Prince Paul

 Hip-Hop Gold Dust calls to mind chemical supplements less powdered than blazed in a hazy 3:00 a.m. fashion. Prince Paul has always been a producer's producer, but rather than try to mine his De La Soul era hits, this eclectic collection trawls through the back alleys of his career and highlights his work with a string of magnificent mid-Nineties shoulda-rans, careening off into such gems as Resident Alien's raggatastic "Alone" alongside gully grit such as a remix of The Gravediggaz' "1-800-SUICIDE." Blame Prince Paul for contemporary indie-skit goofiness, but only the same way you can blame Pynchon for Eggars or Abba for S-Club 7. Here, the casual atmospheric integration of songs and interludes only adds to the classic mixtape vibe. At times, despite the varied artists, the lazy flow of some of the lesser lights (Justin Warfield? C'mon!) can inspire you to reach for 3 Feet High and Rising. Luckily this is offset by strokes of genius such as Groove B. Chill's deliriously inspired interpretation of the entirety of "I'm Just a Bill." This is headphone fare for a whole party.