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.

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.)

EPMD - Unfinished Business (August 1, 1989)

Something to note about the importance of this run before I start:

There was a Raekwon interview on the Combat Jack Show (RIP Reggie "Combat Jack" Osse) a while back, where Cheffy highlighted why the Wu-Tang Clan dominated the hip hop industry so. It was crucially because they emulated the business model of a certain Hit Squad, which solidifies the fact that the Hit Squad was the very first commercially dominant collective of highly affiliated hip hop solo acts in history. Keyword: dominant. Let's face it, boy/girl (pick one), as critically influential as the Juice Crew were (which is never to be disputed), only Biz Markie RIP & Big Daddy Kane were  steady with their commercial impact. Closest thing in that collective was Roxanne's Revenge, and that, while massive at the time, was a one-off. Hell, Cheffy even compared himself and his RAGU partner Ghostface Killah to our subjects here. But as much as RAGU are my shit, I've always felt that the two Clansmen who bore the most resemblance in skill and stature to EPMD were Cousins RZA & GZA. Both were the driving creative force and the savvy business minds behind the massive movements under their umbrellas. With EPMD, the lines are even more blurred, as both Erick Sermon and Parish Smith had quite the acute business moves during their respective careers, whether together or apart. And it all started here, on this very album you're tackling right now.

According to our duo though, Unfinished Business almost never came to light. Why? The exposure EPMD experienced after the then-roaring success of their debut Strictly Business brought with it the always-fun element of haters, and apparently the EPMD hater camp was a pretty vocal one. Writing these two off as flashes in the pan, this group of very social creatures started infiltrating every venue, every publication, every radio show our duo were featured in and proceeded to shame the pair on the assumption that they can't replicate their success again. To this day, I still fail to grasp what would drive any group of hip hop heads to, absolutely out of the blue, hate on an act that experienced success with their debut without leaning on any form of wide-spread controversy.

Apparently, so did EPMD themselves. The very first song they wrote after all that craziness ended up being the album's timeless lead single So Wat Cha Sayin'. The record was the key that opened the lyrical floodgates upon which the rest of the album was written. Unfinished Business was an attempt by EPMD to diversify their subject matter, delving into pre-success struggles and PSAs, along with their BNB forte. And again, the album marks the first step the pair took as executives through debuting the very first guest on an EPMD album and member of the aforementioned Hit Squad, Central Islip, LI native Kevin Madison bka K-Solo aka Wolfgang Murdermouth (Yep) on Knick Knack Patty Wack. You'll figure out if this particular debut was memorable or not in the review. Production-wise, EPMD again handled everything, though to me, the jury is still out on whether Parish did the whole album or him and Erick simply bounced ideas around together.

Unfinished Business replicated the critical and commercial success of its predecessor by selling more than five hundred thousand units Stateside alone, and successfully continuing their grimy funk aesthetic, which still hasn't been utilized so well since. With that in mind, EPMD's status within this game as a problem was solidified. You're here to see just how big of a problem this album really made them.

SO WAT CHA SAYIN'
The moment you hear the BT Express guitar lick, you'll know this album is an entirely different beast from Strictly Business. Point further proven when E steps up to the mic, because son goes the fuck in, in a way unseen before this record. And if you thought Erick progressed lyrically, Parish steps in and blows him the hell away with his contribution. The simplicity of slowing down a Funkadelic vocal sample and placing that as the hook remains one of hip hop's shining moments of genius to this very day, and I don't care if many people mastered the technique afterwards. This is shit you've never heard until then. P also addresses the hate the group received from overzealous fans of Eric B & Rakim in the timeless parting line of his second verse. No, I'm not telling you what it is, go listen to the song! You will thank me!

