Knucklehedz - Stricktly Savage (shelved, released in Germany on May 11, 1993)

Today's post is the final entry in my current Hit Squad run. It is also the most depressing.


So if you've been following my blog in recent weeks, I guess you'd be quite familiar with the EPMD story: Two very talented and driven people who shared a genuine friendship that was ripped apart by their rapid artistic success. There's absolutely no doubt in my mind that the Hit Squad breakup prevented what could've been one of the biggest movements in musical history. What transpired after only served to sour the mouths of everyone who ever got down with Erick Sermon, Parish Smith and underlings K-Solo, Redman and Das EFX. Thankfully, all parties involved were able to push through and build respectable careers for themselves in this hip hop game. Hell, even sidelined acts like Keith Murray and Craig Mack, who practically lost their door into the industry because of said breakup, were able to dust themselves off and find other gateways in. As I said, all parties involved were able to push through. All but one.

The Knucklehedz were one Tom Jimenez aka Tom J the Savage and one Steve Austin. (Yeah sure. As if Steve Austin the wrestler, blond, balding and famous for drinking beer and swearing Southern obscenities at his foes, was a chip-toothed gangly MC from Brentwood, Long Island with a head full of brown hair all this goddamn time.) These two are Brentwood, Long Island natives. Tom J got down with Erick Sermon way back in high school. He was introduced to Parish right after EPMD blew, and Parish liked him so much he invited him into the crew, to whom Tom stayed loyal to ever since. He’s even been famously shouted out on the EPMD classic Rap Is Outta Control. Now, Steve was Tom's younger childhood friend. By the time Tom got down with the Hit Squad, he was bringing Steve with him everywhere. Obviously, EPMD liked the other kid as well so he was added to the lineup. The two buddies, who were already making rap demos at this point, formed a group not long thereafter, got shouted out again on Nobody’s Safe Chump (another EPMD favorite) and hooked up with the Hit Squad’s secret weapon: Charles P. Marotta aka McGyver. Who is this man, you ask?

McGyver is the man responsible for EPMD's prowess behind the boards. Both of them. The main mixer for all the classics from the Hit Squad camp, McGyver has remained a constant within the crew to the extent that you even hear him on some of their legendary albums, most notably playing guitar or reciting rhymes Reggie Noble wrote for him on Watch Yo Nuggets. Bottom line, McGyver is the fucking man.

One thing about these two that I respect to infinity is that they never rode their more famous crewmates' coattails. As batshit crazy as that sounds, the Knucklehedz were trying to shop their demos on their own, until one day Parish heard the shit by accident. I guess he liked what he heard, since he signed them directly to Shuma Management, the record company that he ran by himself.

Shuma was the reason there were grumblings from street dudes in Erick's camp that the money wasn’t split down the middle. Said assholes thought they were being loyal when they robbed Parish's home and blamed Erick for the robbery when they were caught. Whomever you people are, fuck every single one of you and fuck what you know about life.

Now that I got that outta the way, our duo finally decided on a name for the album they were working on. Aside from building a platform for its two headliners, Stricktly Savage was supposed to introduce McGyver as another dope producer within the Hit Squad team. The plan was for him to handle half the album, while EPMD themselves handled the other. That half was split between Erick and Parish in what turned out to be an interesting opportunity to compare their respective approaches to production. Sadly, it was not meant to be.

Stricktly Savage was pulled by the fuckheads at EastWest Records because they didn't see the value in promoting an act related to a splintered movement. Especially when the actual leaders of the movement were now beefing with each other. Never mind the fact that the album was already done and its two lead singles already received the video treatment. Never mind all the hard work that Tom J and Steve Austin put in to have this one shot.

Proof that bullshit has always been around in this filthy game. Shame. I wish I’d have been one of the lucky few who actually saw the release of this album in Germany. Then again, I was just starting school back then. Oh well.

Out of respect for these dudes, I’m going to be giving this album the fully-released treatment. I’m going to talk about the songs presented as if they actually reached their target audience.

Boy/girl (pick one), this is Stricktly Savage:

HED RUSH

McGyver sets shit off here with an instrumental sampling various funk classics, including James Brown, that'll crack your spine, readjust it and crack it again. Seriously, these drums are hard as fuck. Props to the Slick Rick, Grand Puba and Books In Reverse samples as they contribute that much more in painting the song's true picture: A textbook braggadocious entry on which Steve lets loose a flurry of punchlines that truly reflect the Hit Squad school he's learned from. Read: He's dope as fuck. Tom J is up next and while his lyrics are very up to par, unfortunately his delivery is noticeably lacking the passion his partner has for this. Both have a fairly decent monotone delivery that serves them well, though. Overall, a terrific album opener.

STRICKTLY SAVAGE
The lead single. And I know exactly what it's called on the tracklisting. Watch me not give a fuck. McGyver gloriously one-ups his previous production, even though he's sampling many of the same samples as Hed Rush, with what may very well be the best beat on the album. I'm telling you, that bassline will cause you to lose your shit. Curiously, Steve is the one sounding unmotivated this time, while Tom J truly blacks the fuck out. Seriously, look out for the second verse on this joint. The duo end the single with a back-n-forth verse that comes off as a tribute to mentors EPMD. Such loyalty is very rare and kind of heartwarming. Which is good, because you'll be replaying this track for quite some time. My favorite song on the entire album. McGyver even goes a step beyond and remixes this banger with an equally banging masterpiece of a jeep rattling beat, so you best check that out if you're digging what you're listening to, so far.

WUNTZ UPON A TIME
A Steve Austin solo, where he tells a story of him getting into shenanigans, breaking and entering and trying to reach a party while baked out of his fucking mind. There's a dated-as-fuck bit where someone pages dude and he calls him back. Remember pagers?! Anyway, Steve pays good attention to detail and it shows. McGyver's beat features a snugly-fit Slick Rick sample setting up storytime. Overall, this had no chance of topping the previous song, but it was fairly good nonetheless.

PARTY WRECKA
Charlie recedes production duties to PMD, who winds the energy down with a straight up goofy beat punctuated by Rev Run and Milk D samples. Somehow, that was meant as a compliment. Our duo accommodates the instrumental accordingly, with them ruining a party then bouncing to another. Rinse & repeat. Overall, this was averagely OK.

UGLEE PICTURES
McGyver's back, and boy, does he ever return with a vengeance! Packing a walloping instrumental with excerpts from fellow Hit Squadians Krazy Drazy and Redman, he sets Tom and Steve off on yet another tale of humorous rampage, this time describing how they seem to mock the authorities' efforts to take photos of our duo as evidence of them committing various acts of petty crime. And it's this song where you realize just how far Steve straight up outclasses Tom lyrically. Therefore, it was very smart to allow him to bookend the song while Tom provides the cream filling. This was awesome.

GIRLIES KEEP SCREAMIN'
Which is not the word for this crap, but you already know that. This song begins the two-song misogyny medley that I'm frankly getting sick of coming across within every fucking hip hop album. These two dipshits even waste a  perfectly banging McGyver instrumental.

ALL SHE WANTED
This was bafflingly a single! With the video treatment and all! Aside from this being a light-hearted Erick Sermon beat, this is the exact same track as the previous one.

TROUBLE MAKAS
Thankfully, we're back to these two finding new ways to describe their tales of mischief. Charlie brings his final beat for the album before bowing out, and it's his tamest one yet. This shouldn't be considered as a knock against it at all. The Knucklehedz' fun is infectious and they do sound with every passing song like they're enjoying the hell outta themselves, which adds to the entertainment value.

5 HOODS IN A 4 DOOR
Ah yes. The 'criminals in cars' medley, which starts strong with a menacing tale of a group rolling in a titular 4-door who are out for chaos and destruction. These two utilize the back-n-forth style they dabbled with on the 'title track' to describe various instances where things went south fast for people who crossed them, and the attention to detail here is awesome. And the duo's monotone delivery here takes on a haunting effect, which sounds easy but is very hard to pull off. Of course, this is all to an addictive PMD Jeep-rattling instrumental with Redman sampled on the hook.

WHO CALLED DA COPS
Production duties switch back to Erick Sermon, who attempts to one-up Parish with his interpretation of a slow and threatening instrumental built around a familiar Kool & The Gang and Boobie Knight & the Universal Lady mesh, along with an Ice Cube sample for its hook. The Knucklehedz are obviously loving this as they turn in another winning storytelling performance, this time about them nervously escaping the law. The back-n-forth monotone triumphs yet again!

