EPMD - We Mean Business (December 9, 2008)

The nine years it took for EPMD to properly follow-up their never-really-referred-to-as-a-retirement album, Out Of Business, were eventful. For starters, the duo left their longtime label home, Def Jam Records, with their protégées Reggie “Redman” Noble and Keith “Keith Murray” Murray soon following, as the House That LL Built chose to chase current trends instead of building up the artists they still had. Erick Sermon managed to achieve the solo success he had been seeking ever since the seminal duo broke up way back in 1992, likely before a lot of you two were even born, thanks to a record deal with Clive Davis and the industry clout that name commanded , which helped clear a sample through the estate of Marvin Gaye. I’m telling you, it was downright weird to hear the Green-Eyed Bandit on pop radio in the daytime. Meanwhile, his rhyme and production partner Parish “PMD” Smith retreated even further into hip hop’s underground, collaborating with relative unknowns and even reforming his Hit Squad collective, releasing an album, 2004’s Zero Tolerance, that aimed the spotlight at his newer charges, but managed to secure cameos from the likes of Redman and Erick Sermon, who had famously spun off into the Def Squad after the divorce. The underground is where PMD remains to this day, as he chooses to work alongside, among others, foreign-based producers that have the essence of hip hop built into their DNA. Or something. Look, you figure out a way to describe the Snowgoons in shorthand and maybe I’ll use it.

Oh, and their third member, DJ Scratch, bailed on the entire operation.

EPMD - Out Of Business (July 20, 1999)

1999 was a funny year for Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith. They had already seen their duo, EPMD, both break up (for reasons I've already documented elsewhere and am too tired to retread) and reunite, all to the tune of dollar signs and cash register chimes, as their fans rushed to snatch up any release from the seminal team (but not necessarily any of their solo offerings, at least when it came to PMD). That reunion project, Back In Business, went especially far in rebooting EPMD for a new era within our chosen genre, one where multitudes of funk samples were overridden with New York street talk and gloomy beats, and both Erick and Parrish acquitted themselves quite nicely. It helped that neither man had ever left hip hop during their group's hiatus, obviously.

So the only thing that remained was to retire.

EPMD - Back In Business (September 23, 1997)

When EPMD broke up in 1992, it was a shock, mainly because back then there was no such thing as a Twitter feed where one could air all of their dirty laundry to a fanbase that doesn't necessarily give a shit.  The Interweb also wasn't quite so prevalent, so even though Erick and Parrish lived through their nightmare in real time, the rest of us had no idea what had happened until after it had already transpired.  Parrish Smith robbed, allegedly with Erick Sermon's involvement?  Sermon's eventual defection, taking with him an untested Reggie "Redman" Noble, while PMD retained the already quite popular Das EFX?  All of this came out of nowhere, as did their eventual reunion only five years later.

EPMD - Business Never Personal (July 28, 1992)

Business Never Personal was the fourth full-length album from Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith, doing business as EPMD (along with their deejay, DJ Scratch).  It would ultimately be the duo's undoing, as EPMD disbanded shortly after the disc hit store shelves.  While they ultimately ended up back together (unlike many of their hip hop peers, such as Pete Rock & CL Smooth, Eric B. & Rakim, and Gang Starr (R.I.P. Guru)), back in 1992 fans accepted this news with a heavy heart.


My understanding of the situation is as follows: during the recording of Business Never Personal (which was intended as a response to the crappy reviews received by their previous effort, Business As Usual), PMD's house was broken in to, and through a series of unfortunate coincidences, he started to believe that Erick Sermon orchestrated the robbery (as one of the thieves dropped Sermon's name to police upon his arrest, which could just mean that he was cognizant of whose home he was invading).  E Double, for his part, denied it, but started complaining of EPMD's financial mismanagement anyway, which only made him look even more guilty.  Things even got heated on the set while they were shooting a video for their single "Head Banger".  As a result, Erick and Parrish ceased making dollars together, and they both went their solo and separate ways.