TOTAL KAOS
Another smacker of a beat, another Funkadelic sample! This time, it's paired with short horn stabs from James Brown combined with a Parish Smith line scratched in. The end result will just feel warm and embracing after the chaos of the first track. Pun very much intended. Erick establishes himself as the starter of most EPMD songs on this album, with Parish playing cleanup conversely, and here the differences between the two's styles begin to show: Erick focuses more on obscure references, while Parish is more confrontational and flow-savvy. Still, the two mesh together quite masterfully, and this track is no exception

GET THE BOZACK
OK, I don’t know how a phrase such as “Get The Bozack” infiltrated the hip hop lexicon for so long but here we are. So, it's weird that DMX has such an affinity for EPMD songs when he's had a never-ending beef with their homie K-Solo. How else would you explain Dame Grease and PK straight up jacking the BT Express loop that EPMD came up with for his official debut single? Anyways, the lyrics to this are actually some of the first rhymes that EPMD ever wrote for themselves, so I still can't make sense of why it was delayed until the sophomore. Because you bet your doughy, smelly & warty ass these two bring the ruckus something lovely. Awesome song!

JANE II

The title explains it all. Once again, Rick James is all over this beat, as EPMD present the next chapter in a slightly more humorous tone, with their delivery sounding baked as fuck. I’m telling you, the bit where P answers E’s inquiry about his own whereabouts never fails to crack me up. Great progression, you two.

PLEASE LISTEN TO MY DEMO

This song may be the most heartfelt in EPMD’s entire catalog, as the pair proceed into tales from their comeup ending with the duo being signed, over a very influential Faze-O loop. Don’t believe me? Go ask OC, WC & Evil D just to name a few. No, I’m not mentioning Kriss Kross’ Tonite’s Tha Night. What do you mean, I just did?! Back to these two though, as both display an arresting degree of attention to detail. Exactly what was needed to make this one hell of a memorable hip hop song. You’ll be coming back to this more and more.

IT'S TIME 2 PARTY

OK, this is where EPMD officially entered uncharted waters: Contractual obligations. And as such, EPMD have created a harmless clubbing song set to a fairly popular MFSB loop. Really, ask Cappadonna, it's pretty goddamn popular. Your slight gripe with the track will be that you could’ve had grandchildren with the time you spent listening to the same loop on repeat between our duo’s verses. Moving on.

WHO'S BOOTY

I’m done with misogynistic displays. Foreal. The difference between this and the Jane series is that they spend just as much time dissing themselves as they do Jane and that the whole Jane saga is tongue in cheek. I say that even though I liked the Fred Wesley/JBs loop along with the sped up Funkadelic hook here. Shame.

THE BIG PAYBACK
This second single is a fucking masterpiece. With a myriad of James Brown samples forming a damn confrontational instrumental, EPMD bring you the motherfucking business. The music video also showed a little rag-tag group calling themselves NWA heavily featuring in our duo's said video. You might've heard of them. Bottom line: This battle track is one of the finest ever made and if you incredulously haven't heard it yet, you need to go rectify that shit now. Seriously, stop reading this post and go listen to it.

STRICTLY SNAPPIN' NECKS
Songs like this and its predecessor display how EPMD added new production techniques to their arsenal, such as making beats that stay the hell outta their way as they rip shit down. Because although this track isn't nearly as thrilling as The Big Payback, it really doesn't need to be. Erick's oneliners are always refreshing but Parish surprises by one-upping his partner in his own department, assuring you that these two were not resting on their laurels. This progression really shows in P's second verse as he flies off the rails for nearly 30 bars! This is one hell of an album cut!

KNICK KNACK PATTY WACK (FEATURING K-SOLO)
This is probably the most important song on the record. Why? Because this is where EPMD set up the foundations of an empire that would've surely been that era's biggest hip hop conglomerate (hell, it might've continued to this day. This is Bloggerland after all so why not hypothesize, right?) had these two stayed together. Of course with such lofty expectations, it was important that this step leave its mark, and by God does it ever as K-Solo outright annihilates a fairly on-point EPMD and their instrumental, which popularised that Joe Cocker sample after the very underrated Ultramagnetic MCs discovered it. 2Pac's California Love? Yep, thank EPMD. I'll note something here: EPMD never outshone their progeny's appearances throughout their discography, which is a masterclass move. Why? Because that way, they can generate interest in said progeny's upcoming works. Which almost worked brilliantly for Solo here had he not infuriatingly misspelled "bird" during that insipid spelling gimmick at the end of his otherwise-timeless verse. Instead, he now only has a niche following, which may be what he wanted all along, I don't know. Despite all that, this still is the best song on the album.