JOY RIDIN'
Parish accepts Erick's beat challenge and completely one-ups his contribution by bringing his best beat on the album, one which contains a very prominent LL Cool J sample. It's so good it almost dethrones Charlie's masterclass on the title track. Almost. The Knucklehedz continue their melancholy back-n-forth hot streak with a trio of car-jacking tales that, while not as ominous as 5 Hoods In A 4 Door, still accomplish their job effectively. No lie, I'm having difficulty finding flaws in these dudes' approach to album-crafting, so far.

MERLIN
Sampling Redman and B-Real on the same song can only mean one thing: Welcome to the stoner song! The high-octane instrumental is Erick Sermon's finest contribution to Stricktly Savage and best believe it does its job well. Time would tell if the Knucklehedz were true weed connoisseurs but they smartly kept the concept within their overall image of white trash troublemakers. Well, Steve's image as Tom J's most probably a Latino. Nevertheless, the final song on Stricktly Savage is one you will enjoy bumping in your car on a brisk, clear weather roadtrip with your dipshit friends getting your collective asses baked into the car seats. Guaranteed.

FINAL THOUGHTS
Oh boy. I may not be that old, but I am old enough to know that Stricktly Savage would've definitely been a smash under EPMD's Hit Squad umbrella. The Knucklehedz had some serious pedigree as far as background goes and their image damn well wasn't no popularity gimmick. Best way to describe them to a head is that they were the East Coast's answer to House Of Pain, another underrated hip hop group. Only our protagonists never embraced a foreigner's identity: These two wore their Woods troublemakers image proud. That dedication went a long way towards making their rhymes enjoyable and their lyrical efforts appreciated. It certainly didn't hurt that they had a kickass production crew, as McGyver and his two legendary proteges delivered some of their best beats to these two. Hell, there is zero doubt in my mind that McGyver would've been a star producer had this album been properly released. And for everyone who followed EPMD during their solo careers and somehow think that Erick was the lone production genius of the duo, this album proves otherwise as it show just how devastating a focused PMD can be behind the boards. Alas, we all had to return to reality sometime. I cannot stress this enough, though: Stricktly Savage surprised the fuck outta me after my first listen.

WORTH IT? How many times do I have to tell you? Knucklehedz = Good. 21 Savage = Bad. Now, git.

For the remainder of the Hit Squad war chest, check here.

Redman - Whut? Thee Album (October 9, 1992)

Reggie Noble. DJ Kut Killa. Redman. Funkadelic Devil. Soopaman Luva. Funk Doctor Spot. Eminem's favorite rapper. Possibly the late great Sean Price' favorite rapper, too. Where do I even start with this dude?

I'll probably start by mentioning that I was introduced to this crazy and straight up hilarious character in three video games: the first two Def Jam AKI Corporation wrestling games and True Crime NYC. Comedy relief in all three, his work genuinely made me interested in whatever material he put out. Until I heard that dratted fictional radio station The Liberty Jam that very same season off the underrated PSP game GTA LCS, set in 1998. On that station, host DJ Clue picked a song from the timeless Muddy Waters album, widely heralded as Reggie's finest hour in hip hop, called Do What Ya Feel. It wasn't a single. It wasn't even that popular by the time the game was released. But it was the second ever Redman & Method Man collaboration and it damn well left an impression on me. By then, I was already a fan of Mef since he appeared on the Monstars' Anthem. You already know my history with that song and with Mef himself, so lemme tell you I was rooting for him to body this dude. I'll confess right now that I then felt Mef was the alpha and Reggie was a sort of sidekick. Little did I know how wrong I was, as Reggie blacked the fuck out on Do What Ya Feel, leaving Mef to impressively bat cleanup. Ever since, that song has become a favorite of mine every time I delve into a Def Squad run.

But let's get back to this time period, as then Reggie only had three songs to his name. All were features for the duo who mentored him into this game: EPMD. The two architects of the grimy Jeep-rattling funk sound found Red in a hole-in-the-wall club in New Jersey called Sensations. He was DJ Kut Killa for current Newark City Coucil hopeful Dupre Kelly bka the legendary Doitall from Lords Of The Underground (How dope would it be to finally have someone from hip hop become a government official?! And no, I'm not talking about Headcase becoming president. We're already suffering from one fucking moron running the world into the ground, we don't need another.) when Erick Sermon pressed Reggie to rhyme. Son declined, then E pressed him again. Reggie spit a few bars, one among them being: "I float like a butterfly, sting like the rock group" That line drove Erick, bandmate Parish Smith and future mentor K-Solo insane. The pair threw Reggie onstage that night!

Redman would be tailored to debut on EPMD's third opus, Business As Usual, where he remains the lone guest rapper to appear twice on the same EPMD record. The verse he did on Hardcore would get Reggie his deal with Def Jam, the house that the fuckwads built. Reggie would eventually turn that deal into a long-lasting career with the label filled to the brim with critical and commercial achievements. I started with critical for a damn reason.

On Business Never Personal, Red would emphatically enforce the assumption that he was, as I've previously stated on this blog, a blackout king. Now, defining the term 'blackout' would require stating blackout examples from the hip hop spectrum. Think Sticky Fingaz on Purse Snatchaz, Inspectah Deck on Assassination Day, Busta Rhymes on Scenario, etc. Reggie here qualified to be a blackout king with his verse on Head Banger, widely regarded as one of the utmost examples of the neglected hip hop art of posse cuts. The fuckfaces at Def Jam were backed into a corner: They had to release an album by this guy yesterday.

Whut? Thee Album began production prior to the infamous EPMD breakup, so it was most definitely affected by the whole farce. By the time everyone got back to their battle stations, EPMD had split. Which deprived Redman, for a short while, from his affiliation with EPMD's supergroup the Hit Squad, consisting of him, the aforementioned K-Solo, Das EFX and the Knucklehedz. (Future Bad Boy alumni Craig Mack RIP and future Def Squad lynchpin Keith Murray would've been the next two acts to be introduced. Alas.) The end product still contains several shoutouts to the legendary collective, so there's that. Still, promotion suffered which directly impacted its reception. Despite all the surrounding turmoil, Reggie still dedicated a great deal to keep his baby a mirthful affair through utilizing skits alongside the actual tracks, in an homage to Prince Paul and various West Coast acts. You’ll see if his natural humor was successfully replicated for the proper album. And although it took eight long months, Whut? Thee Album still managed to sell over five hundred thousand copies stateside and influence would-be rappers everywhere to this very day.

Reggie Noble's debut, boy/girl (pick one):

PSYCHO WARD
Reggie debuts Dr. Trevis, his first of many mainstay characters throughout his career. I'll confess: Red is one of the few rap acts who can do skits well.

TIME 4 SUM AKSION
Despite what the Hit Squad's dissolution may have implied, it was always the plan for Erick Sermon to handle the production on this entire album, similar to how PMD did K-Solo's Tell The World My Name. Which is great for Reggie as he's entering into production for himself here (under his real name, might I add) Him coming from a DJing background served him all the better, as well. Now, this second single here is a clear statement that Erick didn't need the EPMD brand to reproduce their Jeep-rattling funky sound. Its instrumental opens with a grandiose Dramatics sample, then throws you down a well of bombastic samples chaotically thrown together around a famous excerpt from B-Real of Cypress Hill (another group criminally underrated when discussing their contributions to hip hop) to form the blood-pumping result. And best believe Reggie capitalized magnificently, with his incendiary punchlines still leaving crowds breathless at every live show he does. The icing on this deliciously hardcore cake is the Zapp loop during the bridge. You will be a hazard to others around you when this shit plays.

DA FUNK
The previous onslaught is haphazardly cut midway to bring attention to this song, which I suspect to be a Reggie Noble production in its infancy, which starts with a loop centered around its Parliament roots, switches to a dope Meters guitar riff then back to the original beat. Redman keeps barreling through with his mission statement: Punchlines that blow your socks off. As if he knew he'd piss people off by the mere mention of the racist Cheeto at the end, Reggie cuts this song as well..

NEWS BREAK
..into this TV report about the '92 riots. TV skits are yet another staple that continues throughout Reggie's legendary career.

SO RUFF
The skit transitions into another one where Red slaps the stinking piss out of a dipshit interviewer (who will return in future albums. I love that character!) Reggie then proceeds to get his storytelling on over a whirlwind of Zapp & Parliament samples provided by the Green-Eyed Erick. Both stories kicked here are written pretty well, might I add. Third dope song in a row!