But before all of that could happen, Business Never Personal (a title that could be taken as a sly dig from one member to the other, and it works in either direction) had to be mastered and released.  Erick and Parrish used this project to get back to the basics, something that they had managed to avoid after dropping their debut, Strictly Business.  This time around, they elected to hone their combined musical talents, mixing samples together and creating never-before-heard sounds for their rhymes to make sweet buttery love to.  For his part, PMD built upon his past efforts and amped up his writing game, while Erick Sermon stuck to the status quo, which wasn't as big of a deal, since people actually liked the status quo.


Business Never Personal was also designed to boost the careers of the members of their Hit Squad, a loose collective of rappers who all fell under the general EPMD umbrella.  K-Solo, he who still doesn't know how to spell the word "bird", had actually dropped two solo albums (with production handled by both Sermon and PMD) before Business Never Personal hit the stores, and PMD's boys Das EFX saw their Dead Serious rise on the Billboard charts about three months prior to this release.  Future contender for one of the best who ever did it, Redman, turned in a classic performance that led directly into his Def Jam debut, Whut? Thee Album, which came out two months afterward.  (The Hit Squad also consisted of such names as Hurricane G (Sermon's baby's mother) and the Knucklehedz, an unfortunate casualty of the EPMD breakup who saw their debut album shelved indefinitely.  But neither of those names appear on Business Never Personal, so that's that.)


Business Never Personal earned Def Jam Records yet another golden plaque, but its success was overshadowed by the public breakup of its parents.  That's a story that I plan on getting into another time, though.  For today, it's time to focus on the business at hand.


1. BOON DOX
Business Never Personal kicks off with an immediately engaging hardcore instrumental, and Parrish launches into an aggressive missive that forgets that the previous three EPMD albums ever fucking happened. E Double's verse is much more nostalgic, in that elements from a couple of their previous hits sneak their way into the beat for cameo appearances. Combined with the scratching from, um, DJ Scratch, “Boon Dox” makes for a pitch-perfect way to reintroduce EPMD back into the hip hop fold. It's almost good enough to make me forget about their excursions into shitty house music.


2. NOBODY'S SAFE CHUMP
This track lasts just long enough for both Erick and Parrish to spit out one verse apiece. The instrumental wasn't bad at all, and this exercise in minimalism plays out much better than the bloated affairs that threaten to take over EPMD's back catalog. P's hardcore delivery combined with Erick Sermon's stoner attitude provide the perfect contract for one another.


3. CAN'T HEAR NOTHING BUT THE MUSIC
During his first verse, Parrish Smith sounds like a fucking psychopath, but that isn't a compliment: his rhymes don't have much going for them, given that he seems to be reciting unrelated sentences in the style of an Ultramagnetic MC, which doesn't suit him. E Double also sounds bored as fuck over this weak, incomplete-sounding beat. Well, it didn't take long for Business Never Personal to take a nosedive.


4. CHILL
Oh wait, I spoke too soon. The beat on “Chill” is fucking amazing: E and PMD manipulate the samples so that the end result sounds like the theme music for one of those science modules that you had to watch back in junior high. (Speaking of which, have the two of you in the States ever watched the British series Look Around You? It's fucking hilarious.) Thankfully, this is not a direct sequel to the EPMD standard “You Gots Too Chill”: this is its own man, and both Erick and Parrish sound like the veterans that they truly were at this point, delivering pointed rhymes and exerting dominance over a genre that was sorely lacking direction at this point. This was pretty amazing.


5. HEAD BANGER (FEAT K-SOLO & REDMAN)
Quite possibly The best posse cut EPMD has ever been a part of, thanks to the brilliant guest appearance of a young Reggie Noble at the end. The instrumental is a masterpiece (even if its potency has been diluted by the Ruff Ryders and their obvious homage “Ryde Or Die”, which uses the same beat and a similar chorus), and both Erick and Parrish sound refreshed making their dollars alongside two of their weed carriers (which they technically were at the time). EPMD have been using Business Never Personal to forcefully snatch hip hop out of its nightmare, and this song is the chocolate icing on the yellow cake of awesomeness, even if Redman's verse is partially censored in a curious manner (the selective censorship issue is actually prevalent throughout the entire album). This shit is great.


