I listen to a lot of music.
I listen to a lot of different kinds of music. I’m not bragging. Not going to get into the naming game. But when I say “a lot,” understand that I am not exaggerating.
I dig rap. It takes me out of my daily life and exposes me to a life that I will never know. Lets me pry the lid off of a world that I will never be in. I dig many kinds of rap. The gangster, ghetto, pimp rap. The type of rap that talks about slangin’ drugs and buckin’ 9’s and movin’ weight (selling lots and lots of drugs). The gritty, grimy rap. The rap that talks about how much money the artist has, how great he is, how much money he wastes and the super luxury cars he drives and the watches and chains and diamonds and all that.
And then there was Sean Price.
I stumbled across him one day on the internet. This was a few years ago. Winter. Working at a winter camp that required a daily cramped bus ride. Just wanted to block out the sounds of the city and the bus and the people and veg. So I listened to Sean P. Every. Single. Day. It was that good. Still is.
Later I listened a bit to his earlier stuff, with his rap partner Rock. Back when Sean P. was known as Ruck. But I never got into it like I did his solo work. Kinda like when someone reads a book first, then sees the movie, they usually feel the book is better, and vice versa. But I came into his music with the Jesus Price Superstar album. Followed it up with the Monkey Barz album. Spent a good many hours listening to them over and over again because they were just amazing.
I’m not a music journalist. I can’t compare this rapper with this lyricist with this supergroup and tell you why one is better than the other or any of that. I just know Sean P. was awesome. He was an amazing rapper and lyricist. An amazing writer. A journeyman who never made insane amounts of money, never had the fame that many think of when they think of successful rappers. He just wrote songs and made records and put out great music after great music. Not everything was awesome, but overall, his music was.
And he died today. In his sleep. At home, with his family. His wife and three kids.
I doubt his family will ever see this. Too many pixels being spread out today to speak about the man’s passing. But I hope they, and Sean P, wherever he may be, understands this: Sean Price, you will be missed. You touched people you never knew, people you never imagined of. Like an English teacher and soon-to-be new father, living half-way around the world from his home, taking the bus to work, trying to make ends meet and keep his head down.
You will be missed.
RC
ps – if you don’t like rap music, i’m not going to encourage you to try and start with sean p. If you try it, great, if you don’t, then that’s okay, too. however, if you do like rap music and you haven’t listened to sean price, get to whatever store you like and take a listen.
