Words by Jesse Serwer—
Coming out of NYC’s Duck Down camp, DJ Prince makes hip-hop with a reggae- and dancehall-influenced point of view. Think “Sound Bwoy Bureill” by Smif N Wessun mixed with Busta Rhymes’ forays into patois-inflected rap, and you’ll have something of an idea of the flavor on the triple-threat MC/producer/DJ’s debut LP, Test My Sound.
Out today, the 14-track album features guest appearances from Smif N Wessun, Sean Price and Skyzoo and production from !llmind, Berkawittz, Cyrus Tha Great, Eric G and Vaughn Garcia as well as Prince himself. While none of the tunes on the album are explicitly dancehall or reggae, Jamaican music and culture is the heart of the album, making itself felt via samples of old sound tapes and Bounty Killer interviews, lyrical homages to Ninjaman and Ini Kamoze, and, more subtly but no less importantly, the drum programming on tracks like “CycyleWave” and “Roll It Up.”
Stream the full album right here, buy it on iTunes here, and see the full track listing below. For more DJ Prince, check his Test My Sound mixtape and LargeUp Q+A here, and watch his video for “Have You” here.