RATED ‘R’
A dominant Maceo & the Macks loop, with epic Rakim & Ice Cube samples for the hook to boot, sets the tone for yet another scintillating punchline display by the dopest clown MC you'll ever know, whom is slowly but surely creeping his way into your favorite rappers list by now. Here, Reggie dials up the violence a significant deal as he assaults you with ways to freak you out. He dedicates the second verse to bashing the shit outta villains from classic horror films. the first being Chucky from Child's Play, which makes Redman's notable cameo in Seed Of Chucky all the more hilarious. Little known fact: the dude hyping up Reggie throughout the song is his first cousin Tame One from the legendary Artifacts duo. Yeah, yet another streak of quality in yet another Hit Squad album.

WATCH YO NUGGETS (FEATURING ERICK SERMON)
We arrive at the loudest instrumental on this bitch, courtesy of E-Dub and his exquisite sample swirls. This time, it's ESG UFO, Stevie Wonder and P-Funk visionary George Clinton that deliver the goods. The track opens with Erick spitting some fly shit, but he sounds as if someone just socked him in the jaw hard. Maybe this track was after his breakup with Parish. But if so, why does Reggie shout him and Solo out on his following verse. Anyway, when will the onslaught of dopeness end?!

PSYCHO DUB
Thank God, this skit is short. It threatened to ruin the momentum this album is keeping so impressively.

JAM 4 U
You'll enjoy how the previous skit transitions into Reggie getting baked as fuck. You'll also pick up on Das EFX' Straight From The Sewer playing in the background while Red discredits the sellouts. You know, the ones that needlessly take up sitcoms and gimmicky game shows, regardless of said maneuvers' effects on their overall legacies. Wait a minute.... Anyway, the song features Reggie straight up stunting on the competition with his flow manipulation. The album's momentum amazingly continues.

BLOW YOUR MIND
This album is serious about impressing you! The lead single was the first Redman song I actively repeated on my iPod, way past my introduction to his music on GTA LCS. With another instrumental borrowing heavily from Parliament classics, E-Dub continues to evaporate any doubt that he could carry an entire act behind the boards. Redman needed to make this count, of course, and while the rhymes displayed here are incredible and a nice fit to the beat, the rest of the album so far has outclassed it by leagues. Props, to the Gap Band sample in the hook, though. And there's a hilarious bit in the middle where Reggie's supposed to rap in Korean, but fucks up and barrels on with the punchlines anyway! Overall, great song!

HARDCORE (EXCERPT)
I wrote excerpt because the album only played Reggie's impressive verse from EPMD's Hardcore, which got him signed to Def Jam in the first place. My opinion of this song has not changed, although the album's momentum has finally stopped. About time you took a breather!

FUNKY UNCLES
Another skit, another Hit Squad single playing in the background. This time, it’s Spellbound by Kevin Self Organization Left Others. This skit introduces my absolute favorite character from the Reggieverse: (term coined by Max!) Boy/girl, (pick one) say hello to Uncle Quilly! This dude is hilarious and here he tears into MC Hammer. This skit caused Hammer the hypocrite to call upon various Crip associates of his to actually attempt to kill Reggie. Poor Hammer is butthurt nobody likes nor respects his bitchass.

REDMAN MEETS REGGIE NOBLE
We transition into Reggie's own banger of an instrumental, sampling a breathtaking Village Callers sax excerpt along with that Emotions loop. Here, Redman perfects the inner conversation style popularized by one timeless Slick Rick, who still never seems to get the credit he deserves. Anyway, this song is hilarious and ingenious at the same damn time. It appears the album's hit-rate is back on track!

TONIGHT’S DA NIGHT
Ah, yes. the third single and one of the two most popular songs on this shit, the other being Time 4 Sum Aksion of course. The beat is one constant Isaac Hayes loop beautifully interlocked with a Mary Jane Girls sample for the hook. Clearly influenced by Scratch, Bring It Back Reggie rhymes about some "punk smooth shit" before unveiling his true masterpiece: one hell of a quotable hardcore performance. One thing heads keep overlooking about Reggie is how influential his flow game really is. Go ahead, listen to these lyrics and imagine any one rapper off your bullshit top 5 lists spit this. Yep, thought so. Trust me, this timeless classic is a staple at Red's live shows for a reason.

BLOW YOUR MIND (REMIX)
Over a slightly inferior Reggie Noble production that relies heavily on an annoying Zapp sample, this is the exact same song as the original aside from the first 8 bars of the second verse. And this time, Reggie does not fuck up his Korean performance, which is somehow less funny. This was unnecessary. It is what it is.

I’M A BAD

Now that’s more like it! E-Dub’s beat is his most suffocatingly grimy on the entire album, which sends Reggie off in rare form. The man even predicts how his two-decade tenure at Def Jam would end with one bar. Which bar, you ask? What, you want me to ruin the fun? No, this is a record that you need to hear for yourself. There’s a funny reward for doing so in the song’s midst. Trust me.

SESSED ONE NIGHT

Another 90s skit featuring a cop harassing people, and this time the cop’s black. Amazingly, the track playing in the background is Looking At The Front Door off the incomparable Main Source album Breaking Atoms. I don’t care if I’m showing my bias, I’ll gladly big up Large Professor any chance I damn well get.

HOW TO ROLL A BLUNT

Speaking of legendary crate diggers, the Soul Brother PR himself returns to yet another Hit Squad act and produces an absolute masterpiece of a union between Keni Burke and Jimmy McGriff. The Cypress Hill influence continues with Reggie educating wannabe stoners everywhere with the track’s obvious subject. Props to him for still keeping things humorous. This album is achieving one rare feat of consistency here.

SOOPER LUVER INTERVIEW

And we’re introduced to our final Reggieverse character on the album: The ever-stunting showoff Soopaman Luva. Why do I call him this when his name is spelled differently on the tracklisting, you ask? Don’t ask stupid questions.

A DAY OF SOOPERMAN LOVER

And thus begins another saga featuring a morally conspicuous character by a Hit Squad act, the first being the Jane saga by EPMD. You’ll enjoy how this dude is so self-absorbed that he has trouble sticking to his story without hilariously going off into a braggadocious tangent. And this happens on every chapter of this beautifully funny series. Also, this saga is mostly famous for housing two beats in each song. Here Reggie produces the first, a prominent Johnny Guitar Watson loop, while Erick delivers a funky James Brown cookup. This was a great final song.

ENCORE

Simply the Blow Your Mind beat looped till fadeout. This was pretty useless, although I’m glad it’s at the very end. And we’re done.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Holy shit! This album is a hip hop statement if I ever heard one. I guess Reggie Noble was frustrated with the fact that he was delayed so long, only for his team to go up in smoke when it was his time to shine. Because son packed a whole truckload of content in this album. Whut? Thee Album has everything you might like in a hardcore hip hop album and then some: social commentary, wit, humor, badassery, lyricism, you name it. Top it off, the music is a worthy continuation of the Hit Squad’s timeless Jeep-rattler brand. The dude did say that people ‘fucked up by letting him make an album’.

WORTH IT? Right now, this must be the most well-known album I’ve reviewed from the Hit Squad so far, but if you don’t house this album in your collection for any reason whatsoever, you need to put down that Cardi B garbage you were thinking of listening to and rectify that shit ASAFP.

Still can’t get enough Hit Squad? Here you go. For more Uncle Quilly though, here.

EPMD - Business Never Personal (August 7,1992)

At the end of 1991, the house of one Parish Smith of EPMD was robbed. The assailants clamied to the police that Parish's EPMD partner Erick Sermon paid them to do so. The implications of this incident would lead the entire Hit Squad movement, by then tearing emphatically through the whole hip hop industry, to a deafening halt and, more importantly, put a loathesome strain on a lifelong friendship.

To understand the magnitude of hip hop's loss, the achievements of said Hit Squad must be reflected upon: 3 gold albums, 1 platinum album and a gang of timeless hits by them and fellow Squadians K-Solo & Das EFX. A considerable heap of critical acclaim for the movement's largely-unified sound of grimy funk beats added with a colorful variety of lyrical styles was all the more reason for the Hit Squad to become the blueprint for the collective that would definitively take their place within the annals of hip hop history: The Wu-Tang Clan. Surely you know I'm right by now.

