I seem to have said this often in reviews recently, but Paris is one of the artists that got me really interested in hip hop. I'd heard the brilliant 'Break the Grip of Shame' while playing psx, and once I was able to I knew I had to find more from this guy. Although this is ofted cited as his best, something else I say often, I'm not a huge fan of '80s hip hop beats so I like his later work more, but this is still a very good album, and I like the beats more than a lot of other hip hop from this era. I mean, how amazin' is the beginning of 'Wretched' when the beat blends into the American anthem.
The production is in the vain of Public Enemy I guess, and much more raw, with plenty of scratches and less funky than his 'Guerrilla Funk' album for example, and much of his later work. And of course, lyrically Paris is all about improving his fellow brothers' life with racism being a strong focus. He doesn't have the flow of some, but his voice always works and is the perfect pitch for the type of stuff he spits. Highly recommended, from in my opinion one of the most consistent discographies in rap.
Best Tracks: Scarface Groove, Break the Grip of Shame/Remix, Ebony, The Devil Made Me Do It/Remix, Mellow Madness, Wretched.