The west coast fOnkateer, Dudley Perkins, is ready to release his first solo album in 4 years next week – Dr. Stokley. The legendary, eccentric cali-emcee is known for having the best beats in the game (e.g. Madlib & Kankick) and his second single is no different. Georgia Anne Muldrow opens the production with some gorgeous thick bass that bounces instead of that weak hit so many producers try to pass off on us these days. Patterson Project vet Percee P grabs the mic first and decimates listeners with his South Bronx flow. Dudley Perkins then jumps in for a verse, speaking directly to fans and God, earnestly searching for the answers to the riddles of his life and righteousness within the vibrations of music.

The new Substance Abuse album “Background Music” featuring Tash, KRS-One, Sadat X, MC Eiht, Percee P, Myka Nyne, and Max Julien now available.

New shit has come to light. In this interview with Beat Bop Scholar, the rhyme inspector Percee P speaks on signing with Big Beat in 1992. He recalls Stretch Armstrong inviting him to a session that would result in the recording of MC Serch’s “Here It Comes”, which featured Akinyele, Nas, T-Ray, and Percee P doing uncredited back-up vocals on the hook. He mentions that after that, they all collaborated on a different version of Serch’s classic single “Back To The Grill Again”, featuring verses from everyone.

The legendary lethal lyricist “Percee P” teamed up with “MADLIB” and created one of the greatest Hip Hop albums ever! Mixing together 2 songs and the albums intro, we created this OFFICIAL VIDEO honoring both great men. Shot out to “Records are forever” clothing and “The Artform Studio” and “Projekt Mayhem” recording studios, DJ J ROCC (Beat Junkies) and DJ RHETTMATIC (Beat Junkies) and all the artists and dancers who helped place all elements into this video! Download the album “Perseverance” on Itunes! or buy directly from Percee P when you see him.

Percee P has been rapping since 1977 and made his first debut in 1989 (NY) battling “Lord Finesse” learn more about Percee P at the stones throw website http://www.stonesthrow.com/perceep way ahead of his time. DONT SLEEP!

Percee P talks about being on Big Beat Records in 1992.. Mentions Now They Wanna See Me, Lung Collapsing Lyrics, Putting Heads to Bed release.. Yes You May.. Stretch & Bobbito.. T Ray… Lord Finesse.. Big L.. Pharaohe Monch.. DJ Eclipse.. Tells story about being with Akinyele and Nas and recording with MC Serch “Here it Comes Again” and a Unreleased version of “Back to The Grill”… Directed/Edited by Beat Bop Scholar.

ESQ & Percee P Live at the Beat Swap Meet from tresrecords on Vimeo.

The two lyrical Masterminds spit during the LA Beat Swap meet. Filmed by Roy Wanguhu, edited by Kwesi Johnson.

Percee is carries around a bit of legendary status, mainly because more than anyone, he always been your favorite rapper’s favorite rapper. Just ask Big Daddy Kane or Kool Keith, both who’ve asked Percee to appear on their respective albums in the past, or more recently, Aesop Rock and Edan, both who have collaborated with the emcee. And it doesn’t stop there, taste-makers like DJ Shadow, Cut Chemist, Peanut Butter Wolf, and Egon all will tell you why Percee is in their all-time top 5 lists.

So, the release of Perseverance is a bit of a monumental event, as Stones Throw finally makes this project a reality. Produced entirely by Madlib, Percee finally gets his big break. So is this the album we’ve been waiting twenty years to hear, or has the anticipation built up so much hype that there is no way it could ever deliver?

The album gets off to somewhat of a strange start, as the Madlib produced “intro” gives you snippets of Percee P verses, but almost upstages the legend by letting his own In India-esque beat ride for 60 seconds, before we even get to hear Percee rhyme. Thankfully “The Hand That Leads You” kicks things off on a more positive note, with a heavy, classically styled Bronx beat that would make Diamond D proud. It’s at moments like this when Percee is at his best – doing what comes naturally to him – spitting freestyle rhymes. Again on “Legendary Lyricist” or later on “Throwback Rap Attack”, Madlib provides minimalist tracks that inspire Percee to do his thing, with complete disregard for silly things like hooks or breathing.

But it’s not all endless freestyles, Percee gets topical in a few places as well. Reflecting on his long history in the game, “The Man To Praise” finds Percee telling his life story, explaining his frustrations as he watched all of his peers land record deals. Later on “The Lady Behind Me”, Percee explains his love for hip-hop (in another extended female metaphor), over a melancholy Madlib beat.

Percee also taps a handful of guest artists for the album, but with hit and miss results. “Watch Your Step” is one of the better collaborations, as Vinnie Paz and Guilty Simpson sound evenly matched next to Percee, not to mention Madlib’s sinister, RZA-esque loop. Diamond D’s verse on “2 Brothers From The Gutter” may not sound as freshly delivered as stuff on “Stunts, Blunts, and Hip-Hop”, but Madlib’s unique 8-bit beat has flavor. Aesop Rock and Percee reteam for “The Dirt and Filth”, which works, but seems a bit out of place on this record, while Chali 2na (“No Time For Jokes”) and Prince Po (“Last of The Greats”) bust verses with admirable results.

At 19 tracks, this is a long album, and it times, it begins to sound a bit monotonous. It’s possible that Madlib’s production may just be too experimental for Percee’s more straight-forward rhyme style, than say an M.F. Doom, who adapts to Madlib with his own off-kilter style. Regardless, Percee still makes the most of this record, and it does have plenty of great moments. More importantly however, after almost 30 years in the game and never dropping an album, Percee has remained true to the art form, without sacrificing his style for anyone or anything. Now that’s perseverance. – D.T. Swinga

This sampling of Percee P’s work shows him at his best - flowing effortlessly over early 90′s uptempo breakbeats (“Lung Collapsing Lyrics”) – and gives those who never heard of him a look into his true claim to fame. The same guy who is out in front of FatBeats NYC this afternoon selling his cassettes and CDs hand-to-hand was one of the early sidekicks of the D.I.T.C. crew (“Yes You May” w/ A.G.  & Lord Finesse, “Kicking Flavor With My Man” w/ Lord Finesse), and his cameo verses were once in high demand. But the early 90′s spark that his verses tempted us with never broke into anything more than sporadic 12″ releases and guest spots on up-and-coming underground emcees tracks.

One thing that is very obvious on first listen is that Percee P’s early beat selections were consistently dope. Those who were buying 12″s in the early 1990′s can attest to the longevity of tracks like “Now They Wanna See Me” and “Puttin Heads To Bed” that still sound fresh like they were just pulled out the plastic wrapper. Unfortunately, the newer joints are mostly taken from other artists releases, and aren’t nearly as compelling as the older selections. Although the pairing with emcees like Aesop Rock and Poison Pen sound good on paper, the results aren’t nearly what you would hope for - the collaborators sound mismatched and lack any sort of lyrical chemistry over the often bland beats.

If you don’t own any of Percee P’s recordings, this is a chance to hear one of hip-hop’s true wordsmiths at his peak. Although a good 10 years past the glory days, The Rhyme Inspector still gets props for his old material which was hard to find even when it was brand new, and never before released on CD. Be sure to have him autograph your copy next time you are walking up 6th Ave in New York.