Shedding light away from the negativity for a bit, EPMD were riding high as all the chips of the Hit Squad's success continued to stack in their favor. The surpise sleeper hit Dead Serious along with Time's Up, the second critically acclaimed K-Solo album in a row, prepped Erick "Microphone Wrecka" Sermon and Parish "Microphone Doctor" Smith for launch into a world currently occupied by Sean Comby Combs & them… That of the hip hop executive. Except that EPMD feel like a much more legitimate fit for that lane, don'cha think? Anyway, our duo felt that it was high time they progressed into their fourth opus and second release under the house that the fuckwads built, Def Jam, as they added the finishing touches on what would become the debut album of the lone remaining Hit Squadian, one Reggie Noble aka DJ Kut Killa bka the mighty Redman.

By now, the minimum expectation for an EPMD album was at least five hundred thousand shipped units and a mountain of critical acclaim praising the game-changing nature of said release. Amazingly, Business Never Personal (Almighty God, does that title piss me off now) scored on all fronts, with the album achieving the gold plaque in a mere two months and thereby becoming the fastest-selling EPMD album. Many fans of these two claim this album as their very best, and you're here to fact-check the validity of that claim.

Business Never Personal, boy/girl (pick one):

BOON DOX
A prominent Earth, Wind & Fire loop laced with that James Brown guitar riff helps EPMD top the opening track of their last album, as this braggadocious display of theirs deserves all the light shed on it. This was awesome.

NOBODY'S SAFE CHUMP
Aside from the useless skit at the beginning, E& P successfully recreate the feel of their classic album cut Manslaughter, with their beat based on a melodic Bobby Womack loop.  This album cut game is hard to pull off, yet these two make it seem effortless.

CAN'T HEAR NOTHING BUT THE MUSIC
Trust this pair to turn a four-second excerpt of a soulful Barbara Mason ballad into a hardcore Jeep-rattler. One thing though, Parish: What were you on when you performed the eponymous hook?! The actual verses prevent said hook from developing into a full-blown annoyance that ruins the overall song. Instead, it’s merely a hilarious distraction that you enjoy along with the rest of the track.

CHILL
Now this beat here. EPMD, fucking legends that they are, craft a majestic horn sample woven through an ingeniously slowed-down Foreigner excerpt that makes their patented BNB sound like it was delivered by two giants towering sky high over New York. The DOC and Rakim samples sweeten the deal that much more. This shit is awesome!

HEAD BANGER (FEATURING K-SOLO & REDMAN)
Ruff Ryders' Ryde Or Die? Thank this song. Parliament is the order of this song as our duo upscale the excerpt to a gojazillion! Once again, EPMD allow fellow Hit Squadians Kevin Madison and Reggie Noble to completely outclass them on record, which they do as Solo brings the Knick Knack Patty Wack steez (without spelling shit, thank the Almighty) while Redman completely incinerates the memory of his Hardcore verse with a contribution that deservedly got him his first Source Hip Hop Quotable, so if people were checking for him before, they were rioting in anticipation of his debut, now. Bottom line, this is my joint-favorite song on Business Never Personal and straight up one of the best posse cuts in hip hop history. Hell, this is the song that inspired Protect Ya Neck!

SCRATCH BRING IT BACK, PT.2 (MIC DOC)
DJ Scratch builds a simple loop out of an Emotions bass chord, where Erick bigs up his DJ. Following which Parish spits some hot garbage on purpose. Erick then reprimands him in a funny ass interlude mid-song and orders him to black the fuck out as the beat switches to yet another classic ESG UFO loop by the pair. Parish obliges, of course, with his finest braggadocio to date. I'm not joking. Dope song.

CROSSOVER
By sampling a then-recent Roger Troutman hit then immediately following up with a grimy beat looping a badass Idris Muhammad bassline, EPMD have mastered the art of musical contrast in one go. Which worked wonders for their intended concept, as the hook was intended to be a parody of the crossover attempts rampant at the time. Bafflingly, Crossover remains EPMD's biggest song, as it sold over five hundred thousand units by its lonesome. Once again, these two prove just how adept they are at trashing the music industry following their timeless Give The People (Jeep Mix). And again, songs like this show just how unstoppable Parish can be when motivated, even though Erick barrels through the opening with quotables galore. I applaud the fuck outta EPMD for making this their lead single.

CUMMIN' AT CHA (FEATURING DAS EFX)
Featured Hit Squadians Das EFX pride themselves to be 'Straight From The Sewer'. If any song they ever participated in reflects this, it's this one. The instrumental is that grimy, suffocating gutter shit that you want from your Hit Squad joints. And even though Head Banger is the more popular posse cut, this song bangs just as accordingly. Lyrically, Das EFX rip into the beat something heavy, leaving nothing but destruction in their wake as EPMD deftly set up the alleyoop. This song was actually performed on the Tonight Show back in 1992 when that asshat Jay Leno hosted the shit. That performance deserves to be seen, so I'll include it here. My other joint-favorite song on Business Never Personal.

PLAY THE NEXT MAN
Another EPMD classic instrumental, another heavy Parliament influence! Too bad it's wasted on yet another misogynistic painting of women. These stereotypes were never that rampant, people!

IT'S GOING DOWN
Off the Juice OST, this mesh of a timeless Marvin Gaye performance with that bloodpumping sax, complete with a Billy Squier excerpt threaded therein results in one stadium destroyer of a beat, accompanied by our duo packing enough ammunition from their extensive reserves of battle rhymes. Props to Parish "destroying posses of demo tapes like Agent Orange" Being that they're musical geniuses by this point, EPMD recognize this song's live potential so well that they've never played it during one of their recent live shows. Do I sound pissed? You already know my answer.

WHO KILLED JANE?
This Rick James song has been sorely missing from Jane 3. Well, now it makes its triumphant return to the Jane saga with the best chapter yet with a deftly interwoven Curtis Mayfield snippet. The pair weave the tale implied in the title with just the right amount of social commentary sprinkled across the usual brilliant humor, as Erick & Parish portray a cop & a suspect respectively. Perfect ending to the album.


FINAL THOUGHTS
By all means, heads thought that EPMD reached their absolute zenith with Business As Usual. Oh, how utterly wrong everyone was: These two have turned this consistency issue most rappers struggle with into a goddamn artform, as Business Never Personal remains EPMD's most focused project to date. Almost every single song bangs. I wish I was kidding. Oh, except for that Play The Next Man shit, as you damn well know by now that that don't fly here at BBR.

Sadly, the events described at the beginning of this review eventually shattered all that could've been expected from the legendary Hit Squad team, as not long after this classic album dropped, EPMD splintered apart. Unfortunately, there were some careers that were shelved. Those inculded a pre-fame Craig Mack and saddest of all, the Knucklehedz, as the EPMD franchise went up in smoke within a few months. Erick Sermon and Parish Smith stayed far away from each other for four years, with each dude suddenly deciding to establish a solo career. Hell, they even traded subliminal shots at each other. Good thing they reunited in 1997 but that was when commercialism and Wu-Tang ruled hip-hop. EPMD has since remained a niche and a reminder of what could've been. They still make dope music and get pretty good tour money, though, which may be all that matters to them anymore. It ain't like they've lost their livelihood over this shit.


WORTH IT? Despite the then-somber future of the band, I recommend you acquire this album with every fiber of my being. You read the above. You know where I stand on this ageless art piece. You'll be able to add it to your EPMD shrine, similar to myself.

TRACKS TO TRACK DOWN:
BROTHERS FROM BRENTWOOD, LI
The b-side to their popular lead single. Even though Erick and Parish utilize an Emotions loop that's been exhausted by most of their fellow Hit Squadians, they still invest new ways to make it sound fresh and exciting. Also, it still feels good to hear these two have fun talking shit together on a record. Call me sentimental and see if I give a fuck. And we're done.

Interested in more of the Hit Squad catalog? Here you go. EPMD enthusiasts can head here, instead. Your call.

K-Solo - Time's Up (June 2, 1992)

After securing the only guest spot on EPMD’s second gem "Unfinished Business", Kevin Madison by day and K-Solo by night managed to convince Erick & Parish to commission an entire album produced by them, despite him introducing a fucking ridiculous gimmick AND fucking it up royally.

With this opportunity that many better rappers dreamed of, Kevin Self Organisation Left Others managed not to fuck it up too much, producing an album that, while hitting all the required notes, failed to connect as a whole with enough people to be fondly remembered 30+ years later.

Nevertheless, songs like "Fugitive", "Tales From The Crack Side" & "Your Mom's In My Business" managed to win over enough acclaim at the time to secure backing for a sophomore effort.

The year is 1992. EPMD, K-Solo & Redman are on top of the fucking world solely because of EPMD's shrewd business moves. Having signed Das EFX the previous year, who went on to release a fucking classic in Dead Serious Thereby, the whole collective would begin their reign as the Hit Squad, a tour-de-force of talented rap acts that would leave quite the dent on the rap game in the coming years.

