Jan 22 2009
Album Review - EPMD - We Mean Business
Hits: Puttin Work In (ft Raekwon), What You Talkin (ft Havoc), Roc-Da-Spot, Yo (ft Redman), Bac Stabbers, Listen Up (ft Teddy Riley), Never Defeat ‘Em (ft Method Man), Jane, They Tell Me (ft Keith Murray), Actin Up (Vic D and Tre)
Strikes: Left For Dead (ft Skyzoo)
Balls: Blow, Run It (ft KRS One), Listen Up (ft Teddy Riley)
Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith are together EPMD, an undeniably legendary group in hip hop history. Still, after my initial surprise of the news of a new album, I was immediately met with thoughts of worry. It’s been almost a whole decade since their last release and the game has changed a whole lot in that time. What if they’d decided to compromise who they were to make a hip pop album that appealed to the masses. Fortunately for all of us, EPMD decided to make an album that deviated very little from their original formula. Fortunately for them as well I suppose, because unless they’d invented some sort of new dance craze, no radio station in their right mind would ever play them anyway.
The album is basically what we’ve come to expect from EPMD by now. Lyrically, nothing much has changed subject wise or technique wise, which in this case is not so bad. Seriously, after witnessing what artistic growth can do to an artist from listening to 808s and Heartbreaks and Universal Mind Control, I say sometimes it’s better to just fuck growth and do what you do best. The beats hit hard, literally oozing with the East Coast sound and actually feel pretty nostalgic at times for this day and age. The beat on Never Defeat ‘Em in particular was crazy for me. As far as guest spots go, the usual suspects are found here. Fellow Hitsquad members Redman and Keith Murray both do their thing and their respective tracks are better for it. The inclusion of Wu members Raekwon and Method Man was also nice and the only guest that really disappointed me was KRS, but only in that I expected a whole lot more than what I ultimately got.
We Mean Business picks up right where EPMD had left off and it sounds as if they’d never left. If you’re a fan of the group, you know what to expect and won’t be disappointed. Now the real question is which group had a better comeback album, Heltah Skeltah or EPMD? Hmm..
