Prince Paul (producer) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Prince Paul
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Prince Paul in 2000
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Paul Edward Huston |
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| Born | April 2, 1967 Amityville, New York, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | |
| Years active | 1981–present |
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Paul Edward Huston (born April 2, 1967), known as Prince Paul, is an American record producer and disc jockey (DJ). He is also a recording artist. Paul is from Amityville, New York.
He started his music journey as a DJ for the group Stetsasonic. Prince Paul has worked on albums for many famous artists. These include Boogie Down Productions, Gravediggaz, MC Lyte, and Big Daddy Kane. He became widely known for producing De La Soul's first album, 3 Feet High and Rising (1989). On this album, he created new ways to make hip hop music. He mixed sounds and samples in unique ways. He also added funny comedy sketches to the songs.
His first solo album, Psychoanalysis: What Is It?, came out in 1997. His second solo album, A Prince Among Thieves, followed in 1999.
Contents
Discovering Music and Early Career
Growing Up with Music
Paul Edward Huston was born on April 2, 1967, in Amityville, New York. He loved music from a very young age. He started collecting vinyl records when he was only five years old. His mother said he was very mature for his age. He often spent time with older friends.
When he was in fifth grade, he began DJing. He used a simple setup with two turntables. In 1981, at 14, Paul performed a DJ set at The Ace Center Amityville. This performance helped him become known. He did a special routine with the song "Pump Me Up" by Trouble Funk. He later called this his "claim to fame." After this show, Paul started doing parties and making tapes with Biz Markie. This was when Paul was in 8th grade. At the same time, his middle school music teacher was Everett Collins. Collins was a drummer for The Isley Brothers. Collins later introduced Paul to Maseo, a member of De La Soul.
Joining Music Groups
Prince Paul began performing with groups when he was a teenager. He first joined a group called Soul Brothers with his friend Don Newkirk. Paul was one of the first members of Stetsasonic. He joined the group in 1984. He impressed Daddy-O with his DJ routine in a battle in Brooklyn. Daddy-O was amazed by Paul's energy. He said Paul performed "like he was mad at the turntables." Paul says the song "Flash To The Beat" by Grandmaster Flash made him buy his first drum machine.
Key Music Projects in the 1980s and 1990s
Producing for Other Artists
Prince Paul produced two songs for 3rd Bass' 1989 album, The Cactus Album. These songs were "The Gas Face" and "Brooklyn-Queens." The original "The Gas Face" was recorded on a 4-track tape. It started as a mistake. Paul wanted to change the beat, but MC Serch and Pete Nice convinced him to keep it.
Paul also worked on De La Soul's first three albums. These were 3 Feet High and Rising (1989), De La Soul Is Dead (1991), and Buhloone Mindstate (1993). De La Soul is Dead received a top review from The Source magazine. Paul said 3 Feet High and Rising (1989) cost about $20,000 to make. It took only a month and a half to finish. Paul later said his work with De La Soul felt like a "perfect fit."
In 1990, Russell Simmons offered Prince Paul his own record label. However, the only album planned, It Takes a Nation of Suckers to Let Us In by Resident Alien, was never officially released. It is available as an unofficial release.
Forming New Groups
Prince Paul formed the group Gravediggaz. He joined with Frukwan of Stetsasonic, Too Poetic, and RZA of Wu-Tang Clan. They recorded a demo in 1991. Their first album, .../6 Feet Deep, came out in 1994. Before signing with Gee Street, Eazy-E wanted to release the album. Paul met with Eazy-E but did not like the contract. After signing with Gee Street, it took about six months to finish the album.
Paul also worked on other projects. He produced three songs for Boogie Down Productions' 1992 album ... and Violence. In 1995, Paul worked with Teo Macero to produce a solo album for guitarist Vernon Reid. In 1996, he appeared on the album America Is Dying Slowly. Paul also started a group called Horror City with rapper Superstar. Paul produced a Horror City album, but he could not get a record label to release it. So, Paul decided to offer Horror City as a free download in 2010.
Solo Work and New Partnerships
In 1996, De La Soul and Prince Paul decided to stop working together. Paul was not involved in their next album, Stakes Is High. However, he has praised it in interviews. He said the album helped him through a difficult time in his life.
After leaving De La Soul, Paul released two solo albums. These were Psychoanalysis: What Is It? (1996) and A Prince Among Thieves (1999). These albums featured many rappers. These included Big Daddy Kane, Xzibit, Kool Keith, and Everlast. When Paul was making Psychoanalysis, he thought his music career might be ending. It was hard to find people to work on the project. Many of the voices on the album were friends from outside the music industry. One song, "Beautiful Night (Manic Psychopath)," was very dark.
Paul said he first suggested the idea for A Prince Among Thieves to Russell Simmons in the early 1990s. But Simmons was not interested then. Paul wanted to make a "movie on wax" for adults. He watched many B movies for ideas. On A Prince Among Thieves, Paul also used some beats he made for Horror City. He even asked Vanilla Ice to perform on a song. He also planned to meet The Notorious B.I.G. for a role on the album, but the meeting never happened.