Next up was our headliner. Now, the first album, while containing a couple of questionable choices, somehow allowed him to discover his knack of storytelling by weaving some interesting themes. This time, being the visionary that he is, he thematically introduces absolutely nothing new to capitalise on his momentum. What he DID do is update his production significantly by introducing the MVP of this album.

On "Your Mom's In My Business", Kevin shouts out a very interesting figure in hip hop.  And no, I’m not talking about his ex-DJ Biggie Smalls the first, later revealed to me as DJ Scratch. (How boneheaded was the decision to replace Scratch as his DJ?! Although that might’ve been because he had obligations with EPMD. Ah well.)

No, he shouts out Sam Sneed, a complete mystery to the world of hip hop at the time, who would enter the game with a bang as a respected underground producer on this very album.  His work here would open the eyes of one Dr. Dre, who would promptly sign him to Death Row Records, promising him the promised land & using his services as producer & occasional rapper for a bunch of tracks, one of which was "U Better Recognize", his debut single & only well-known song, before treating him to the dreaded "Best of luck in your future endeavors." Sam would never return full-time to hip hop ever again, leaving this album as the most extensive completed body of production in his catalogue.

Yes, but what about Kevin? (Anyone else think that Kevin Madison sounds like a rejected Home Alone name?)

Well, the debut gave us a glimpse of what to expect from him lyrically.  Now, knowing that this album also sold zilch copies, let's find out if he can update his formula this time around:

I CAN'T HOLD IT BACK

Enter Sam Sneed.  The second single & the first of six Sam Sneed productions on the album.  You'll see why I mention this guy so much when you hear the P-Funk-heavy beat, as it fucking bangs. Sneed’s instrumental helps Mr. Madison reach new heights with his rhymes, as he sounds pretty fucking inspired, resulting in the song being elevated to new heights. This is what a beat’s proper function is. Nicely done, Kevin and Sam.

LETTERMAN

Mr. Madison acquires the services of the legendary Pete Rock in his prime to produce the lead single which is basically... A continuation of the fucking spelling gimmick laid over some dope Jackie Mittoo organs overlapping a vintage Kool & The Gang sax.  Get a clue, Kev. We're not gonna forget your snafu if you keep reminding us of it.  The only reason I can think of Atlantic warranting a sequel to "Spellbound" is that, somehow, the dipshit record execs' tiny little creative minds thought that continuing this moronic gimmick would result in more sales. Even though the first time was a spectacle of a failure.  Of course, they were wrong.  Again. I will say that the remix, also commissioned by the PR and used for the video, is infinitely preferable to this cut because Pete does away with Solo's asinine hook and amps up the Jeep-rattling sonics. Moving on. 

LONG LIVE THE FUGITIVE

Solo reprises his role (not for the last time) as the Fugitive from the first album, returning to his strong storytelling ways and doing so accompanied by a haunting Funkadelic loop provided by.... HIMSELF???!!! This was one surprise you never would’ve seen coming!  The tale was short & sweet. Just enough to whet my appetite for the next track.

PREMONITION OF A BLACK PRISONER

Here, Kevin continues the tale of the previous track, talking about himself and another inmate, who just so happens to be innocent.  I think this time, he wanted to expand on the themes of "Fugitive". Which was a wise decision, as they fit snugly in this grim-yet-unfortunately-relevant story.  He is accompanied by the second Sam Sneed knockout as he ingeniously slows down a Commodores loop to achieve the desired somber mood.  Seriously, the man is on quite a run during this album.  The momentum is stalled a bit when Kev starts naming his "hit" songs, which doesn't fit the context at all, but the ending to the inmate's harrowing tale provides a telling image.  Overall, this shit was nice!

SNEAK TIP

Sam Sneed does it yet again, delivering the fucking goods in this spiritual sequel to "Tales From The Crack Side," containing the same degree of paranoia, yet this song is actually much more light-hearted than its predecessor.  This time, though, Solo's rhymes don't stand on the realistic edge for long, as he essentially rips off both "Alice in Wonderland" and “the Wizard Of Oz” in a streetwise manner.  The end product is not too shabby, but he's delivered better elsewhere.

THE BABY DOESN'T LOOK LIKE ME

Here, Mr. Madison continues reusing themes from the first album, and so far shows good results.  Kevin travels back to the girl troubles barrel, as so many people have stories for a rapper to use here. Or maybe Kev has fucking bad taste in women. In this tale, he tells how his girl was fooling around on him & got pregnant by a different man.  Erick Sermon returns to contribute to his Hit Squad brother his first of two contributions on the album, although the Carrie Lucas loop sounds so much like a Sam Sneed choice, instead of his usual funk-centric direction. Altogether, Good track.

THE FORMULA (HOUSE PARTY)

The most cinematic song in the entire Hit Squad repertoire makes its appearance.  The brainchild of Parish Smith, who produced the beat, the song starts sounding like a skit, describing a bunch of hoodlums trying to enter a K-Solo concert then transitioning into what sounds like a live freestyle.  The performance fits the underground stage vibe, and the beat, that Jeep-rattling funk of course, is fucking bananas. The song ends when a fight breaks out between the crowd, where Solo stupidly shouts "Cut the sounds off!" while the beat keeps on knocking and he keeps ad-libbing.  Overall, a very entertaining piece. 7 years later, EPMD would issue a remake of it on their final Def Jam album, Out of Business, and produce similar results. Is it just me or does this track serve much better as the intro to the album?  My hat's off to Parish!! (and I don't even own a hat. Because I got this crazy dandruff problem, you see.)

WHO'S KILLIN' WHO?

Sam Sneed appears for contribution #4, and yet again produces a fucking gem. The brilliant fusion of Barry White and Eddie Kendricks accompanies Solo's newfound conviction in spitting his lessons. Here, he continues the theme of "The Messenger" from the first album, but with better results. His voice now carries a certain authority behind it while still being able to relate to the hardheads.  Not bad at all.

HOUSEHOLD MAID

Now, ladies & gentlemen!!! It's sex rap time!!!  K-Solo turns in a much better effort at the sex rap than his previous attempt on "Renee-Renee". The beat is Sam Sneed's first throwaway track as he tries his best Pete Rock imitation, and fails to make an impression.  The rhymes were funny, at least.

ROCK BOTTOM

E-Double returns for his second beat, which delivers his brand of heavy funk properly this time. By his standards, the beat is alright since I like Erick's sound when he's producing grimy gutter shit. Similar to his later work on his debut. For his part, Kev does alright with his lyrics, delivering a notable performance.  Could've been much better, though, given Erick's work with a certain Reggie Noble.

KING OF THE MOUNTAIN

Mr. Madison ends his album with the final Sam Sneed highlight, which is basically the spiritual sequel to "Drums of Death" on the first album. Centered around a majestic Marvin Gaye loop, the beat contains a damn fine sample of the still-very-underrated DMC from Run-DMC to excellent effect and Kevin deals with it accordingly by ripping it to fucking shreds. He lists several of his more notable tracks, which I'm OK with on braggadocious tracks, then continues to tell his story of how he got into music. Corny but vivid. A fitting end to the man's solo career.

FINAL THOUGHTS: This time around, K-Solo sticks to his fucking guns for better or worse, tackling almost the exact same themes as his debut. His lyrical imagery, however, experiences some noticeable growth. Even if his delivery doesn't. It should be very notable that he's not the sole headliner this time around. Sam Sneed deserves as much recognition on this album as Kevin himself.  Maybe even more so. The man turns in a fucking enthralling performance throughout the album, giving K-Solo the necessary edge to improve his product, which he does. Of course, none of this translated into any commercial success whatsoever, so don’t blame Sam for jumping at the promise of what Death Row could offer. Aside from "U Better Recognize", he produced some notable hits like "Natural Born Killaz" and "Keep Their Heads Ringin'" with the good doctor himself, on both of which he wrote Dre's verses. All the while attempting to release his solo debut to no avail. After that, he vanished off the face of the industry and hasn't been heard from until 2010, where he released said debut along with enough alterations to completely fuck up the original.

