After a four-year hiatus, POLITICS OF THE BUSINESS finds Prince Paul biting the musical hand that's fed him with a string of parody skits mercilessly skewering the symbiotic relationship between hip-hop and the music industry. An all-star roster of guests from the worlds of music and comedy helps the Amityville, NY native achieve his vision. Right out of the gate, comedian Dave Chappelle takes on the persona of a two-faced record exec on "A Day in the Life," going from unconditional support of an album project to scorn in the span of a year, reflecting a true-life scenario from Paul's experiences.
Other notable names kicking it include Chuck D. and Ice T, delivering spoken-word diatribes about music business realities on the title cut. Chris Rock serves as a huckster announcer on the faux commercial "Princepaulonline.com," and Gang Starr's DJ Premier offers hope for hip-hop's future on "The Word." Prince Paul packs plenty of grooves on this outing, from Horror City using "Controversial Headlines (Champion Sound)" to skewer the likes of Ray-J, Lil' Kim, and Destiny's Child, to Guru doing the same to labels that don't support their artists on "Not Trying to Hear That."