6. SCRATCH BRING IT BACK, PT. 2 - MIC DOC
Although the title would lead listeners to believe otherwise, this isn't a deejay cut: this proves to be more of a showcase for PMD, although the Green Eyed Bandit gets to spit the first verse. DJ Scratch, who produces, gets an opportunity to shine toward the end, but the fact that PMD pops up to spit some truly shitty lyrics (by design) before Erick convinces him to bring it over a much harder instrumental (the overused-but-still-hot Melvin Bliss (R.I.P.) track “Synthetic Substitution” comes into play) leaves no room for misunderstanding whose showcase this is. (For those of you who are wondering whatever happened to Part 1 of this apparent series, it appears as the B-side on the twelve-inch single for “Head Banger”.)


7. CROSSOVER
This song, which is an attack on rappers who deliberately sell out to gain a pop audience and sell more copies of their shitty albums, actually was a crossover hit in its own right. In fact, according to the Interweb, this song was the biggest of EPMD's career. Which would be ironic if this song were any good. It isn't bad by any means: the beat itself is pretty head nod-inducing, and neither E nor PMD compromise their integrity to do what the title suggests. No, for me it's the sampled hook, which, under normal non-reviewing circumstances, I can never sit through, as my immediate gut reaction is to hit the 'next' button, I hate it that fucking much. It is what it is.


8. CUMMIN' AT CHA (FEAT DAS EFX)
Technically, this song isn't terrible either, but it still feels hollow. Building its chorus off of a Sen Dog sound bite (from Cypress Hill's "How I Could Just Kill A Man"), this track rides along a dull thump of an instrumental for E, PMD, and Hit Squad affiliates Das EFX to spit uninspired rhymes to, boring their audience into an early grave. That's all I got, folks. Moving on...


9. PLAY THE NEXT MAN
EPMD win back their audience with this sleeper agent of a banger, which is so good that I can actually look past Erick Sermon's New Kids On The Block reference during his first verse. The instrumental is engaging as fuck, and both E and PMD revive their playful-yet-menacing flows that made Strictly Business so goddamn entertaining. A nice surprise.


10. IT'S GOING DOWN
Meh.


11. WHO KILLED JANE?
Business Never Personal ends with the inferior fourth installment in the "Jane" series of songs. The lyrics on here are almost laughably poor (PMD: “Slow down...something's missing, where's my lawyer? / Cop grilled me and said, 'There's your lawyer'”, with Erick playing the cop. Really, guys?), but kudos to these two for consistency and at least trying to take the story down the road less traveled, even though this particular chapter goes nowhere. You never get to find out who killed Jane anyway, so you don't ever need to actually listen to this track, even though Parrish Smith shoots the police officer that's been harassing him at the end. Given the fact that Erick Sermon plays the crooked cop and that EPMD broke up shortly after the release of this album, ego trip's Big Book of Rap Lists speculated that this song was foreshadowing for the duo's split. They probably weren't that far off the mark.


FINAL THOUGHTS: It's a shame that EMPD ended the recording sessions of Business Never Personal not trusting each other, because this is their best and most consistent effort since their debut. There are no excursions into hip-house or ridiculous public service announcements on here: instead, Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith focus on keeping their hardcore fans satiated while helping build the careers of a few of their close friends. The beats on Business Never Personal are almost unflinchingly engaging, encompassing the very idea of what EPMD stands for with each drum hit. The creative use of samples proves that E and PMD have only gotten better since their debut: I'm now convinced that the direction the previous two albums took was dictated by the label. Business Never Personal sees Erick and Parrish leaving on a high note, although there aren't any real hints on here of any pending separation (save for the final seconds of the last track, perhaps?), so their eventual reunion was actually highly anticipated, as opposed to existing just so Erick and Parrish could rewrite their own history. To put it succinctly: this shit was nice.


BUY OR BURN? While I think you should absolutely buy this shit, it can be hard to come across: it's currently out or print, and there are no plans for a re-release. However, EPMD was at the top of their game on here, a height that they have yet to achieve in the current phase of their career. So if you happen upon it, don't forget that it is your duty to buy this shit: you will enjoy it.


BEST TRACKS: “Head Banger”; “Chill”; “Boon Dox”; “Nobody's Safe Chump”; “Play The Next Man”


-Max


RELATED POSTS:
Catch up on EPMD's catalog by clicking here.

