more.
Tracks featured in this episode:
- Prince Paul, “A Day in the Life”
- Prince Paul, “Make Room”
- De La Soul, “Afro Connections at A Hi 5 (In The Eyes Of The Hoodlum)”
- De La Soul, “Kicked Out the House”
- Jungle Brothers, “I’ll House You”
- Hank Spann aircheck, 1971, WWRL
- Frankie Crocker 107 5 WBLS Aircheck 3 Sign Off
- WBLS 107.5 New York - Frankie Crocker - Late 1970s
- Rick Dees, “Disco Duck”
- Afrika Bambaataa, “Death Mix (Side B)”
- Super Channel Blue Night TV, 3 Feet High TV
- Stetsasonic, “Go Stetsa I”
- Ultramagnetic MCs, “Funky”
- Stetsasonic, “Just Say Stet”
- Stetsasonic, “On Fire”
- Mtume, “Juicy Fruit”
- Stetsasonic, “Talkin’ All That Jazz”
- “These Are The Breaks”: EMP Conference 2012 Roundtable Discussion
- Beastie Boys, “Paul Revere”
- De La Soul, “Me Myself and I”
- De La Soul, “Pass the Plugs”
- De La Soul, “En Focus”
- Gravediggaz, “1-800 Suicide”
- Prince Rakeem (RZA), “Ooh I Love You Rakeem”
- RZA, “Samurai Showdown”
- Wu-Tang Clan, “Protect Ya Neck”
- Wu-Tang Clan, “Preacher’s Daughter”
- Biz Markie, “Nobody Beats the Biz”
- Wu-Tang Clan, “Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nuthing ta Fuck Wit”