Sean Price died Saturday 8/8/15 in his sleep. My heart is broken.
Ruck, Sean P, Scagnetti, TheGrimeyBootMan, DecepticonSean, MegaSean, TallSean, P-Body, MasterP, P , PyrexPotSean, KimboPrice, MicTyson, SeanDaBarbarian, SeanPriceAlpha, ImperiusRex, Niggelitus.
It really doesn’t matter what u call him, but there’s only one word to describe him.
Legend.
We throw that word around like its “POTATO”. Every time some muthafucka dies here’s somebody jumping up screaming the “L-WORD”. I get it. I really do. Some people are so important to us that we
want them to be important to everyone else too, so we give them the “LEGEND” tag to make them beyond reproach. Untouchable. To put them on a pedestal out of the reach of mere mortals. I hate to say it dog, but some of these muthafuckas ain’t legendary.
Just because some dude gave you a ride home from school in tenth grade and then got shot, does not a legend make. He was a good dude, sorry he’s gone, but I’m not getting his face tatted on my arm just because you called him a legend. People slang that word around too freely now. Makes the f###### word lose its meaning.
Not when it’s applied to SEAN PRICE.
There should be a picture of SEAN PRICE in Webster’s dictionary right next to the word “LEGEND”.
Sean P exists in the same rarefied air that Tupac, Biggie, & J.Dilla reside in. What Dilla is to producers, Sean P is to emcees. Now, I would never discount Tupac for his incredible work ethic or his exploits outside the booth, or Big’s rhyming & storytelling prowess. The way they thought & put songs together for mainstream consumption are unmatched. However, in the underground, bar for bar, for full lyricism & entertainment value, nobody is f###### with Sean Price.
Nobody is.
The way this guy just let “SHAWN CARTER IS NICE / BUT SEAN PRICE IS THE BEST” roll off his tongue & land on the beat matter of factly on “FIGURE FOUR” said it all. The way he said it said more than the line itself, if that’s possible. He said that s### & just left it there. He started talking about not drinking champagne & not wearing SeanJohn. No follow up. It wasn’t even a big deal to him. Yeah, I’m better than Jay-Z. Ho-Hum. What’s for dinner? Like a dude just walked in your house & s### on your carpet while u were watching TV, didn’t even wipe his ass & just walked out. No explanation no nothing. That was just HIM. It wasn’t a diss. He liked Jay-Z. He respected Jay-Z. He felt he was better than Jay-Z. So he said it. & he left it right there in your living room for you to clean up. (Editor’s note: peep the hexmurda shout out.)
This dude truly was “YOUR FAVORITE RAPPER’S FAVORITE RAPPER”.
I can almost guarantee you that whoever your favorite M.C. is has some favorite SeanPrice bars. If he doesn’t he may not be a true Emcee & may have someone writing his rhymes for him. If he wasn’t your favorite emcee, your favorite emcee definitely respected him, as did many others.
Here are some quotes about Ruck & some of his favorite lines from some Hip-Hop luminaries.
STALLEY:
“Sean P was one of the most genuine guys I had the pleasure of meeting in this rap game a true Brooklyn Brownsvillian and a true emcee in every sense. The first time I met him he showed love and told me I was keeping Hip Hop afloat and to keep doing what I was doing and coming from an emcee such as himself those few words meant a lot to me and my craft.”
ROYCE DA 5’9″:
“I came up idolizing him. I’m gonna miss him.”
RAKAA IRISCIENCE of DILATED PEOPLES:
“Sean Price is a true inspiration because he kept getting better and better while carving out his own lane through this jungle. The animals and trees were no match. Hip Hop is now a little bit less fun, and we’ll all need to pitch in to supplement the level of realness that he blessed the scene with. Incredible artist and person, so I have no doubt that his soul is at peace. It’s just surreal. Strength and prayers to his family.”
PAUL ROSENBERG (EMINEM’S MANAGER):
“I swear I just told Marshall (Eminem) on Thursday that Sean was my current favorite. I hung on every word in his verses.”
PHAROAHE MONCH:
“Sean was seriously a walking quotable with the potential for rhyme of the month every time he wrote a 16. But more importantly he made me laugh he was naturally hilarious and I hold laughter very dear to my heart, it’s one of the most important things we have on earth. I loved Sean Price the man and father as much as I did his music.”
TRICK TRICK:
“Sean Price, Authentic: of Undisputed origin. Made or done in an original or traditional way. Based on facts, Reliable and Dependable. Your way could not have been rehearsed. Built by GOD! To serve in HIS ARMY! A calling we can’t dispute. So we SALUTE to your Life and Thank the Most high for our time in your presence. You will be missed. TrickTrick & GSM.”
SKYZOO:
“To me, Sean was an emcee’s emcee. He was the epitome of what hip hop was, is, and should be moving forward. And beyond all of that, he was a helluva friend. That was my big brother for real. The most genuine, authentic, free spirited person you could ever meet, regardless of how intimidating his physical stature may have been to some. He was probably the greatest “person” I’ve ever had he honor of calling a friend via the industry. We went beyond that. He was family. There will never be another like him. He was the best person you could ever get to know, and one of the greatest to ever hold a pen.”
KHRYSIS:
“P was the second legend I had a chance to work with. It was already an honor to work with someone I listened to while I was in high school, but he such a genuine dude full of wisdom and laughter…we didn’t just lose a legendary emcee…we lost a legendary personality and all round legendary dude. Peace and love to all his family and loved ones. His legacy will live on forever.”
FAVORITE BARS:
BUN B:
“Kareem Sayeed indeed on my deen Aki, except when I rhyme. Every line from Sean is Haraam.” – From “HARAAM”
Yo.. “HARAAM” is my favorite Sean Price song ever.
Period.
But that’s the duality of Ruck as a man and as an artist. Trying to stay devout in the concrete jungle. The Godly Gangster.
GUILTY SIMPSON:
“F### peace I’m a beast b#### I pop pellets in a person I’m a p############, P!”
From “THE HEX” by RANDOM AXE
PAUL ROSENBERG:
“Botswana, small time little league player, Pop Warner.Rock corners with hot, blocks tbats drug infested, supply suppliers my money stay thug invested.” ( from FIGURE FOUR )
ALCHEMIST:
“Everyone else is probably gonna quote one of his crazy bars (he got so many I don’t even know where to start. Literally Every bar was quotable) Real s### tho one of my favorite lines was “Tears in my eyes when thinking of hexmurda.” (from “FIGURE FOUR”)
Because within the humor and witty lines he was known for he would still sneak in some real s### like that . That meant a lot to me when I heard that line. Life is about balance. We all know P knew how to make u laugh, and when the time was right, for just a brief moment, he knew how to make u cry.
ROYCE DA 5″ 9:
“Sean sparks like John Starks in the 4 quarter oughta meet my peeps, that are deeper than the Tora” From “SEAN PRICE” on the NOCTURNAL album by HELTAH SKELTAH.
SKYZOO:
“Back seat of jeep, f### in my car/pulled the prayer rug out like “alhamdulillah”/, run with the squad, Boot Camp, remember the name/nicest ni**as you don’t know on the game, hello”
PHONTE:
“Too hard for white linen, straight, no white denim. You like white women that listen to Lyfe Jennings.” I mean, I got hundreds of others I can name but that one knocked me on my ass because everybody can picture what a white woman who likes Lyfe Jennings looks like…lol.
Just a few quotes & s###.
This is a 3 part series. I’ll be back to tell some stories tomorrow. Hopefully the bottom of your pants won’t be as tight.