EPMD - Business As Usual (1990)

In 1989, Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith, performing under the group name EPMD, released their sophomore effort, Unfinished Business. While it moved a good number of units, the majority of the album was described as not living up to the gold standard set by the duo's debut album, Strictly Business. So with Business As Usual, their third album, Erick and Parrish aimed to start things over fresh.

They were aided in their quest by the unlikeliest of frenemies: their record label, Fresh/Sleeping Bag Records, allowed Def Jam Records to buy out the duo's contract, so Business As Usual ended up being their second debut album. They reintroduced their formula, which hadn't been tinkered with since 1988: funky samples all mashed together to create a coherent musical environment for Erick and Parrish to destroy with their aggressive braggadocio. Which probably would have worked, had it not been for those meddling kids.

I'm speaking specifically of one Reggie Noble, better known as Redman. Before becoming one of the best and most consistently entertaining emcees in the game, he had to start off somewhere, and he made his debut alongside his mentors Erick and Parrish on "Hardcore". Because of this bit of trivia, Business As Usual is typically referred to as the album that featured the birth of Reggie, and with his one verse, the man manages to overshadow all of the lyrical contributions of his hosts. I'm also speaking specifically of one James Todd Smith, better known as LL Cool J: after drinking the Def Jam Kool-Aid, EPMD found themselves sharing a label with Ladies Love and invited the man to spit a verse on "Rampage", an offer I'm sure they wish he had refused, since nobody gave a damn about Parrish's comically anti-aggressive verse.

Business As Usual was seen (at the time) as a return to form for Erick and Parrish, abandoning the bullshit posturing of Unfinished Business and getting back on the horse. The Source even named it one of the top one hundred rap albums ever released. Time is the ultimate judge, however (with me as a close second), so let's see how well Business As Usual (a) stacks up to its obvious competition, Strictly Business, and (b) held up over the past twenty years.

1. I'M MAD
With that particular title, I can only assume that, like myself, Erick and Parrish were also mad at how Unfinished Business turned out, and deliberately attempted to make actual good music their third time around the track. The high-energy instrumental simulates EPMD being chased down (by cops, bill collectors, religious zealots, Jane, aggressive Girl Scouts, whatever fits), and it works like a motherfucker. This was a nice way to kick things off, and as an added bonus, E and PMD, never the greatest rappers behind the mic, sound rejuvenated. Too bad that effect wears off relatively soon.

2. HARDCORE (FEAT REDMAN)
This song is considered to be a huge fucking deal because it features the very first official recorded appearance from Reggie Noble. And he sounds pretty impressive, especially if you love his debut, Whut?! Thee Album, more than the rest of the man's catalog. But truth be told, other than "Hardcore"'s historical significance, this track sucks balls. Both Erick and Parrish sould as if they don't know what to do with themselves (PMD even resorts to using a familiar gay slur for no real reason). Oh well, at least the beat was kind of cool.

3. RAMPAGE (FEAT LL COOL J)
No surprise here: EPMD opens their door to a collaboration with an artist outside of their camp, and they both get fucking trounced. Ladies Love wipes the floor with E and PMD without even really trying, although Parrish tries to get noticed by submitting a homophobic and violent opening verse. (As these attacks seem to come out of nowhere, I have to believe that Parrish Smith may have had a problem with the gay community back in 1990. Yep, I'm starting that rumor, too.) Still, I like this track, because the beat is awesome in the way that it still informs hip hop music to this very day.

4. MANSLAUGHTER
This sounded alright while it was playing, especially since portions of the beat were reused on the breakthrough Destiny's Child hit "No No No Part 2" (featuring Wyclef Jean), back when Beyonce wasn't a media juggernaut, just a cute girl with a big ass and aspirations of kicking everyone else out of the group. Then I re-read the title and found that it isn't called "Man's Laughter", and instantly forgot how this shit sounded. Yep, it's that memorable.

5. JANE 3
This is the worst chapter in the "Jane" series thus far. What does it say about Parrish that, as soon as he realizes that his new friend Jay was really Jane, he fucks the shit out of her (after brutally attacking him/her, mind you)? Seriously, what the hell were you two going for on here?

