Prince Po hasn’t released a full length album since 2006’s Pretty Black. That album, itself a fine-but-forgettable affair, didn’t really do a lot to keep Prince Po in the limelight in the long period between its release and the release of this new album. On his newest effort, Prince Po does manage to leave a bit of a longer impression, especially with his new production partner Oh No, who produces the entire LP.
Oh No’s production style, which is heavily indebted to funky soul of the 70s, isn’t the most unique sound in the world. Just go listen to anything Alchemist has ever done. While none of the beats on Animal Serum really stick out as being show-stopping bangers, everything here vibes pretty well with the general flow of the album. The old school drums on 1st Word to What Was Said are nice, and the huge chiming synth sounds that come in are sharply abrasive, in a good way. There are some moments that do push in other interesting directions, like the spacey electronic sounds on the ominous Where U Eat. My favorite beat on the entire album, the wonky Smash, manages to use a sample source that’s all too familiar and actually do something really unique with it. All of the beats manage to mesh this soul sound incredibly well with Prince Po’s thick voice and heavy delivery, something that Alchemist did really well with Action Bronson on his Rare Chandeliers mixtape.
Prince Po himself uses Animal Serum to maintain that he is a good, but not entirely unique emcee. His voice has a nice thick quality to it that is used in commanding flows throughout the album. There are moments where he even sounds like a more straightforward El-P, which is exciting (See Machine Rages). There aren’t really any lines that stick out on the album, which kind of makes an album by a dude whose name is “Prince Poetry” a tad disappointing. Visionz, perhaps the most bland song on the album ,seems to be trying to say something. However, it never quite gets to where it needs to be. Po spends more of the album rapping well enough over some great beats, and that works well enough.
Summary: Animal Serum is a nice return from Prince Po, even if the production outshines the serviceable MC.
Choice Cuts: Where U Eat, Smash
Leftovers: Visionz
B-
You can stream Smash below. Animal Serum is out now on Green Streets
Vantage Point Music 