Percee P
Perseverance: The Remix
Stones Throw

Rating: ★★★☆☆ 

Perseverance: The Remix revisits Percee P and Madlib’s collaborative album from last year. Ostensibly a collection of remixes, it sounds completely different, and in some ways superior, to the original. On Perseverance, Percee P couldn’t get out of overdrive; he attacked every track as if it was “Let the Homicides Begin.” Meanwhile, Madlib seemed to struggle to fit his slow-to-midtempo tracks with Percee P’s unyielding fast raps.

Here, Madlib’s music sounds more free and eclectic, stuffing all sorts of random sounds into the mix. A restlessly inventive producer, he can make fantastic beats no matter who’s rapping on them. For “Legendary Lyricist,” he balances slump disco-funk beat from Mtume’s “Juicy Fruit” with the hissing tone from Public Enemy’s “Public Enemy No. 1.” Fantastic loops gird interludes like “Ox” and “NY.” He even switches the beat three times on “Ghetto Rhyme Story.”

With Madlib in MVP mode, Perseverance: The Remix doesn’t really need Percee P’s predictable rhyme schemes. However, the two seem to complement each other better here. The remixes reveal Percee P ably fitting his words against the beat; he doesn’t seem as offbeat as before. That allows the attention to shift to Madlib’s fantastic tracks, whether it’s the flute-wafting melody of “No Time for Jokes” (with an on-point Chali 2na) or the fuzzed-out percussive minimalism of “The Dirt and the Filth” with Aesop Rock.

Perseverance: The Remix doesn’t really have a sequence. Some of the best cuts, particularly “No Time for Jokes,” fall near the end, while less-impressive efforts such as “The Hand That Leads You” drop early on. Meanwhile, Percee P spits raps at an effective but limited pace. Even a nice ballad dedicated to H.E.R., “The Woman Behind Me,” feels like he’s anxious and jumpy, ready to let rip. “I’m staying faithful to my style, baby/Yours truly,” he raps near its end. That’s all fine and good. But if he swtiched up the flow once in a while, he would demonstrate that he’s an artist, too, not just a dope freestyle MC.

Bronx rhyme inspector Percee P may have only released one official album in over 15 years, this year’s Perseverance. But he’s making up for lost time.

Earlier this fall, Percee P joined the 2K Sports Bounce tour headlined by kufi expert Common. And this month, he jumped on the Stones Throw “Holiday edition” of the 2K Sports Bounce tour, too. Now, he’s jumping on the December edition of Scion’s Live Metro tour. It’s just a brief excursion that only encompasses four cities: Houston, Austin, Atlanta and Carrboro. But lucky attendees will get to see Percee with the mighty Slick Rick, both backed by the funky soul of Connie Price & the Keystones.

Meanwhile, kids who have been raiding the Stones Throw merch table have noticed one exclusive, a disc of Perseverance remixes by Madlib, that currently isn’t available anywhere else. The CD, however, will go on sale at retail outlets on January 29. The highlight is an original track, “Real Talk.”

The track listing for Perseverance: The Madlib Remix and the Live Metro itinerary is below.

• 1. “Put It on the Line (remix)”
• 2. “2 Brothers from the Gutter (remix)” (feat. Diamond D)
• 3. “The Hand That Leads You (remix)”
• 4. “Who With Me? (remix)”
• 5. “NY (Interlude)”
• 6. “The Dirt and Filth (remix)” (feat. Aesop Rock)
• 7. “Ghetto Rhyme Stories (remix)”
• 8. “Legendary Lyricist (remix)” (feat. Madlib)
• 9. “OX (Interlude)”
• 10. “Real Talk”
• 11. “Throwback Drum Attack (remix)” (feat. Karriem Riggins)
• 12. “No Time for Jokes (remix)” (feat. Chali 2na)
• 13. “Last of the Greats (remix)” (feat. Prince Po)
• 14. “The Woman Behind Me (remix)”

And here’s the Live Metro schedule:

• 12/16: The Parish, Austin, TX
• 12/18: Warehouse Live, Houston, TX
• 12/19: The Loft, Atlanta, GA
• 12/20: Cat’s Cradle, Carrboro, NC

12/16-12/20: w/Slick Rick, Connie Price & the Keystones, DJ Haul

www.myspace.com/perceep

Percee P photo by Max Herman.