6. FOR MY PEOPLE
Meh.

7. MR. BOZACK
Am I supposed to really believe that Erick and Parrish would discuss their bathing habits with one another? Nobody needs to know that you need to hit the shower so that you can "wash your butt". However, this song (whose namesake also, apparently, warrants a co-production credit on Business As Usual, although I'm fairly certain he's just a figment of my imagination) features the most cursing from Erick Sermon that I can recall on any previous EPMD effort, so although I don't require explicit lyrics in my rap songs, kids do need a way to piss their parents off somehow. This track was kind of a mess. I'm sure Mr. Bozack won't be sending HHID a Christmas card anytime soon, either. Because he's Jewish, you see.

8. GOLD DIGGER
It's songs such as this one that make me feel that Business As Usual is more Unfinished Business and less Strictly Business. It sounds technically proficient, but you can be the best fry cook at McDonald's: you're still the fucking fry cook.

9. GIVE THE PEOPLE
I would expect that what EMPD should be giving the people is entertaining music. But with shit like this, I'd rather go hand out with that giant douche Jon Gosselin and listen to his eight kids cry while they're being neglected by two of the most selfish parents in the entire fucking universe. Sorry, bit of a tangent, I know. But you all know I'm right.

10. RAP IS OUTTA CONTROL
I don't love this song, but it's still enjoyable enough. Sadly, the sentiment expressed in the title still holds true today (and not just because EPMD would later release a sequel, creatively titled "Rap Is Still Outta Control", on their 1999 album Out Of Business). Both E and PMD seem to step their respective lyrical games up, possibly in an attempt to be a part of the solution and not the problem. The song fades out at the end in the middle of a verse, though: you don't have to be Max to be annoyed by that kind of shit.

11. BROTHERS ON MY JOCK (FEAT REDMAN)
"Nautilus" is truly a part of every hip hop song ever made. Not that I'm complaining: Bob James did create a very compelling composition. And considering that EPMD traffic heavily in samples to make up their beats, it would have been a travesty if they fucked this track up. Thankfully, the music sounds good, even if I couldn't remember any of the verses if you laid out the lyrics in front of me while handing over a daily recommended dosage of gingko biloba. (Yes, sadly, this includes Reggie's contribution.)

12. UNDERGROUND
The problem I have with "Underground" isn't the mildly funky beat or the lyrics from Erick and Parrish that instantly turn into vapor. No, my beef is with the hook: EPMD are successful recording artists, and Business As Usual is their third album, so who in their fucking right mind will truly believe that either man is "coming straight from the underground"?

13. HIT SQUAD HEIST
This song illustrates one of the most poorly planned heists in rap music history. The execution would have been more believable if it were concerning snatching a lollipop (one of those oversized novelty joints) out of a little boy's hands. The music, which reminds me of a loose reenactment of the Average White Band's "Picking Up The Pieces" (minus the bullshit sample from The Steve Miller Band's "Fly Like An Eagle", of course), also doesn't come across as the score to any sort of criminal activity. Some critics would label this as a study in contrasts: I call it irreparable.

14. FUNKY PIANO
While I appreciate the fact that the middle portion of this song is transformed into a showcase for the third component of EPMD, DJ Scratch (and both E and P pay homage to him within their verses), this track is dull as extremely boring dishwater. And on top of all that, the "piano" (sample) that is prevalent on this track isn't even funky! How the fuck can you possibly end an album like this? EPMD surely found a way.

FINAL THOUGHTS: After a promising start with "I'm Mad", Business As Usual fucking tanks. If Strictly Business was The Matrix (a revolutionary piece of work) and Unfinished Business was The Matrix Reloaded (a horrible sequel that even featured an anti-drinking public service announcement, which to me is just as corny as the cave dance sequence that reminded everybody of Ewoks), EPMD's third effort is, predictably, The Matrix Revolutions, the film that tries its best to bring the funk back to the franchise (see: The Architect), but ultimately fails. (I'm not sure where that places the other albums in EPMD's catalog: this isn't a perfect metaphor.) Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith (along with DJ Scratch) attempt to replicate what made Strictly Business strictly bananas, but this time around, the chosen samples sound forced together unnaturally, like peanut butter and Jell-O, or Lindsay Lohan and Samantha Ronson. There are a couple of good songs on here, and the debut performance from future star Reggie Noble has to count for something, but Business As Usual is just, as its title suggests, more of the fucking same, and that formula hasn't worked for a couple of albums now.