YOU HAD TOO MUCH TO DRINK
From the album’s best song to a strong candidate for the absolute worst track in EPMD's entire fucking catalog. How I wish I was exaggerating. The two, probably drunk off their balls while making this song, decided to let the drum machine play and bring in longtime production associate Charlie Marotta to play one of the most annoying guitar riffs you'll ever hear while the duo give you a DUI PSA. And they present it as the third single. See how contractual obligations can lead to horrible music?! Fuck this song.

IT WASN'T ME, IT WAS THE FAME
Ah, back to normal! In fact, this also is one of the most influential EPMD songs ever, as our duo catch wreck over their mystic mesh of David Bowie and the Stylistics. Here, they both launch into descriptive performances about the various ways in which fame changed the way people treat them and how they dealt with such changes. Key in these songs is the attention to details aforementioned in Please Listen To My Demo, which differs from being descriptive for the fuck of it, and these two pull it off brilliantly, turning this into one hell of an inspiring record. And we're done.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Many people recognised these two for their commercial achievements with this album back in the day, but very few currently touch upon how much Erick Sermon and Parish Smith grew in one friggin' year. Aside from a few very ill-advised attempts, Unfinished Business is one big lesson in progression and the evolution of one's brand. Beat-wise, the sampling got that much more creative, leading to some of hip hop's most iconic tunes later to be revisited by rap acts across the spectrum of the industry. Lyrically, though, is where critical ignorance piled up in spades: The album proves even more so than Strictly Business that these two can damn well hold your attention. The range of subjects EPMD touched upon continue to be relevant in hip hop to this very day, especially the personal tales of Please Listen To My Demo and It Wasn't Me, It Was The Fame. Also accomplished is the establishment of EPMD's Hit Squad with K-Solo's blistering cameo. Until he spelled shit, of course. Regardless, Unfinished Business is the album that will forever hook fans of the duo's debut to their later material, for better or worse. It did so for me, I'll tell ya that much.

WORTH IT? Every motherfucking step of the way! Unless you'd rather go check out whatever the fuck Lil Pump or Big Shaq are doing. Hey, do you. I'm not one to judge! Keep in mind that this shit here lasted more than 30 years, so you might wanna see what the fuss is about.

For more on the pair Making Dollars, check. And for more of the Hit Squad exploits, peep game.

EPMD - Strictly Business (June 7, 1988)

Finally. I get to start with a run I've been craving to do ever since I started two years ago. That of the extended Hit Squad family, infamously headed by one Erick Sermon aka the Green Eyed Bandit aka Grand Royal aka the Funk Lord and one Parish Smith (not Parrish. The man himself spells it with ONE 'R', thank you very much.) aka the Microphone Doctor aka Slow Flow aka MC Cold Killa, cka Erick & Parish Making Dollars aka Erick & Parish Millenium Ducats. EPMD.

Where do I even start with this entry? Should I begin by highlighting the climate it was released in? 1988? The most influential year in hip hop history? Or should I mention the fact that it singlehandedly jumpstarted an entire school of sampling? One that would make these two one of the most sampled rap acts in history?

I'm thinking, no. I'm starting with the very interesting tidbit that this group was my introduction to 80s hip hop. Yep. I never heard a single 80s rap record until these two entered my life. Their work made me notice just how much the scene valued your lines. Every bar HAD to be a timeless quotable, or else you were not getting recognized. At all. If one would notice, that is precisely the reason why 90s hip hop was chock full of audio samples from 80s hip hop. Now you know the cloth you're dealing with when talking about these two.

