Perseverance

It took almost 20 years since John Percy Simon, aka Percee P, first started rapping for him to put out his first full-length record. This wasn't, however, for lack of trying: Percee spent much of the '80s and early '90s trying to land a deal, making some guest appearances on the way, but to little success. Still, his resilient self-promotion and impressive flow eventually got him noticed by the Los Angeles-based label Stones Throw, who signed him in 2003. Finally, in 2007, the fruits of his hard labor were released to the world. What results, the aptly titled Perseverance, is unlike most other contemporary hip-hop albums out there, both mainstream and underground.