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.)

K-Solo - Tell The World My Name (May 31, 1990)

(This post of mine was originally published more than three years ago on the Hip Hop Isn't Dead, blog of one Max, whom I consider to be my mentor in writing. Even if he doesn't know what the fuck I'm raving about. Just kidding! Love the recent return, Max!)

Once upon at time in the 1980's, there were two besties who met on a bus ride to school. They wanted to be cool like the other kids, so they decided to rap. Unlike those other fucking rejects, though, these two had what it takes from the beginning. These two became EPMD.

However, this is not their story.

Back in 1989, EPMD released a sophomore album that was a healthy smack in the face to naysayers who didn't think they could pull off a successful follow-up. Unfinished Business was the second great album in EPMD's catalogue, and one of the reasons for that consistency was Erick Sermon and Parish Smith's ability to build new acts and set up the proper platform for them.

Their first experiment was the inclusion of our headliner today, Kevin “K-Solo” Madison, on the song “Knick Knack Patty Wack”. Kevin, who was working as a toilet cleaner at the time (he really wasn't but the internet understands humor, right? Right?!), was the very first guest artist to ever appear on an EPMD album. And he was the only guest on Unfinished Business to boot. So it was vital that he make a strong impression.

Which was a huge flop if I ever saw one. K-Solo fucked up on his very first showing to the public by famously misspelling the word “bird” while using a godawful spelling gimmick during his verse. Erick & Parish’s mixing fiasco resulted in most hip hop heads mostly ignoring K-Solo whenever he popped up again.

Let’s correct that, shall we?

His verse on “Knick Knack Patty Wack” was actually very, very good up until the whole “bird” incident, so good that Black Thought from The Roots (a huge favourite of anyone who has a brain) bit a line from it on his own crew's classic track “What They Do”. And obviously it impressed EPMD so much that they took a chance on the guy, who entered the 1990s recording the first solo debut album from the extended Hit Squad family, Tell The World My Name. However, they decided to challenge their progeny by not making any vocal appearances anywhere on the project. Which would make K-Solo true to his rap name, at least.

They didn't leave him hanging behind the boards, though: other than one sole Erick Sermon production, the album's production duties were handled entirely by Parish Smith, which should have resulted in something interesting (back then, anyway).

Now, I’m not claiming that K-Solo is the next Rakim or anything, but shouldn’t we cut this guy more of a break?

That’s what you’re here to find out.

SPELLBOUND
The lone Erick Sermon production and the lead single, dominated by a myriad of Kool & The Gang excerpts. Kevin continues his insipid spelling gimmick here, but at least he doesn’t fuck it up this time. “Spellbound” kicked off a long beef between K-Solo and Yonkers-based cameo king DMX, who claimed that Solo bit his style after battling him in prison. In typical rap fashion, Solo claims the exact opposite. X actually released a “Spellbound” dis track of his own that rips this one to shreds (rapping over “Seven Minutes Of Funk”, no less!). Oh, you wanted info about this song? Well, there isn't anything that we hadn't already seen on Solo’s guest verse on EPMD’s album. That, and the generic Sermon beat that sounds as if he still didn’t have any confidence yet behind the boards (this was his solo production debut, after all). I know, I could have shortened this explanation to “Skip this shit”, right? Well, I’m an asshole.

ROCKIN’ FOR MY HOMETOWN
The first thing that Mr. Madison spits on this admittedly funky Parish Smith concoction is a correction of his famous fuck-up. Too late, motherfucker! He then completes the cutoff verse with some above-average boasts, shouting out the original “Biggie Smalls”, who apparently was his deejay at the time. Only later do I find out that this DJ is actually the legendary DJ Scratch. The more you know. Again, the beat utilizes a Johnny Hammond loop well. You know, for as much as DMX says he hates Solo, he sure paid attention to this album enough to jack this PMD beat wholesale for his Fuckin Wit D track. Says a lot, don’t it? Overall, this was fairly good.

EVERYBODY KNOWS ME
This song marks the point of a major transition on the album for me: PMD's beat is reminiscent of The Bomb Squad in its disjointed genius, beautifully meshing Steely Dan, Bob James & Joe Quarterman/Free Soul. However, the true revelation is Kevin’s rhyming, as he actually starts sounding pretty good. The main reason is that this is Solo’s first foray into storytelling, as he brings his interpretation of EPMD's own It Wasn't Me It Was The Fame. Solo makes tis track his own, though, no question. It’s as though a bolt of lightning struck our host and told him that maybe he should start rhyming about his own experiences instead of randomly prattling braggadocio in a coma-inducing manner. His image depiction picks up very noticeably, and the song is all the better for it. Very nice. There's a very funny bit at the end of the song, too, where Mr. Madison starts skipping his own voice, as if he was haplessly trying to imitate the cutting of Biggie Smalls the First. Still can't get past the fact that Scratch called himself that.