Also of importance, the 80s was an era where you were required to excel at not one, but as many elements of hip hop as you could. Being that this genre has transcended every barrier placed in front of it, its nature of being hip hop music has overshadowed the fact that rhyming and DJing are only two elements. The rest are breaking, graffiti and beatboxing. Some would even add the five percenter inspired knowledge of self, which I now consider to be the most vital of all, as that very notion means so much more today than what Clarence Edward Smith intended for it back in the mid-60s. Anyways, back to EPMD. Both members had an integral connection with music during their childhoods, which was reflected by the fact that Parish became a DJ in his teens while Erick was notorious within his family for his impressions of Soul legends as a kid.

Little did they know that by the time these two became a legitimate rap act signed to Fresh/Sleeping Bag Records, their beatmaking choices would forever more change the landscape of hip hop music, as they were the first rap act to introduce funk music onto a hip hop record. Starting with their debut single It's My Thing/You're A Customer (on which the group's name was embarrassingly spelled EPEEMD). I distinctly remember the EPMD episode of Unsung where you can see DMC of Run-DMC, EPMD's idols, talk about his initial reaction to hearing It's My Thing while driving. It was an open mouth and intimidation of these two's revolutionary production choices.

Or rather one's production choices. Although I can't really find the exact details, apparently the first three EPMD albums were produced by Parish Smith alone. Excluding the two tracks featuring one Reggie Noble bka the mighty Redman off the third, which were E-Dub's work. I even heard that P and veteran sound engineer Charlie Marotta were E's production mentors. Now I'm not sure if their work was that divided, but I'd like to believe that they were more collaborative than all this individualist talk being shoveled around (That, and the production on all four pre-breakup albums was credited to both them cats). Plus, I've heard both of their solo work behind the boards, and while I'm still a big fan of both, something was different during their initial 87-92 run.

Full disclosure: When I first wanted to listen to EPMD's material, I had no idea where to start as I was too damn sensitive to the late 80s style of basic rhyming. So I decided to listen to their pre-breakup material (more on the breakup in later reviews) in reverse chronological order. The first song I heard by these two was Headbanger, and I was blown away. Just how long were these two this good? That question convinced me to abandon my trajectory into their discography and start properly from the beginning with this. Strictly Business.

The making-of story of this album is a fucking doozy, so you'll want to watch that Unsung episode right the fuck now. I'll wait.

I know, right?! So the commercial result of said efforts were immortalized by Parish on So Wat Cha Sayin', lead single of EPMD's sophomore album: 'Dropped the album Strictly Business and you thought we would fold/Thirty days later, the LP went gold!'

Seeing as Strictly Business dropped in a time where debut singles were a pretty big deal, I'm starting this review with the singles, then I'll go down from there to the rest of the tracklisting. Also, to show you just how much people were influenced by these two's production choices, I'll be mentioning songs by various hip hop artists that borrowed from our duo alongside the EPMD song that inspired them in every EPMD review I write from now on.

IT'S MY THING
Yep, the beat to, ugh, Jay-Z's horrid Ain't No N**** came from here. Guess which song I prefer? I also prefer Deathtrap by the Gravediggaz, as it’s an infinitely more respectable take than him and then-underage whore Foxy Brown’s sex rants. Anyways, this is where everything started. It is also future Def Squad member Keith Murray's favorite hip hop song. Ever. Can't say I blame him, really. After a very famous helicopter sample, our duo lay out their modus operandi chauffeured by Seven Minutes of Funk sprinkled with a myriad of vocal samples. From the jump, you see how natural the chemistry between them really is, which shouldn't be surprising as they are best friends from middle school. Of note also is the fact that you'll find it hard to choose who bested who in lyrical combat here, as their skill level is again very similar. This is the debut single of a legendary career for a fucking reason.

YOU'RE A CUSTOMER
This beat was just used for the BET Cypher everyone's raving about. Whatever.  This also happens to be, far and wide, the most sampled EPMD song ever. The reason why every legend you know adores this song, despite the beat being the most minimalist on the entire album, is because both members black the fuck out here. Seriously, this song alone had enough quotables to fuel a sizeable chunk of the 90s hip hop scene, especially that East Coast boom bap shit you came here to read about. Props to the beat, too, as it's an adoringly simple mashup of ZZ Top, Steve Miller & Kool & The Gang. More importantly, it was tooled to get the hell outta the way as the two MCs went in. Also, a minor tidbit is that one of Parish’s lines here was misunderstood by fellow Long Islander and hip hop grandmaster Rakim to be a potshot, which started a brief but nasty lyrical feud between the two legendary acts. I love this song.