As for our host?  He followed his pal Sam to Death Row Records where, aside from a few leaked tracks like 16 Dead Doggs, all the bullshit effectively ended his solo career right then & there. He does pop up on Redman's classic "Muddy Waters" where he costars with the Funkadelic Devil himself on the lead single, "It's Like That (My Big Brother)". But that beat was fucking meh and, most importantly, Kevin no longer sounds like a veteran or even a talented MC. Instead, he sounds like a C-teamer who was given the shot of his fucking life on a Redman album.  And he still fucks it up. After a showing on PMD's "Awakening" album and his appearance on Beef I, K-Solo is rarely heard from until the 2012 Hit Squad Reunion, playing some of his old hits. Talk about a fall from grace. He did receive a nice YouTube documentary called They Call Me K-Solo here, although the link doesn’t work for mobile users for some stupid reason. Anyway, this album is a worthy addition to the catalogue of any Hit Squad enthusiast.  Or any head who knows his hip-hop.

WORTH IT? No rap album is worth $50.  Period. Other than that, most definitely! Sam Sneed shines brightly on this gem album, and K-Solo has (or had, anyway) enough skill in him to deliver a quality project, despite rehashing revisited themes.  Plus, his storytelling during the early 90s was always enjoyable. And EPMD themselves (especially Parish) deliver some decent productions, as well.

Click here to further indulge your Hit Squad gluttony, and here if you’re just interested in K-Solo.

Das EFX - Dead Serious (April 7, 1992)

(Again, we have another review I wrote for Max’ Hip Hop Isn’t Dead. I expect to be posting more of those in the near future, and here you get to read the “blogger’s cut” of those posts, if you will. Once again, shoutouts to Max. Also, this Hit Squad run will only be concerned with albums executive-produced by EPMD.)

Remember when mainstream hip hop actually sounded good?

In the early 1990s, the G-Funk sound from the West Coast had the game, to quote Inspectah Deck, "in the Cobra Clutch". Its figurehead, Dr. Dre, had been storming the charts ever since his days with N.W.A. His Death Row Records brethren only furthered the aggressiveness of their takeover, basically snatching radio airplay from under New York's struggling noses. Well, not necessarily struggling: a few established acts, such as Public Enemy, were still selling well. But the new blood failed to make any sort of impact on the radio, and the old guard were fading from popularity.

As a counteractive measure, New York stuck to its roots, producing gritty hip hop albums with heavy emphasis on creativity, and they eventually gained some ground back within the mainstream in what was dubbed "The East Coast Renaissance". But which act spearheaded the movement back into the public eye?

Three acts come to mind: Naughty By Nature, Onyx and Das EFX.

Now the first two knew what they were doing when they crafted such well-known songs as "OPP", "Hip Hop Hooray", and "Slam". But ironically, Das EFX had absolutely no friggin' clue what they were doing, and they watched as their self-produced debut single, "They Want EFX", became a hit nationwide in 1992. But I know what the real question on your mind is: Who in the flying fuck are Das EFX?

They were one Teaneck, New Jersey native named Andre Weston, who was was an excellent plastic dishwasher under the name Krazy Drayz, and Brooklynite William Hines, who was the water boy for the local girls' junior high soccer team, who for some reason kept calling him 'Books In Reverse'. Which was pretty stupid from the fucking brats. But he cherished them oh so much that he went with Skoob as his rap name. Get it? Books? Skoob? Hardy har har. The duo named themselves Das EFX, with “Das” standing for “Drayz And Skoob” and “EFX” meaning, well, effects. I’ll let the fact that they almost named themselves Skoob And Drayz Effects sink in for a moment. Sad EFX. Yep.

Anyways, EPMD, high off the success of their third masterpiece Business As Usual, found these two shits in a no-name hip hop contest in Virginia that would award one hundred dollars to the winning act, just as Erick Sermon and Parish Smith were beginning to build up their powerhouse Hit Squad collective. As a result, they signed the pair to EastWest Records and executive-produced their entire debut, Dead Serious, which turned out to be a great fucking move, as the album sold a jillion copies and made Das EFX household names.

But is this a good album, or just another pile of crap?

This is Dead Serious.

MIC CHECKA
Enter the other headliners of the album: Solid Scheme, consisting of Chris Charity and Derek Lynch, were a production duo that Skoob knew from growing up in Brooklyn. “Mic Checka”, the second single from the album, fucking bangs due to a deft James Brown loop. Even with the ear-gouging loop that will be all that you remember from this song, the “iggedy” gimmick (that the duo calls, get this, "sewage") is in full effect from the very beginning. But contrary to what many think, the "sewage" style wasn't these guys' fundamental claim to fame, even if it was a major one: rather, it was the duo's attempt at covering every pop culture reference and nursery rhyme they can think of to create hilarious punchlines that very few rappers can conjure, such as Lord Finesse, Big L and their Hit Squad comrade Redman. The references to Slick Rick and “Bonita Applebum” were pretty good. More importantly though, Solid Scheme issued a remix with a prominent bassline that rips this version to shreds.

JUSSUMMEN
The hook here is a damn fine sample taken from Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick's iconic “La Di Da Di”. I believe Solid Scheme deserve a crisp pat on the back for successfully replicating the Jeep-rattling Funk that is EPMD’s forte for the beats heard so far here. And the punchlines keep on flooding, with the Plymouth Rock reference killing me every time. Bottom line, you will enjoy this gem. Pete Rock, remixer extraordinaire, commissioned a remix that's still revered to this day.

THEY WANT EFX
The lead single. Your grandmother knows this song by heart. Hell, Brian Austin Green knows this song by heart, if Beverly Hills 90210 is any indication. This was a very interesting choice, as it wasn't as refined as the other tracks on Dead Serious, but in turn, the lyrical choices are more haphazard, which adds to the entertainment value. The use of the KRS-One and Erick Sermon vocal samples work in the James Brown-centric instrumental's favour, which was surprisingly produced by Das EFX themselves. This is the first of many songs in their catalogue where they would sample the voice of one of their generous benefactors. Solid Scheme would remix this as well, with the result being very hard to find these days. Those who witnessed this tidal wave of a song will remember it vividly though.

LOOSEYS
This track surprised the fuck out of me the first time I heard it. Drayz and Skoob Effects weave one the funniest stories I have ever heard in hip hop. The fact that these two choose to tell a story describing how they literally shit in their pants, never mind writing a full song about it, is a fucking ballsy move: it takes fucking guts from a rapper to even attempt tackling such an embarrassing subject. And it pays off ingeniously: each rapper tells a story from his own perspective that ends up with them (spoiler alert!) shitting themselves by accident. The vivid detail that they use throughout the story only adds to the hilarity. The Special Ed sample was cut brilliantly over the Booker T/MGs loop by Solid Scheme in a way that sounds comical, as well. One of my favourite tracks on the album, and the absolute funniest.

DUM DUMS
Another storytelling rap, although this one is a misogynistic embarrassment. The Solid Scheme beat was the only good aspect of this ear-grating experience, looping a legendary Otis Redding performance while freaking a well-known Run-DMC sample.

EAST COAST
Usually I tend to favour Skoob in the punchline department, but on “East Coast”, Drayz rips his contribution to fucking shreds. Both his delivery and his punchlines are top class, leaving no room for Willie Hines to even attempt thinking about catching up. I friggin' loved the Peggy Bundy reference, since she really never did shit! The ESG UFO heavy beat is further proof that Solid Scheme were to Das EFX what the Beatminerz are to the Boot Camp Clik. Here, they continue the run of sampling Erick Sermon's lines, along with those of fellow Golden Era icons KRS-One and Rakim. This shit is funny to me since even after EPMD broke up and Das EFX sided with PMD, they still kept sampling Sermon's voice. Interesting. Overall, a fucking awesome track. Even better, Solid Scheme's remix of this track kicks its motherfucking ass!

IF ONLY
Solid Scheme step up their game by producing what is arguably the best beat of the entire album, basing an epic loop over a timeless Stanley Turrentine record. Their love for sampling "La Di Da Di" continues, as if Doug E. Fresh had never made another song. Drayz pronounce the duo's affiliation with the Hit Squad loud and clear. You know, just before the Squad broke the fuck up later that same year. Lyrics-wise, a pop culture nerd would have a field day: Drayz slightly edges out his partner once again with his Benjamin Franklin reference. Another highlight: "I figgety-funked up Sanford and his fucking Son".  Nice!

BROOKLYN TO T-NECK
Solid Scheme produce an odd-sounding mesh of a beat sampling James Brown, Instant Funk, The Bar-Kays & that UFO record once again, with the result not sounding as accessible as their previous work, yet is still serviceable. The production duo sample fellow Hit Squad cohort Redman's vocals from the awesome EPMD cut "Hardcore", along with some from the very underrated Chubb Rock, who would collaborate with Das EFX in the future. However, “Brooklyn To T-Neck” is where the duo show the first signs of lyrical fatigue, producing barely passable rhymes that don't compare to the rest of the album.