“2K Sports Bounce Tour” featuring Peanut Butter Wolf, Madlib, Percee P, M.E.D., Guilty Simpson, Arabian Prince & Karriem Riggins, 11/30 at the Abbey Pub

Stones Throw Records founder Peanut Butter Wolf appeared to be ecstatic on stage during the Chicago leg of his crew’s 2K Sports Bounce Tour (Holiday Edition). But this wasn’t necessarily the case when Wolf was up there all alone.

In the finale of the night, the label head/selector manned a DVJ, looking subdued while mixing an assortment of music videos onto a large projection screen to the crowd’s vocal approval. Only during select moments did he break his calm focus: When he played Black Moon’s “Who Got Da Props,” he looked up and told everyone, “I’m glad you know this.” But he seemed most content, admiring the talent that stood before him, when the rest of Wolf’s Stones Throw cohorts were performing.

As the jovial Peanut Butter Wolf probably realized, this was no average night of hip-hop. While J.Rocc unfortunately couldn’t make the show, a bulk of the Stones Throw roster appeared as scheduled, in addition to a surprise opening DJ set by original N.W.A. member Arabian Prince. Variety was no doubt a key to the success of the evening. From the straightforward rhyming of M.E.D. to the gruff raps and presence of Guilty Simpson, there was a good amount of no frills MC’ing going down and, initially, a bunch of booming J Dilla beats concurrently blasting out of the speakers.

The rhyme inspector Percee P, who recently released his long-awaited debut on Stones Throw, also added to the hip-hop traditionalism. But Percee brought magnetism to the stage that was unmatched. Seeing him deliver his ridiculously rapid-fire flow in-person makes it easy to understand why Wolf gave the Bronx lyrical bomber a chance to shine. And knowing how long Percee has been hustling his music himself also explains why Wolf was proud to step to the mic and call the MC the “hardest working man in hip-hop.”

When Madlib appeared after Percee, the show took a turn towards the eccentric. Sporting shades and a gigantic mood ring, Madlib began by performing mostly old material such as the cratediggers anthem “The Return of the Loop Digga.” He also garnered laughs by repeatedly asking where his helium-voiced alter ego, Quasimoto, was at. While rapping, this producer/MC appeared a bit shy, and often faced sideways towards the audience. But when he brought out his Supreme Team partner Karriem Riggins that timidity quickly vanished. After a little vocal warm up, Riggins sat behind the drums and Madlib behind tables and mixer as the pair knocked out an impromptu jazz-inspired session. It was here, with the Beat Konducta tweaking various knobs and Riggins providing free-flowing live rhythms that the show seemingly came to a climax.

Then Peanut Butter Wolf stepped up. While he didn’t look as excited as when his friends and fellow artists were performing, his montage of music videos brought the night to an impressive close. Wolf hit all the right notes, blending Stones Throw staple videos such as Madvillain’s “All Caps” with classic hip-hop like A Tribe Called Quest’s “Bonita Applebum,” not to mention adding a few funk offerings (e.g. Rick James’ “69 Times”).

Withstanding some disorderly audience members in the balcony who acted out during this closing set, the 2K Sports Bounce Tour was noticeably well received by the packed-in Chicago crowd. And while Wolf told the audience they had been great, he was clearly equally impressed by his Stones Throw brethren that make up one of the most sonically diverse indie labels in hip-hop.

– Max Herman

Unlike many of their indie brethren, the Stones Throw crew isn’t known for doing shows. They’re mostly content to lamp in the studio and maybe rock a DJ date in L.A., New York, London or some other major international city. Sitting in a hot-ass van and plowing through 50+ cities? That shit is for the birds.

So consider yourself lucky if they come to your town on the upcoming 2K8 Sports Bounce Tour “Holiday Edition” (also known as the B-Ball Zombie War tour). Just like last year’s Chrome Children package tour, it won’t be very comprehensive, and only encompass a baker’s dozen of shows. Featured artists will be the mighty Madlib, Peanut Butter Wolf, Madlib’s Supreme Team partner Karriem Riggins, onetime Beat Junkie J. Rocc, and rhyme inspector Percee P.

How rare is this tour? It’s so rare that the lineup for some recently added shows (ATL and Baltimore) hasn’t even been confirmed yet. Check out the itinerary below; as usual, I’ll update as more details become available.