STRICTLY BUSINESS
The first single to actually chart for our duo. Built around Eric Clapton's famous interpolation of Bob Marley's classic and essentially the very first of many songs to sample Erick Sermon, this is a perfect encapsulation of what an 80s hip hop banger sounds like. Of course, our duo utilize their beat effectively and bombard the fuck outta you with quotables. This song is my shit!

I'M HOUSIN'
Now we come to not the best, but the most underrated song of the whole heap. Good to know that Souls Of Mischief and Rage Against The Machine really like this song, right? E and P wreck shop over a deft as fuck Aretha Franklin loop. Another smash off the bat. I especially dug their introductory verses where they display a taste of storytelling finesse. Oh, don't worry. You'll get to that soon enough.

LET THE FUNK FLOW
The reviled title track to Nastradamus, one of Nas' worst albums jacked this beat wholesale. Yep, attempted to tarnish the legacy of this infinitely-better song. You hear a classic opening Otis Redding riff, following which you are submerged against your will in the funkiest of JBs loops sprinkled with some Beastie Boys schratches here n there, as our duo swarm around your ears and take turns devouring the ever-living shit outta them with three blistering verses apiece. Very nice!

YOU GOTS TO CHILL
So, I guess Vanilla Ice covered this song in '08. Yep. All bullshit aside: To this day, whenever EPMD perform this live, the crowd enters a blood-crazed frenzy. The reason? That beat. That Zapp loop marinated in that Kool & the Gang flavor. Although it certainly helps that both Erick and Parish deliver the BNB business, as well. This track is essential listening.

GET OFF THE BANDWAGON
Here we arrive at my least favorite instrumental, as it's sample-less. Which translates today to dated as fuck. However, I still love this song because EPMD get busy on this shit. Erick and Parish kick the quotables up a crazy notch and you'll believe in 80s rap for damn certain after this.

THE STEVE MARTIN
From the most dated sounding song to the goofiest: EPMD rap about coming up with a dance that will forever retire the Pee Wee Herman dance with one named after one of my favorite comedians. Fuck you, I loved his Pink Panther movies. You can see where the popularity attempt went, but the amount of fun these two are having with this song is infectious as all hell. And that Otis Redding loop backed by that Patty Duke bass interpolation only sweetens the audio recipe that much more. This was bafflingly awesome.

DJ K LA BOSS
If you know anything about 80s hip hop, you'd know how common it was to have a track comprised entirely of the act's DJ flexing his skills. Now, I've always been kinda ambivalent to this practice but I appreciate its magnitude for what it was and given such, this was pretty good.

JANE
Told you we'd come back to their storytelling! And thus begins a tale of the morally conspicuous female who follows these two their whole career. Yep. that's 30 years and counting. If nothing, the commitment alone has to be appreciated, right? As if you need me to convince you of this song's worth, as the Rick James- heavy beat will do that for me. The detailed verses are masterfully written by both our hosts, who've really performed neck and neck throughout the entire record, which is yet another achievement that escapes most group-based rap acts. Trust me, people anticipate every chapter in this Jane series for a damn reason.

FINAL THOUGHTS:
Once again, this is the album that made me acquire a taste for 80s hip hop. The reason why I adapted to this then-foreign sound so easily is because these two blazed a new path in production and added sampling sources unheard of back then. Also of note is the fact that both members of the duo were sharp as fuck behind the mic, dropping quotables and telling stories about the music itself. Something that's never done anymore. Never. Besides, this album established an entire school of production based on funk into the industry, and believe me, that's a BIG ASS school.

WORTH IT? This album had better be in your collection. You'll see hip hop in an entirely new light when you finally appreciate where it comes from. Trust me, that is an essential hip hop experience.

If you're looking for more from EPMD, here. For more on this Hit Squad thing, you better click on this shit.