BUY OR BURN? Burn this one. Erick and Parrish have done better work, so the lack of effort shown on here is thisclose to appalling. And I'm sure the "purists" will challenge this review, but so be it: it is what it is, and this album doesn't hold up.

BEST TRACKS: "Rampage"; "I'm Mad"

-Max

RELATED POSTS:
Read up on the other EPMD albums by clicking here.

EPMD - Unfinished Business (1989)

After striking gold with their 1988 debut release Strictly Business, Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith, who perform together as EPMD with the assistance of DJ Scratch (their former partner in crime), quickly recorded the follow-up, Unfinished Business, which hit store shelves less than a year later. Like its predecessor, Unfinished Business featured songs that used so many samples from other compositions that I'm surprised that Erick and Parrish managed to retain writing credits, and also like its predecessor, it sold over half a million copies, which made their label, Fresh/Sleeping Bag Records very happy for approximately five minutes, before the financial strains hit: EPMD's contract was later sold to Def Jam Records, who would release their next four albums.

Unfinished Business hit the scene at a time when hip hop was not about bragging about your past as a drug dealer or getting the chicks on the dance floor, so many of you two readers may be prone to avoid music such as this. Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith built their careers off of feel-good music (made so thanks to the varied samples they utilize) that are chock-full of boasts and Vitamin C. Hopefully, the Strictly Business review actually connected with a few of you, but if you think you already know what to expect from their sophomore effort, you're dead wrong.

That was a bit dramatic, I know.

1. SO WHAT CHA SAYIN'
Take away Erick Sermon's newly-formed confidence behind the mic, and this song sounds like an outtake from Strictly Business. The lyrics sound good (there's nothing of substance here, but the presentation is remarkable), but musically, the track seems to be about five or six samples short of a full house.

2. TOTAL KAOS
DJ Scratch's, um, scratching of the PMD vocal sample sounds awful: it seems the intention was for the vocal, which doubles as the hook for this track, to sound a bit ominous, but the sound wasn't cleaned up, and it ends up coming off as simply distorted, as if I were listening to Unfinished Business through speakers made out of two tin cans and some chicken wire. Subtract that weak-ass element, though, and this song is really fucking good, even if the first boast provided by both artists (about you being a “NR”, a “non-rapper”) falls pretty flat.

3. GET THE BOZACK
One of the things that Dame Grease did well when he produced DMX's “Get At Me Dog” was bring the B.T. Express sample (from "Everything Good To You (Ain't Always Good For You)") that was also featured in “Get The Bozack” to the forefront, so that it blasts out of your speakers, becoming the epitome of a Tunnel banger. (Or, at least I assume so, since I don't live in New York.) In contrast, this song lets the rappers dominate, as the music plays in the background almost as an afterthought: considering the confrontational feel of the track (and the numerous amounts of bozacks being gotten by individuals), a few tweaks would make this song a classic. It still isn't bad, though.

4. JANE II
Hearing Erick Sermon alternate between playing himself and “Jane” is pretty unsettling (and awfully ridiculous, if you think about it: Erick Sermon is no Positive K). Due to the short running time, this track doesn't really advance the Jane storyline much, but it sounds alright.

5. PLEASE LISTEN TO MY DEMO
Over an instrumental that, oddly, lifelong fans of Kris Kross may recognize from their blue period, Erick and Parrish get serious for a bit, giving listeners an idea of what they had to go through before copping that record deal. It's short, sweet, to the point, and not bad at all.

6. IT'S TIME TO PARTY
Raise your hand if you remember what Cappadonna's “Love Is The Message” sounds like. (You realize I can't see you while you're reading the blog, right?) Here's the same MFSB sample (from their own "Love Is The Message"), with some extra effects layered in, which do their darnedest to convince you that, yes, it is time to party. While the final product sounds decent enough, there are also long chunks of silence from our hosts, leaving the song sounding incomplete.