KLAP YA HANDZ
The very first completed Das EFX recording. With a simple Emotions loop, the beat, produced by some unknown named Dexx, is a much needed wind-down in comparison to Solid Scheme's work, mostly perfect for workout music. You get the feeling that Andre and Willie were lyrically testing the waters with an early precursor to their current style, throwing some random catchphrases together to see what stuck. Skoob sounds a bit more experienced than his partner here. Weirdly, this particular track is the song that the duo performed in front of EPMD, which prompted Parish to issue the funniest ultimatum ever: "Look, you want one hundred dollars or a record deal?" EPMD must have been serious contenders for best A&Rs of all time.

STRAIGHT OUT THE SEWER
Dead Serious ends with the final single, a booming Solid Scheme production that brilliantly samples Biz Markie over an addictive mesh of Carl Carlton and Parliament. The duo flop their first stanza with mediocre rhymes, but then they both come back with better contributions in their respective second verses. This was not bad at all. Still a better introduction to the duo than "They Want EFX".

FINAL THOUGHTS: OK, let's cut the bullshit. Most people, who feel confused by Das EFX's gimmick and feel it to be entirely unnecessary, will do well to steer clear from Dead Serious, as it's very much a love-it-or-hate-it album. However, those who love the style will find a truckload to enjoy here. The pop culture references overload the entire album, many times producing a hearty laughing session. Trust me on this. The only thing I would've liked to see more of is songs like "Looseys": there aren't many rappers that are willing to paint themselves in embarrassing situations, and these two did a fucking fantastic job with it.

WORTH IT? By all means. It can be found very easily, and it is a fucking certified classic. Then you, like the rest of the mainstream back in 1992, can annoy your parents by bouncing around their basement bellowing at the top of your lungs: "BUM STIGGEDY BUM STIGGEDY BUM!!!" No? That was just me then?

TRACKS TO TRACK DOWN:
HARD LIKE A CRIMINAL
So “Looseys” wasn't their only foray into storytelling. As I've since discovered, Das EFX released a b-side that didn't make the cut of Dead Serious. The absence of this song mystifies me, as this was the best Das EFX song in 1992, hands fucking down. This awesome Solid Scheme production, built over a weld of James Brown, Isley Brothers, Sly & the Family Stone and drums from Digital Underground, depicts the two as opposing sides of the young ghetto born-&-raised black male stereotype in the 1990s, with Drayz as the one who isn't "'bout dat life" while Skoob plays the role of the stereotype. “Hard Like A Criminal” is proof to me that Drayz is the primary storyteller of the duo, while Books is usually the one with the clever punchlines. The narrative depicted here is excellence executed, and there's even a surprise ending. Hell, the last verse by both MCs even received a quotable from then-relevant hip hop publication The Source, despite Drayz’ first verse being much more deserving. This was a joy for me to discover, and I am demanding you check it out for yourself.

For more on these Squadians, here. Otherwise, here for the overall family.

EPMD - Business As Usual (December 18, 1990)

Let's set the scene.

You're EPMD, right? You just released two back-to-back albums that have both achieved commercial successes and became highly influential setpieces that have revolutionized the very sound of the art form known as hip hop, right? You also just so happened to have acquired a deal with Atlantic Records, then-headed by creativity shovel Sylvia Rhone of all people, for an album by the debut member of your own legendary hip hop roster, thereby laying the foundation for a full-blown takeover of the hip hop industry, right? And you're doing all this from a small, hole-in-the-wall label called Sleeping Bag Records in the time space of three goddamn years, right? How do you make sure you turn this rapid progression into one for the long haul?

Fuck if I know.

Seriously, a mere two years after they debuted, Erick "Microphone Wrecka" Sermon and Parish "Microphone Doctor" Smith were blowing up, fast. And they did so without compromising one damn bit of their artistry. (Well, aside from You Had Too Much To Drink. Didn't think I'd remember that crap, did you?) Only one problem: They were ascending so fast that Sleeping Bag was no longer able to afford them. So being that they were managed by that steaming pile of living excrement Russell Simmons*, our duo were advised to jump ship to the house that the fuckwads built aka Def Jam. Now this leaves the protagonists in a conundrum: Do they take the plunge and risk looking like a couple of sellouts? Or do they wait for another opportunity that better suits their then-reputation?

The answer was that you're asking the wrong question, silly. Their name stands for Erick and Parish Making Dollars. Their mission statement from the jump was that they're going to milk this game for all it's worth. Difference between these two and the plethora of sellouts ever since is simply the fact that the core foundation of what hip hop stood for meant everything to them. Hell, even Rusty Sheriff Badge Russ couldn't pry creative control from them. There was simply too much money to be made with their formula yet.

And so began the crafting of EPMD's third opus and from the jump, you knew the pair was getting pretty ambitious with this one. First off, Business As Usual reflects a variety of subject matter new for the two rapper/producers, ranging from social commentary to the ever-present girl troubles. Second, the cover, by acclaimed comic book artist Bill Sienkiewicz himself, reflected an upscale of the highest order for our duo. Third, the album houses the very first guest appearance by a rapper outside their Hit Squad camp in the form of Chilly Jimmy himself, LL Cool J, in his debut guest feature, itself a subject of excitement, as well.

Oh, you thought I was done talking about the Hit Squad here? Never, baby. See, this very album houses the debut of the second Hit Squad member and future punchline immortal, Newark, NJ's own Reggie Noble aka DJ Kut Killa bka the mighty Redman. On two songs, nonetheless! If by some freak circumstance you haven't heard of this guy, he goes on to be a problem in hip hop history. Interesting thing is, son was just kicked out of his parents' home for dabbling in selling drugs and was primarily a DJ! Talk about adaptability! You'll see if his performances here warrant another look into his career. Oh, who am I kidding? These two songs here are the humble beginnings of pop sensation Eminem's favorite rapper. You read correctly.

Business As Usual ended up bafflingly repeating its two legendary predecessors’ critical and commercial feats. Read on, as examples of consistency rarely come this obvious.

I'M MAD

A short Funkadelic proclamation leads you straight into a track that will cave your chest open. Over a whirlwind mesh of Ohio Players and Boobie Knight & The Universal Lady supplemented by DJ Scratch’s, um, scratching of that Ad-Rock sample, Erick Sermon comes out chopping heads off. Seriously, dude stepped his flow game the fuck up! His lyrics were always fire so no worries there, but damn son! P comes in and continues right where his buddy left off. This shit was a statement of war if I ever saw one! Nice!

HARDCORE (FEATURING REDMAN)

Best believe the energy isn't letting up for a second! For you jump onwards straight into the best song on the friggin' album! And no, your eyes are not deceiving you, because I'm fully aware of what I wrote. EPMD continue their winning formula of saving their best punches for when they weren't sharing mic time with their understudies, even though Erick bested Parish with some fine quotables on this shit. Speaking of understudies, this is the verse that got the debuting Redman his deal. Well-deserving too, as his alliteration-littered verse, influenced by K-Solo’s spelling gimmick according to Reggie himself, is bluntly bananas over this minimalist masterpiece sampling the Ohio Players. Like I said, Erick and Parish still sneak fly lines in, but I call a hungry Redman the king of the blackout for a goddamn reason. I’ll also add that EPMD have always been masters of highlighting quotables from their own repertoire. By all means, this being the album’s best song should not stop you from listening to the rest of it.

RAMPAGE (FEATURING LL COOL J)

From one guest feature to another as the onslaught continues. I can’t remember if this or Give The People came out first. Oh well. That famous Lowell Fulson loop DJ Muggs used to craft How I Could Just Kill A Man, the b-side that made Cypress Hill household names? Yep, from here so thank EPMD. Also notable here is that, despite Chilly Jimmy's best efforts, and they can be pretty devastating, Parish was not to be denied as he steals the entire song with a verse selected by The Source for a Hip Hop Quotable, back when that publication did no wrong in the eyes of heads everywhere. Proof that when push came to shove, EPMD could fucking go. One thing though, P: Why are you calling yourself the ‘King Of The Bozack’?! As in ‘King Of The Ballsack’??!! Lesson learned: Never delve too much into a rapper’s mind, no matter how iconic said rapper is. Anyway, poor Erick had no chance to fight, as he was forced to record his short-but-still-dope verse while nursing an illness. Shame, that. We could've had both our protagonists trash Chilly Jimmy. Oh well, still a classic song.

