With their collaborative album Animal Serum now in stores everywhere, Prince Po and Oh No are debuting the latest music video off the project: the hard-hitting “1st Word To What Was Last Said”. Animal Serum features appearances from Pharoahe Monch, Sadat X, O.C., Roc C, Saafir, and more, and is now available at physical and digital retailers everywhere through Wandering Worx / Greenstreets.

Organized Konfusion reunites on the latest single from Prince Po and Oh No’s new album Animal Serum.

Prince Po dropped by the Toca Tuesdays studio, and while he was there Tony Touch played a beat for Prince Po to freestyle over.

One thing that Prince Po and Oh No have shared throughout their respective careers is being overshadowed by their peers. Pharoahe Monch always stole the show from Po during the Organized Konfusion days, while Oh No lived in the shadow of his older brother, Madlib. However both have carved out respectable individual fanbases for themselves, so with the two teaming for a collaborative album, Animal Serum, it begs the question of whether they can bring out the best in one another.

Oh No has really stepped up as a producer over the years, distancing himself from Madlib with projects like Gangrene and OhNomite, which have really showed off his talent. He continues that trend here, with a series of solid beats for Po, but never goes quite as experimental as Vodka & Ayahuasca or as conceptual as OhNoMite. Things more or less stay pretty grounded this go ’round, as Po’s style is very straightforward.

They are at their best together on tracks like the sordid street tale “Where U Been” or the soulful “Keep Reachin’”, which put Po over buttery beats that would have fit on any Organized Konfusion LP. They hark back to that era many times on the album, with a series of collaborations featuring other classic MC’s. Rock of Heltah Skeltah and Saafir join in on “U Ready”, while O.C. and Pharoahe Monch help out on “U Ready”. Sadat X chimes in on “Wavy”, however there is a bit of a forced feeling here when older rappers try to use today’s generation’s slang (which in the case of “wavy”, is a term that’s already had its run.)

The same problem helms that pseudo-crossover attempt, “Starflyer Milez”, which sounds like something Missy might have spit on ten years ago, adding to the embarrassment. Some of these hooks could use some work too, such as the album opener “Machine Rages”, where Po chants over-and-over again, “RAGE. AGAINST. THE. MACHINE”. Do over.

While Oh No doesn’t rhyme on Animal Serum, perhaps a few bars would have benefitted the album, as it does begin to fall into monotony rather quickly. Thankfully, there are a number of collaborations on here that find Po sharing mic duties with other, respectable emcees. however like Outkast, A Tribe Called Quest, and countless other rap duos, we’ll always prefer both Po and Pharoahe Monch as a group. Despite these minor gripes, Animal Serum is still a solid LP, with a few memorable moments.

This is the music video for the song Machine Rages by Prince Po and produced by Oh No from the new album Animal Serum available Feb 4, 2014 through Wandering Worx and GreenStreets. The video is directed by Hayden Baptiste.

Prince Po and Oh No’s Animal Serum LP is out today, which features another new Organized Konfusion reunion cut, also featuring Omar Credle.

Prince Po of Organized Konfusion links up with West Coast producer Oh No on “Toxic,” off their upcoming collaborative album Animal Serum. Album hits stores everywhere on February 4th 2014 via Wandering Worx / Greenstreets.

As one half of seminal hip hop duo Organized Konfusion, Prince Po helped elevate lyricism and shape the art form for years to come. After partnering with Danger Mouse for his classic solo debut, Po is now back with Animal Serum, entirely produced by West Coast beatsmith Oh No. The younger brother of beat god Madlib, Oh No has made a name for himself in recent years with a series of acclaimed solo albums, group work as one half of Gangrene (alongside Alchemist), plus production work on everything from the latest Mos Def album to Grand Theft Auto V. Animal Serum hits stores everywhere on February 4th, 2014 via Wandering Worx / Greenstreets.

The bond between these two innovative artists runs deep. “Oh No is an exceptional producer who thinks outside the box,” explains Prince Po. “He has vision and imagination within that soul and funk we yearn for. His production sounds like he’s been down with the Organized Konfusion movement since the Stress: The Extinction Agenda LP.” A unique work from two artists known for pushing boundaries, Animal Serum is an exciting new chapter for both contributors. “Fans can expect an inspiring piece of art,” says Prince Po. “It’s funky, fun, political…a rollercoaster ride of life through music.”

From Marco Polo’s forthcoming LP, PA 2: The Director’s Cut. With this track, Marco Polo accomplishes what no one else has been able to pull off in over a decade–reunite Organized Konfusion. Since the duo disbanded in 1997, there has been no new OK material and every few years or so the usual “reunion rumors” emerge and then disappear.
Marco Polo’s forthcoming LP, PA 2: The Director’s Cut will be released on 11-12-2013 via SoulSpazm Records and features appearances from Talib Kweli, DJ Premier, Posdonous, Masta Ace, Kardinal Offishall, Styles P, Lil Fame, Alchemist, Oh No, MC Eiht, King Tee, Michael Rapport, Large Professor, Inspectah Deck, Rah Digga, Slaine, Ill Bill, Organized Konfusion, Dopplegangaz & many more.

Directed by John Reps. Available now via Itunes.

Taken from Prince Po of Organized Konfusion (Pharoahe Monch & Prince Po) and D-Strong’s Get Off The Playground EP on Digi Crates/Domination Recordings) available now @ iTunes, Amazon, eMusic, Napster, Juno Download etc.

LISTEN: Prince Po (Organized Konfusion) + D-Strong – “Get Off The Playground”

LISTEN: Prince Po (Organized Konfusion) + D-Strong – “Get Off The Playground (Remix)” (MP3)

Prince Po (Organized Konfusion) + D-Strong – “Get Off The Playground / Remix” (MP3)

      While this Queens, NY native is no longer spitting super-rapid-fire raps like he did in his early Organized Konfusion days, his composed, street-wise flow sounds so slick over the banging production of J-Zone, Madlib, Danger Mouse and himself. The fact that such a high-caliber roster of beatsmiths stepped up to assist Po is a testament to his status. As Po explains on the self-produced cut, “Grown Ass Man”, he doesn’t have time to waste on the mic. With the exception of the out of place club joint, “Bump Bump” (featuring Raekwon), his maturity on the mic is highly evident throughout this album. Take the sleek ‘n’ soulful joint “Love Thang”, where Po proclaims, “I network only with those that strive for better.” This album may be guest-heavy, but Po is certainly in good company.

    While fellow Queens-rep J-Zone may not be the poster child for conscious rap, he proves to be Po’s best cohort–especially instrumentally. The hard-hitting, J-Zone-produced “It’s Goin’ Down”, sees Po expertly take on Mayor Bloomberg and the state of the world on the strongest song of the album. J-Zone then teams up with Po again alongside J-Ro of Liks, Tha as these MCs reminisce about drunken nights on “Meet Me At The Bar”. As Prince Po keeps his ear to the street he proves he can hold his own whether on the serious tip or the lighthearted one.

    Some stubborn OK fans may argue that Po has lost a little steam along the way, but this grown ass man has reintroduced himself like few MCs from the golden era have. And thanks to contributions from hi-profile producers like J-Zone and Danger Mouse (who oversaw this project), younger hip-hop heads should be able to appreciate Po’s effort as much as those introduced to him during the Organized Konfusion days of “Fudge Pudge” and “Stress”. Let the bridge be gapped.