7. WHO'S BOOTY
Absurd title aside, I didn't care much for this track.

8. THE BIG PAYBACK
This is one of those undisputed EPMD classics, and for good reason: this shit is great. It may not get as much airplay as “You Gots To Chill” during flashback lunch hours, but in many ways, this is the better song, especially since E and PMD rip shit in their own special way.

9. STRICTLY SNAPPIN' NECKS
This track's sound is slow and low, and awfully simple, but I've always dug it. The beat is perfect for punctuating the braggadocio from our hosts, even after you realize that they aren't doing anything on here but threatening people with the titular act of violence.

10. KNICK KNACK PADDY WACK (FEAT K-SOLO)
One aspect of 2Pac's “California Love” that I never really understood was the clearance of the Joe Cocker sample, which also appears on here: how was Death Row Records able to release the song to radio and MTV, but unable to actually put the song on 2Pac's album? Anyway, EPMD clearly sidestepped the entire issue with their weed carrier, K-Solo, who sounds better on here than both E and PMD combined. Or, at least ,he does until all respect for him goes out the window when he starts spelling shit (this is the infamous track in which he misspells the word “bird”). Curiously, one of his “fucks” appears on the song, but the other is censored. And his verse fades out before the song is over. Groan...

11. YOU HAD TOO MUCH TO DRINK (FEAT FRANK B.)
This track is about seven minutes and nineteen seconds too long. This public service announcement, disguised as an EPMD song, about the dangers of drinking is fucking stupid, and not only because I like to drink. I don't wish this song to be inflicted upon even my worst enemy.

12. IT WASN'T ME, IT WAS THE FAME
Erick and Parrish present precautionary tales about the perils of fame (in their own way), but the entire six-minute-plus song is derailed by the use of the David Bowie sample (if you re-read the title, you'll be able to guess which song is used, and no, it isn't “Hallo Spaceboy”), which works for David Bowie, but not for anybody else. Oh well.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Unfinished Business plays as, well, an unfinished album. I would be convinced that the disc was cobbled together using Strictly Business outtakes and Bazooka Joe chewing gum, had Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith not insisted on referencing the success of their debut on nearly every fucking track. In the case of approximately one-third the album, the songs sound like some important element is missing; another third comes off as overproduced. EPMD manage to find a happy medium with a handful of tracks, but, sadly, this disc isn't as consistently entertaining as Strictly Business (and that CD had a fucking house song on it), which makes it a surprising disappointment.

BUY OR BURN? Even with that last paragraph, though, I would recommend that you purchase this, but just barely. The great songs on here are actually enough to override the bullshit, but be forewarned: there is a lot of that on here.

BEST TRACKS: “The Big Payback”; “Strictly Snappin' Necks”; “Total Kaos”

-Max

RELATED POSTS:
EPMD - Strictly Business

EPMD - Strictly Business (1988)

EPMD released their debut album Strictly Business, on Fresh/Sleeping Bag Records in 1988. It spawned multiple hit singles and escaped from the clutches of retailers to the tune of over half a million sold. It is generally considered to be one of the greatest hip hop albums of all time, but sadly, that distinction seems to primarily come from critics and bloggers these days, as the kids these days, what with their not having respect for their elders and all, seem to have absolutely no idea who EPMD is.

If you fall into that category, my two readers, then allow me to take this opportunity to learn you something.

-EPMD is made up of Brentwood, New York resident emcee/producers Erick Sermon (if you've read this blog with any regularity, you have to have heard of him) and Parrish Smith. The group name allegedly stands for Erick & Parrish Making Dollars, but that doesn't explain why Erick only gets one letter in the group name (he alternates between the aliases E Double and the Green Eyed Bandit), while Parrish's rap name is PMD.

-They produced the entirety of Strictly Business, and are often credited with being among the first rap artists to pilfer rock and funk tracks to create their beats, which resulted in hip hop moving toward a completely different sound. Erick Sermon, especially, would parlay this ability into a long-lasting career as a producer that is still in full force today.

-EPMD created many of the classic songs that your favorite rappers cite as influences. In fact, if you just sat down and listened to Strictly Business, I guarantee you will have heard of at least four of these ten tracks if you follow hip hop at all, as they continue to receive airplay during old-school programming blocks.

