EPMD
Strictly Business relies on deep funk, usually taken from the catalogue of the J.B.s or George Clinton. On classics like “You Got’s to Chill,” and “You’re a Customer,” Sermon’s mushy-gravy delivery and Smith’s smoother, tightly wound flow trade barbs and brags; the choruses, such as they are, are usually Erick or Parrish speaking the title of the song. It’s an incredibly simple formula, but like Rakim’s Paid in Full, it’s a landmark of hip-hop cool—an album that can both wash over you and make you dance.
Unfinished Business is more professional. Still strictly breaks and beats, their sophomore album isn’t much of a departure, but it does find them settling into their lyrical personas, Smith the straight-faced heavy and Sermon the comic relief. “The Big Payback” chugs along at such a furious tempo that you forget that James Brown did the music. “So Watcha Sayin’ ” is an uptempo masterpiece. Business as Usual is the bridge to new-school hip-hop. The music becomes more dense, more layered, incorporating more than just a break and a loop. Smith and Sermon are at the top of their game, dissing fake girls (“Gold Digger”) and any rappers who would challenge their supremacy (“I’m Mad,” “Rampage”).
Business Never Personal has its supporters, and its hot tracks (“Crossover”), but more than anything, it marks the point where Smith and Sermon’s partnership started to sour creatively. After a falling-out over money that caused a five-year break between the two, Smith and Sermon reunited for 1997’s forgettable Back in Business. While the album is far from embarrassing, it’s nowhere near the standard of their peak work. Perhaps they knew it, trying to capture some of the old magic on “You Got’s to Chill 2.”
EPMD took a victory lap in 1999, releasing the swan song Out of Business and a best-of compilation. Out of Business has its moments, especially a passing-of-the-torch track with Method Man and Redman (“Symphony 2000”) but is ultimately unworthy of comparison with their earlier classics. (CHRIS RYAN/NATHAN BRACKETT)