Prince Paul also formed the duo Handsome Boy Modeling School with Dan the Automator. Their first album, So... How's Your Girl?, came out in 1999. It featured artists like Sean Lennon and Del the Funky Homosapien.
Music in the 21st Century
Continued Collaborations
Paul worked on several projects in 2000. He contributed to Deltron 3030's album and produced It's Very Stimulating for MC Paul Barman.
Prince Paul's 2003 album Politics of the Business also featured many guest artists. These included Chuck D, Ice-T, and The Beatnuts. He also worked on a song for The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie soundtrack. Paul then released a second Handsome Boy Modeling School album, White People, in 2004. His next solo album was Itstrumental (2005). This album used many old samples. It also included funny skits about his depression. As of 2025, Itstrumental is Paul's most recent studio album.
Paul kept working with others in the 2000s. In 2005, he produced The Art of Picking Up Women by the Dix. This album mixed hip-hop with 1960s-style R&B. He also worked with Parliament and Talking Heads keyboardist Bernie Worrell. They released an album called Turn My Teeth Up! (2007) as Baby Elephant. Another album Paul produced was Montezuma's Revenge (2009) by Souls of Mischief. For this album, Paul used old music equipment like the E-mu SP-12 and Akai MPC-60.
Awards and Recent Work
In 2006, Prince Paul won a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album. This was for his work on Chris Rock's album Never Scared.
In 2012, Paul talked about making another De La Soul album. He had asked them to work together since 1999. But he felt it would be hard to live up to past expectations. Also, sampling laws are much stricter now. He said, "It's nice to think about it, but I kind of like where we left it."
Paul has continued to contribute to projects in the 2010s and 2020s. In 2016, he worked with the Brazilian hip hop group Broozkill! on Throwback to the Future. In 2017, Prince Paul helped create the music for Mogul, a podcast about hip-hop. In 2020, Prince Paul helped produce the Gorillaz song "Pac-Man."
In 2017, Prince Paul joined the Creators Advisory Board of Tracklib. He said that Tracklib helps producers sample music without worrying about legal issues.
Music Tools and Style
Favorite Equipment
Paul often talks about how much he likes old music equipment. One of his favorites is the Akai S900. He says it has a special sound. He finds it easy to use. He believes new technology sounds "sterile" and "clean." He feels older equipment has a unique "hip hop" sound.
Sampling and Influences
Prince Paul is known for using samples from many different music styles. Rapper Biz Markie once said that Paul showed that you could use records that were not just by James Brown or only break-beats.
Paul explored many genres beyond funk and soul for his samples. This was different from most hip-hop producers in the 1980s and early 1990s.
Chris Rock listed the Buhloone Mindstate album as one of his top albums. He said it helped him become a comedian. In 1999, Rock appeared on Paul's A Prince Among Thieves. Later, in 2005, Paul produced Rock's debut album.
Paul says The Bomb Squad and Public Enemy greatly influenced his early work with De La Soul. He admired their layered sounds and arrangements. He also lists George Clinton, Dr. Dre, Rick Rubin, and Bernie Worrell as major influences.
Paul still uses samples, but he also uses live instruments now. These include guitar, bass guitar, and old keyboards. He sometimes re-plays samples with instruments to make them sound like direct samples from records. He learned a lot about production from working with Dan the Automator on the Handsome Boy Modeling School project.
Discography
Solo Albums
- 1996: Psychoanalysis: What Is It?
- 1999: A Prince Among Thieves
- 2003: Politics of the Business
- 2005: Itstrumental
- 2005: Hip Hop Gold Dust
Collaborative Albums
- 1986: On Fire (Stetsasonic)
- 1988: In Full Gear (Stetsasonic)
- 1989: 3 Feet High and Rising (De La Soul)
- 1991: Blood, Sweat & No Tears (Stetsasonic)
- 1991: De La Soul Is Dead (De La Soul)
- 1992: It Takes a Nation of Suckas to Let Us In (Resident Alien) (released as a free download later)
- 1993: Buhloone Mindstate (De La Soul)
- 1994: .../6 Feet Deep (Gravediggaz)
- 1995: Prince Paul presents Horror City (Horror City) (released as a free download later)
- 1999: So... How's Your Girl? (Handsome Boy Modeling School)
- 2000: It's Very Stimulating (MC Paul Barman)
- 2004: White People (Handsome Boy Modeling School)
- 2005: The Art of Picking Up Women (The Dix)
- 2008: Baby Loves Hip Hop presents The Dino 5 (Dino 5)
- 2012: Negroes on Ice (Negroes on Ice)
- 2016: Throwback to the Future (BROOKZILL!)
Awards
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
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| 2006 | Never Scared | Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album | Won |
See also
In Spanish: Prince Paul para niños
