Animal Serum

Animal Serum is the first collaborative album by hip hop artists Prince Po and Oh No. It was released on February 4, 2014, by Wandering Worx and Green Streets Entertainment. The work on Animal Serum started in 2007, with a few songs recorded as an experiment, before it turned into a full-length album. The album took several years to finish due to Oh No's involvement in other projects. Animal Serum received mostly positive reviews from music critics, but some of them found Oh No's production to be monotonous.

Animal Serum
A drawing of a horned animal skull, with blood dripping from it. Five bottles labeled "animal serum" are placed below it, connected to the skull via tubes. The image is placed on a vertically split background, with the left side being a floral ornament and the right side being textured plain white.
Studio album by
Prince Po and Oh No
ReleasedFebruary 4, 2014 (2014-02-04)
GenreHip hop
Length43:12
Label
  • Wandering Worx
  • Green Streets Entertainment
Producer
  • Oh No
Prince Po chronology
Saga of the Simian Samurai
(2007)		 Animal Serum
(2014)
Oh No chronology
The Subliminal Substance
(2013)		 Animal Serum
(2014)		 3 Dimensional Prescriptions
(2017)

Background

Following the release of three studio albums as part of the group Organized Konfusion, Prince Po focused on his solo career.[1] Animal Serum was the first full-length album he released since 2007.[2] Oh No started his career in the late 1990s with guest features and production for his brother Madlib's group Lootpack.[3] By 2014, he had released numerous projects, both solo and as part of the Gangrene duo with the Alchemist,[4] and had composed several soundtracks, including the soundtrack for 2013 video game Grand Theft Auto V.[5]

Recording

Prince Po and Oh No met when Prince Po was working on Madlib-produced Percee P's album Perseverance (2007). Immediately, the two started working together, with Oh No sending beats and Prince Po presenting his unfinished verses over the phone.[5] Animal Serum was started with a few songs the duo recorded to experiment, eventually turning into a full-fledged album.[6] Due to Oh No's involvement in various other projects and soundtracks, completing the album took longer than expected.[5]

Release

Animal Serum was released on February 4, 2014,[7] by Wandering Worx and Green Streets Entertainment.[8] The album was supported by the release of music videos for four of the album's tracks: "Smash",[9] "Machine Rages",[10] "1st Word To What Was Last Said",[11] and "Keep Reachin".[12]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Exclaim!6/10[13]
HipHopDX[14]
RapReviews8.5/10[2]

Animal Serum received mostly positive reviews from music critics, with some of them finding the album's production to be monotonous. Kevin Jones of Exclaim! shared this view, as he believed that the album would benefit from incorporating a more diverse sonic palette. He also noted the use of "stormy guitar and organ combination" throughout the album and Prince Po's verbal aggression.[13] HipHopDX's Jay Balfour also thought the album "does end up striking the same note at least one times too many", but still viewed it as a "thematically aggressive project" that isn't overly simplistic.[14] RapReviews praised the album, describing it as "dark magic".[2] Gary Suarez, writing for The Quietus, was more critical, as he believed both Prince Po and Oh No underperformed. The reviewer asserted that Animal Serum lacks the level of excitement of Oh No's previous albums and that Prince Po's "flaky metaphorical framework frequently falls short", listing "Machine Rages", "Toxic", and "U" as highlights of the record.[15]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Prince Po. All tracks are produced by Oh No.[16]

No.TitleLength
1."Lamina Mures Intro"0:41
2."Machine Rages"3:21
3."U Already" (feat. Rockness Monsta and Saafir)4:40
4."Keep Reachin"3:54
5."1st Word To What Was Last Said"2:14
6."Where U Eat"3:08
7."Smash" (feat. O.C. and Pharoahe Monch)3:52
8."Visionz"2:33
9."Wavy" (feat. Sadat X)3:27
10."Toxic"2:30
11."Bears" (feat. Roc C)2:24
12."U"3:51
13."Starflyer Milez"3:38
14."Givitup"2:53

References
  1. "Music Review: Organized Konfusion - The Best Of Organized Konfusion". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
  2. Juon, Steve (July 9, 2023). "Prince Po & Oh No :: Animal Serum". RapReviews. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
  3. Martin, Andrew (February 24, 2010). "Oh No: Dr. No's Ethiopium". PopMatters. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
  4. Cho, Jaeki (June 27, 2012). "Oh No Talks About His Albums, Having Madlib as an Older Brother, Working with Alchemist & MF Doom". XXL. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
  5. Jackson, Michael (October 17, 2014). "Hip-Hop and video games: The Oh No interview" (Interview).
  6. Baskerville, Lawrence (October 17, 2014). "Animal Serum: the Prince Po interview" (Interview).
  7. Baker, Soren (February 4, 2014). "Prince Po & Oh No "Animal Serum" Release Date, Cover Art, Tracklist & Spotify Album Stream". HipHopDX. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
  8. Lamb, Karas. "Prince Po & Oh No - "Smash" (feat. Pharoahe Monch & O.C.) + 'Animal Serum' LP". Okayplayer. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
  9. Lamb, Karas. "Oh No & Prince Po x Pharoahe Monch & O.C. - "Smash" [Official Video]". Okayplayer. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  10. "Premiere: Prince Po & Oh No – Machine Rages (Video)". 2DOPEBOYZ. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  11. "Prince Po & Oh No – 1st Word To What Was Last Said (Video)". 2DOPEBOYZ. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  12. Prince Po (March 5, 2014). Keep Reachin (Music video) – via YouTube.
  13. Jones, Kevin. "Prince Po & Oh No – Animal Serum". Exclaim!. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
  14. Balfour, Jay (February 5, 2014). "Prince Po & Oh No - Animal Serum". HipHopDX. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
  15. Suarez, Gary. "Features | Tape Adapter | Full Clip: Latest Hip Hop Albums Reviewed By Gary Suarez". The Quietus. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
  16. Prince Po and Oh No (2014). Animal Serum (liner notes). Wandering Worx/Green Streets Entertainment. GSE-753.
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