SPEED BLOCKS
Solo gets his Big Daddy Kane on, sounding pretty confident in his “Set It Off”-style spitting. The beat isn’t as massive of a jump forward as the previous one, but it does the job. Kevin depicts the image of a race, with him winning, of course. What is it with most rappers fearing a display of vulnerability? Take a page out of Ghostface Killah’s book, you insecure fucks!

FUGITIVE
K-Solo delivers a master class in storytelling, painting an image that won’t be forgotten anytime soon. Here, he depicts a run-in with the legal system that, while a tad corny in execution, is told through a very engaging narrative. Parish’s production certainly had a lot to do with this, as he delivers an instrumental still rich in quality decades after it was originally cheffed up and one of his best on the entire album, dominating the track with a mesmerizing Grover Washington Jr mesh. This shit was great!

TALES FROM THE CRACK SIDE
The eleventy-one billion rappers that were throwing public service announcements around like Frisbees (remember when people actually played with Frisbees?) at the time should have studied this song as if they were cramming for a fucking final. Parish cooks up an instrumental that crawls up your skin as the song progresses with a creepy-as-all-fuck blend of Grover Washington Jr, Eddie Kendricks and James Brown. Upon which Mr. Madison unveils his best performance on the album thus far. Solo presents another story rap, rhyming about the effects of crack with some pretty disturbing twists. This shit was an excellent surprise: I didn’t know Kevin was capable of this. A damn fine one-two combo if I ever saw one.

YOUR MOM’S IN MY BUSINESS
Damn! Solo’s on fire with these stories! Now he spits a hilariously vivid depiction of his girlfriend’s mother and her disapproval of her daughter’s relationship with our protagonist, “'cause of my haircut and people call me Solo”. I’m not sure if he intended for this to be funny, but the image of my wife’s mother scolding her because my friends call me an unforgivable nickname such as Solo is hilarity in its purest form. Elsewhere, Mr. Madison shouts out an important member of his future team, producer-slash-rapper Sam Sneed, who was such a big prospect in the 1990s. that Dr. Dre himself fought for his services...and then proceeded to kick him the fuck out of his inner circle. Anyway, the beat, once again, is a home run by Parish. This was entertaining as fuck! “How could you go out with a man nicknamed Solo, for God’s sake? I raised you better than that!”

REAL SOLO PLEASE STAND UP
Solo reuses the non-spelling part of his debut verse on “Knick Knack Patty Wack”. That alone is a severe letdown from the high bar set by the previous tracks. Then he continues to spit about how he should own the Solo name. Damn, that name is sure inflating our host’s head. The PMD instrumental is a fairly goofy Rhythm Heritage loop that actually does its job. On a side note, I don’t exactly know how popular the To Tell The Truth quiz show was, but it sure is prevalent in hip hop. (Slim Shady comes to mind.)

RENEE-RENEE
One of the absolute worst sex raps I’ve ever heard. Period. Shame that a funky Idris Muhammad loop is wasted on this garbage.

SOLO ROCKS THE HOUSE
More bragging. Ugh. Parish's beat, a James Brown excerpt sampled in the most annoying way possible, also does nothing to serve our host. To top it off, the chorus is a fucking earsore.

THE MESSENGER
Kevin’s audition for the African Empowerment rap movement of that period, with a Malcolm X sample to boot. In retrospect, this track’s purpose is as clear as crystal: this is nothing but a fucking cash grab. The audio sample was completely wasted here. Even Solo’s tone when he shouts out Nelson Mandela (R.I.P.) is unconvincing. And the beat, trashing yet another James Brown loop, is the "will clog up your toilet for months"-type of poo. This time I’ll be nice and say: skip this shit.

DRUMS OF DEATH
The beat on this final song picks up the pace tremendously, as do K-Solo's rhymes and delivery to match. This is one hell of a way to end proceedings, leaving things on a high note.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Tell The World My Name is kind of a head-scratcher. On more than one occassion, you have K-Solo attempting (and failing, spectacularly so) to cross over to the mainstream, sounding very disjointed over numerous PMD beats (and the lone Erick Sermon track) in the process. However, he also demonstrates a then-unknown incredible knack for storytelling, and does so repeatedly throughout the album. And it's not like the man can't spit. In fact, maybe that's part of my gripe with him: He hasn't channeled that talent throughout the entire album. Of course, none of this translated into any form of commercial success whatsoever, but it did give his label, Atlantic, a reason to issue a sophomore album, so I guess that counts for something.

WORTH IT? If you can find this fairly easily, then I recommend investing your time, as a considerable portion of this album fucking bangs. The other portion, however, is absolute pig shit, so I’ll leave it up to you.

For more on Kevin Self Organization Left Others, here. And for more from the Hit Squad, indulge.