seanp.jpgSean Price is focused right now. Amid rumors of major labels seeking his services and another solid effort with the recently released Jesus Price Supastar, the Brooklyn MC clearly isn’t resting on his laurels. Striking while the iron is hot, the Boot Camp Clik’s trustiest infantryman maintains his post as the underground’s most intimidating lyrical bully with his latest mixtape, Master P.

Meant to tide fans over until his next proper release, the disc features Sean P up to his usual bag of tricks, rhyming aggressive over choice beats. “Updated, upgraded/Don’t get mad, muthafucka/Just say Ruck made it,” he boasts on the Dan the Man–produced opener, “6 Dollar Man.” On “One Question,” Dilated People’s DJ Babu lends spacious drums and a chopped vocal for P, Ruste Juxx and Reek to get busy over. However, it’s Khrysis who gives Price the most room to work, mixing snare accents and a mean bass line on “Huckabuck” and retrofitting an infectious reggae sample with cavernous drums on the thundering “Jamaica.”

A mixture of new material, extra cuts that didn’t make the last album, and freestyle one-offs, Master P features its fair share of lifted tracks. On “Jackass 2” and “More Fish,” P hijacks beats from Ghostface’s “Strawberry” and “Fish,” respectively. “Rotten Apple (Remix)” finds Price taggin’ his own menacing verse onto Prodigy’s NYC-themed slow-burner. Over the Alchemist-scored track, he spits, “Punch a fan in the face, and I lose a sale/Nah, I punch a fan, I get sued in the cell.”

The only drawback to this affair is Sean’s charity when sharing the microphone. Besides his established BCC brethren—Buckshot sounds particularly sharp on “Frankenstein”—a number of guests fail to keep up with P’s brutal bars, as is the case on the tedious “What’s the Deal” and the Moss-produced “Leg Breakers,” featuring Big Shug and Big Twins from Infamous Mobb. Despite a few lyrical slackers, it’s nearly impossible to steal Sean P’s shine. —ALVIN BLANCO

XL.gif

More From XXL