TITLE: Innovative Life / ARTIST: Arabian Prince / LABEL: Stones Throw / RELEASE DATE: 29th September 2008 / CAT NO: STH2192

This anthology serves as the definitive document of Arabian Prince’s groundbreaking electro work. Under the pseudonym Professor X he was one of the founding members of the N.W.A, and a pioneering and innovative West Coast hip-hop DJ-Producer in his own right, Arabian Prince was at the fore-front of the Electro-rap scene, the same scene that produced legends such as Egyptian Lover and the World Class Wrecking Cru. Arabian Prince personifies electro’s often overlooked role in the transition toward hip-hop; operating alongside the transformational effect of gangsta-rap, and as such this album is vital in understanding hip-hop as a phenomenon.

Recorded between 1984 and 1989, the innovative nature of his sound is clear, and the impact at the time can only be imagined. Retrospectively described as techno-funk this is a raw stripped-back sound, that combined with dark foreboding lyrics, no doubt influenced by his time with the N.W.A serves to create a unique musical atmosphere. Lyrically the anthology also has a lot to offer, documenting aspects of popular culture and an atmosphere that are unique to this period. But the album still sounds fresh to today’s listener as a result of the dominant influence that gangsta-rap was to later exert over the genre as a whole.

The anthology’s importance is explained in a 20 page booklet which locates the album in the history of the rise and fall of LA’s electro and electro-rap scene, including unseen photos, posters and a timeline of West Coast electro. The anthology also serves as a companion to Stones Throw’s other obscure yet vital releases The Third Unheard-Connecticut Hip Hop 1979-1983, The Funky Corners and Stark Reality’s Now. (The booklet is available as a PDF file on request)

In addition, more recently Arabian Prince has appeared on Stones Throws 2007 and 2008’s Chrome Children compilation series, and their 2K Sports 2K8 Compilation.

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