MANSLAUGHTER

You might remember me talking about the Love Unlimited Orchestra loop forming this instrumental here. If so, you’ll remember me mentioning that our duo were the act that introduced it to the heads of that time. Well, here’s why they can lay claim to such an achievement: This song remains one of the finest album cuts in hip hop history, if only for the absurd amount of quotables from our hosts. Just when you thought one of them claimed the song with a dope-as-fuck line, the other answers accordingly. Props to DJ Scratch complimented the melodic beat with the perfect PMD excerpt. You need to hear this while driving back home from work. It’ll offer you an outlet for your anger at all the shithead drivers pissing you off on your way back while simultaneously calming you the fuck down and offering you a reprieve from the madness.

JANE 3

We arrive at the flashiest entry in the Jane saga beat-wise, purely because of the James Brown loop these two freak to perfection. Oh, and DJ Scratch forever immortalized the saga via scratching PMD’s spelling display of the fictional female's name. Lyrically, this diversion from the album's awesome BNB assault so far is most definitely the goofiest chapter yet, as the whole narrative here will have you laughing your ass right off at just how absurd it keeps getting with every passing bar. Trust that whenever these two are having fun, you’ll be roped into it as well.

FOR MY PEOPLE

And we’re back to more braggadocio, which I’m honestly not mad about. These two brag well together. I’m honestly surprised that our duo doesn’t include this song more into their live shows, as their Lyn Collins and UFO mashup is tailored for a live audience. That and you can clearly hear the cheers inserted into the resulting instrumental. Not Manslaughter, but a pretty good album cut nonetheless.

MR. BOZACK

Scratch that. The beat to the previous song is horseshit compared to this James Brown-heavy masterpiece. And it’s those Synthetic Substitution drums again, which only add to its energy levels. No bullshit, this may very well be the greatest beat on the album. And what does this iconic duo choose to do with such a priceless instrumental? Quite literally, Parish Smith raps a duet with his PENIS, in what is the absolute weirdest PSA about STDs in hip hop history. What’s stranger is that Erick plays the PENIS. I should’ve known something was off once I heard PMD’s ‘King Of The Bozack’ line on Rampage. What is WRONG with you two??!! Seriously, can you imagine how awesome it would’ve been had the pair used this beat with the previous song’s lyrics? We can’t have everything.

GOLD DIGGER

Another PSA. But this time it’s the lead single, alerting men everywhere to the dangers of superficial women. I feel like I'm flogging a dead horse referencing the misogynistic train of thought but then again, it’s shit like this that caused so many good women to be, at best, completely neglected by men during that decade. Oh and fellow men. I'll let you in on a lil' secret, so don't tell because it's so secret, alright? Read this very clearly: Maybe the reason you keep getting in these shitty situations is the fact that you’re constantly looking for love in clubs populated by materialistic human garbage. Top it all off, The mashup of Funkadelic, Denroy Morgan & Lyn Collins, while not an utter earsore, still underwhelmed. I don’t care if people think it’s a classic, I call it like I see it. Last but definitely most important: It should say a whole lot about Kanye West, whom shall henceforth be known on this blog as Headcase, that out of all the timeless hits EPMD have released throughout their tenure, this sewage is what he chose to replicate. Very stable human being, him.

GIVE THE PEOPLE

Again, I’m not really sure whether this was the second or third single off the album. Never mind. This is the very first time EPMD critique the industry in their music. And I must say, that’s where these two have always been at their very best. Here, the dueling MCs describe mainstream airplay and the forever-uphill battle hopeful artists from impoverished backgrounds have always gone through. PMD drops a pretty timeless line in his first 16 bars, damn near foreseeing the future of hip hop. Not many people listened, P. Anyway, while the beat on this album version was an underwhelming OJays loop, the video version (called the Jeep Mix) brilliantly rectified that mistake by looping a more bombastic excerpt of the same OJays record, while inserting a famed ESG UFO loop during our duo’s verses. Speaking of which, both redid their vocals and their delivery is infinitely better. DJ Scratch was flawless with his work on the original so his masterpieces were kept, which was an obviously smart move. The Average White Band sleighs were the icing on the cake. Now you know which version you should search for.

RAP IS OUTTA CONTROL

This b-side to Gold Digger is by far the meanest EPMD record you'll ever hear. Period. With a shoutout to Tom J the Savage from forgotten Hit Squad originals the Knucklehedz, the onslaught, barely over three minutes, begins with a menacing drum break penetrating the ominous Funkadelic loop. To make matters more interesting, EPMD loop a utterance from Reagan’s February ‘81 State Of The Union Address that gives the track half its title and weave it all the way through the rest of the song in an epic manner. The real clincher, though, is our duo’s delivery. What’s different here is that both E & P deliver each threat in a somewhat-tipsy whine without any sign of the usual bass rappers use when they attempt to intimidate the listener, which makes these two sound as if they’re actually beating you down. If you’ve been reading all these Hit Squad-centric posts of mine so far, then by now you’ve figured out that even though Erick is a quotable machine, Parish is definitely the better MC. And as such, he flourishes under the song’s intense atmosphere. To be fair though, both seriously stepped up their flow game here. This should’ve been the lead single, as it encapsulates the overall harder direction of Business As Usual. My favorite song on the album, apart from the posse cuts of course.

BROTHERS ON MY JOCK (FEATURING REDMAN)

Nautilus! Always a pleasure welcoming you back on BBR! Seriously, one should research Whosampled for just how many bangers this lone classic was sampled into. Anyway, people seem to think the abovementioned Hardcore was Reggie Noble’s first recorded performance. Correction: Hardcore was Reggie Noble’s first recorded performance that people heard. Simply because of the tracklisting. This song is, in fact, the true debut of the Funkadelic Devil inside a studio alongside EPMD. As such, Reggie sounds mad green here, with K-Solo’s influence slipping outta him in that “help” line. As still planned though, he scorched both Erick & Parish, although this time it was P who gave the better effort of the duo. Still preferred over Rampage. The comments section is there for a reason, so come at me motherfucker.

UNDERGROUND

DJ Evil D of the Beatminerz was inspired to craft the classic Black Moon cut How Many MCs by this very track, so thank EPMD. They loop that addictive Grover Washington Jr. sample, resulting in one thumping instrumental which the pair utilize to deliver a vintage verbal can of whupass, not unlike what they’ve been doing all album long. One of those album-deep gems that you could never find without listening to the album throughout.

HIT SQUAD HEIST

That’s 4 songs in a row until you hear something not worth your ears! Nice! Since Business As Usual is all about pushing our duo’s edginess, the Def Jam fuckfaces had to throw in a putrid contractual obligation following the then-recent upsurge in criminal references in hip hop. Which is why you can hear EPMD’s obvious apathy in their James Brown-centric beat. That, and the pair’s end performance is piss-poor at best. Pretty sure they invested zilch in this song, so if these two cared nothing for it, why the hell should you?!

FUNKY PIANO

After a long and confusing intro of various audio bits relevant to our duo, DJ Scratch unveils his production debut comprised of various Albert King samples welded together beautifully, one of which gives the song its title. Scratch lives up to his name while freaking the ever-living shit outta various iconic hip hop samples, primarily Chuck D for the hook. EPMD sweeten the deal with an art lost on this generation: A lyrical dedication to the DJ. This would be the first of many classic tributes the pair would craft. And we’re done.

FINAL THOUGHTS
Progression done at its best. EPMD have already proved they were special with Strictly Business & Unfinished Business, but this album blew away expectations. The magnitude of their sound's growth was so significant it surprised even their diehards. Not to mention these two made sure their diversions in subject matter, aside from a few stinkers, weren't brushed aside as self-absorbed crap. Bringing in Chilly Jimmy on Rampage was a masterstroke, as they forced his massive fanbase to sample their product, thereby adding to their brand that much more. Last but surely not least, the pair repped fellow Hit Squadian Redman heavy, as he remains the only guest to appear on more than one track on an EPMD album. In ensuring that people check for his next showing, they set hip hop up for one hell of a career of scene-stealing punchlines. Bottom line, Business As Usual was, is & will remain one of the greatest pieces of art hip hop has ever produced. I still say I hate Gold Digger, though.

WORTH IT? You'd better start pretending you didn't ask yourself that stupid-ass question in the first place. If you've already burned this into your brain more than two decades ago, go do so again! I know I will.

For more on the overarching Hit Squad story, check. As for their primary architects, knock yourself out.

*(Consensual or not, she was 17, you predatory waste of human space. I hope every single one of you out there suffer in the worst ways possible.)