• 11/08: El Rey Theater, Los Angeles, CA
• 11/16: The Independent, San Francisco, CA
• 11/17: Berbatis Pan, Portland, OR
• 11/18: Neumo’s, Seattle, WA
• 11/19: Richards on Richards, Vancouver, BC
• 11/29: Foundation, Minneapolis, MN
• 11/30: Abbey Pub, Chicago, IL
• 12/01: Opera House, Toronto, ON
• 12/02: Highline Ballroom, New York, NY
• 12/03: Starlight Ballroom, Philadelphia, PA
• 12/04: Paradise Lounge, Boston, MA
• 12/06: Black Cat, Washington, D.C.
• 12/07: Sonar, Baltimore, MD

www.stonesthrow.com

On September 18, Bronx MC Percee P will finally release his debut album, Perseverance. Amazingly, it’s the first full-length of his career after nearly twenty years of obscure 12-inches, scene-stealing cameos and obscure CD-Rs. The album itself arrives after nearly two years in delays and promises from his label, Stones Throw Records.

Perseverance is completely produced by Madlib. Not counting the Talib Kweli EP Liberation, it is Madlib’s first full collaboration since the Madvillain classic of three years ago. Other guests include Vinnie Paz from Jedi Mind Tricks, Guilty Simpson, Diamond D, former Jurassic 5 rapper Chali 2na, Prince Po and Aesop Rock.

For much of the last several years, bloggers, crate-diggers and rap experts have celebrated Percee P’s legendary “fast rap” style, essentially calling the greatest MC no one had ever heard of. With Perseverance, everyday Stones Throw geeks will finally get to decide if he lives up to the hype.

The track listing is below.

August 9 update: I was wrong about Perseverance being Madlib’s first full collabo since Madvillain. How could I forget about Dudley Perkins’ Expressions (2012 a.u.) from last year? Sorry, Dudley.

• 1. “Intro”
• 2. “The Hand That Leads You”
• 3. “The Man to Praise”
• 4. “Legendary Lyricist” (feat. Madlib)
• 5. “Watch Your Step” (feat. Vinnie Paz & Guilty Simpson)
• 6. “Who With Me?”
• 7. “2 Brothers from the Gutter” (feat. Diamond D)
• 8. “Ghetto Rhyme Stories”
• 9. “Throwback Rap Attack”
• 10. “No Time for Jokes” (feat. Chali 2na)
• 11. “Last of the Greats” (feat. Prince Po)
• 12. “BX (interlude)”
• 13. “Put It on the Line”
• 14. “The Dirt and Filth” (feat. Aesop Rock)
• 15. “LA (interlude)”
• 16. “Mastered Craftsman”
• 17. “Raw Heat” (45 version)
• 18. “The Lady Behind Me”
• 19. “Outro”

www.myspace.com/perceep

Following a relatively quiet spring, Stones Throw Records has announced an ambitious slate of summer releases.

First up is the re-release of Jaylib’s Champion Sound. Originally released in the fall of 2003, Madlib and the late James “Jay Dee/J Dilla” Yancey’s highly anticipated collaboration drew disappointing reviews and record sales. “Few knew who or what ‘Jaylib’ was, and many of those who did felt that Champion Sound wasn’t given the attention is deserved when it was originally released,” notes the label in a press release. Much as it did with J Dilla’s Ruff Draft reissue, Stones Throw has turned the album into a two-CD set with remixes and instrumentals. With luck, its reputation will improve in light of hip-hop fans’ ongoing reassessment of J Dilla’s career. The new Champion Sound drops May 8.

For those interested in Madlib’s Invazions, the enigmatic producer is reviving his Yesterdays New Quintet pseudonym for Yesterdays Universe: Prepare for a New Yesterday, Vol. 1. The story goes that the fictional “band” (Ahmad Miller, Monk Hughes, Malik Flavors, Joe McDuphrey and Otis Jackson, Jr.) has broken up, and this is their final album. It drops July 3.

Tortoise members John McEntire, John Herndon and Dan Bitney have compiled a disc of percussive breaks called Bumps. That album comes out on June 19.

Rap legend Percee P will issue his long-awaited debut (two decades in the making!) Perseverance. The album, produced by Madlib, will include guest shots Chali 2na, Prince Po and Cut Chemist. For variety’s sake, let’s hope he doesn’t fast rap through the whole thing. Perseverance drops on August 14.

Finally, both Oh No and underrated freestyle/electro icon Arabian Prince have albums slated for release. While Oh No’s joint, an instrumental follow-up to last year’s acclaimed Exodus into Unheard Rhythms, is set for July 17, no details for Arabian Prince’s effort, a greatest hits collection, are available yet. And let’s not even get into Madvillain or Quasimoto…

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