-EPMD discovered Reggie Noble, which is but one of their many lasting contributions to the musical genre we know and love. To a lesser extent, they are also responsible for Das EFX, K-Solo, Hurricane G, and Keith Murray, but we shouldn't hold that against them.

-EPMD will perform at mitzvahs, both bar- and bat-, for a set fee, plus all of the bologna they can eat, which usually causes tension with the party hosts, as bologna isn't usually on the menu.

End refresher.

1. STRICTLY BUSINESS
No useless rap album intro here: Strictly Business gets straight to, um, business. Once the beat, featuring samples from Eric Clapton's "I Shot The Sheriff", kicks in, I swear to God you'll actually feel both amped and relaxed, with the knowledge that Erick and Parrish know what they're doing. I imagine this even sounded like a classic rap song back in 1988.

2. I'M HOUSING
I never cared for this track.

3. LET THE FUNK FLOW
If you hated Nas's "Nastradamus" as much as I did (and you should, because it sucks), rest assured that EPMD got to the beat first and handled it as best they could. Nice touch with the Beastie Boys sample.

4. YOU GOTS TO CHILL
This song, one of the no-bullshit classics in their catalog, was inexplicably left off of their greatest hits compilation (the one that was packaged with their last album to date, Out of Business), replaced with an inferior remix commissioned by the powers that be at Def Jam in 1997. That's a fucking shame, but I guess that was the label's sneaky way to get listeners to seek out the back catalog.

5. IT'S MY THING
Two songs that rap producers never tire of sampling are "Seven Minutes Of Funk" by Tyrone Thomas and the Whole Darn Family, and Bob James's "Nautilus". While you can clearly hear the sample from the former, I'm convinced that "Nautilus" is chopped up and inserted into every rap record ever created, so I'm sure it's here somewhere. I always enjoy hearing Erick Sermon telling off a competitor by advising him that "you ain't jack".

6. YOU'RE A CUSTOMER
Could have done without the "Fly Like An Eagle" sample, but otherwise, this song rocks. The back and forth between E and PMD is entertaining as shit, and for anyone that didn't already know, PMD's final verse on here was re-utilized as his hook contribution on Def Squad's "Countdown".

7. THE STEVE MARTIN
PMD does his best to create a new dance craze based on, of all people, my favorite author/comedian Steve Martin, and fails miserably. Not because the song is bad, mind you; in fact, it's quite good. It fails because PMD (in a tongue-in-cheek fashion) instructs dancers to act like the title character in The Jerk, which nobody would ever want to do, even if they were drunk.

8. GET OFF THE BANDWAGON
The beat fucking rocks, as it is the perfect accompaniment to Erick and Parrish's denouncing of fairweather fans. I had to play this song three times in a row, since I kept getting too caught up in the song to actually write this commentary.

9. DJ K LA BOSS
A showcase for the duo's deejay. Loved the fact that he cut some of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" into the mix, specifically samples of Vincent price's creepy-ass laughing.

10. JANE
Ah, the beginning of an era. The conceit of this track is that PMD was just about to deliver the masters of Strictly Business to the label, and Erick stops him at the door because he still needs to talk shit about a girl. I laughed out loud at how PMD doesn't even bother to try and introduce the Jane character properly, hilariously mispronouncing her name just to make the line rhyme. (Although they're dissing her because she made fun of their prowess in the sack, so I'm sure it was intentional.) A pretty good way to end your debut album.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Strictly Business is considered a classic debut album for a reason. Erick and Parrish come running out the gate as cocky-ass emcees, but with the talent that backs up their boasts. The album even still sounds good from start to finish, with the exception of "I'm Housing", which I just don't like, so sue me; whatever, nine out of ten songs rock. EPMD would go on to a fruitful career, break up, and ultimately reunite in 1997, and I'm sure I'll get to reviewing the second album approximately nineteen years from now.

BUY OR BURN: Seriously? You need to ask? Any reader of this blog that considers themselves to be a serious hip hop fan needs to buy this album. Give it a spin and reminisce about a time when hip hop was about the music, not the negative stereotypes. I realize I just asked my two readers to possibly reminisce about a time in which they didn't even yet exist, but that's your damn problem.

BEST TRACKS: All except "I'm Housing"

-Max