This past Monday marked the one-year anniversary of the death of Sean Price.
A lifelong Brooklyn resident, Price originally gained a following as Ruck, one half of the underground rap duo Heltah Skeltah, before going solo under his given name in the mid-aughts. Known for his rugged delivery, Price never found mainstream success, but you'd be hard-pressed to find a more respected rapper in the music industry. Sean Price was your favorite rapper's favorite rapper.
Swipe through the gallery to relive a handful of the best songs by Sean Price.
"Onion Head"
"Onion Head" is proof that most great pieces of art are made under a deadline. As Price explained to Complex in 2011, he was in a recording studio in North Carolina with Boot Camp Clik and had consumed three chocolate fishes filled with psilocybin mushrooms. He started writing to the "Onion Head" beat (prod. Khrysis). The shrooms started to kick in, so he wrote at breakneck speed. He than interrupted Steele in the booth and demanded that he recorded his song, because he knew he wouldn't be able to do so once the shrooms fully took hold. He recorded his verses in one take.
"Leflaur Leflah Eshkoshka"
Heltah Skeltah & trio O.G.C. (Originoo Gunn Clappaz) had both just signed to Duck Down Records in '96 when the united to record "Leflaur Leflah Eshkoshka." The two groups referred to themselves collectively as the "Fab 5" for the duration of the song, which would go on to peak at #75 on the Billboard Hot 100 -- by far Sean P's highest-charting single ever.
"Brokest Rapper You Know"
"Brokest Rapper You Know" hearkens from a time when Price was, by his own estimation, the brokest rapper on the face of the earth, with only a dime bag and two subway tokens to his name. He manages to stuff in more bars to 90 seconds than most rappers manage in four minutes.
Off Price's 2005 debut solo album Monkey Barz.
"P-Body"
As "Brokest Rapper You Know" demonstrates, Price is a menace even when he's self-deprecating and against the ropes. "P-Body" finds him on the offensive -- snarling, fully embodying the savage wild animals to whom he often compared himself, and adhering to his core principle, "lie to cops and tell the truth in the booth."
Off Price's 2007 sophomore solo album Jesus Price Superstar.
"Violent"
The great thing about "Violent" is the way the gritty subject matter contrasts with 9th Wonder's floral production. They both breathe life, in very different very ways. Operating from the dirt, bathing in the balmy 9th Wonder sunshine, Price delivers a succinct mission statement: "Timberland boots I got' stomp out your grill / Sean Price, the nicest nigga in Brownsville."
"Therapy"
The most amazing thing about Sean Price is that he never remotely fell off over the course of his 20-year career. Off Heltah Skeltah's 1996 debut album Nocturnal, "Therapy" comprises of a therapy session between Rock and Ruck, as he was known then -- or in this case, Dr. Kill Patient.
"Rising to the Top"
"Rising to the Top" appeared on Monkey Barz as well as the "GTA III" soundtrack. Great music to bump while mowing down pedestrians, as well as a great motivational anthem to bump in the morning on the way to work. Rise and grind!!!!!
"Boom Bye Yeah"
The "Boom Bye Yeah" video finds Sean P in bizarre circumstances: a party at an industrial warehouse in which scantily clad women square up in the ring with Sock'em Boppers. It quickly devolves into a twerking competition.
"Mess You Made"
The words "humble" and "Sean Price" don't typically collide in the same sentence. Although he was a man of humble origins, who even at the height of his powers, maintained a relatively humble lifestyle. He accumulated wealth in #bars. "Mess You Made" is a song that accurately sums up this much -- Sean Price and the humility of work.
"Letha Brainz Blo"
One more Heltah Skeltah throwback. "Letha Brainz Blo" provides evidence that, early on, Price understood the rhythmic subtlties and absolute belief in oneself it takes to be a consummate MC.
"My clique roll thick like Hasidics."