After the popular, praised 1997 comeback album
Back in Business,
Erick Sermon and
Parrish Smith returned with another solid effort that proved they remained one of the best combos in hip-hop, as relevant and tight in 1999 as they were ten years earlier. Most of the tracks are in-house productions (either
Sermon or
Smith), a true rarity in the '90s hip-hop world, and they lend the album a continuity sorely lacking considering the legion of rap albums that feature a different producer for each track. And as the duo has done for ages,
EPMD does more than just trade in familiar riffs to drive the tracks on
Out of Business. The only familiar sample is on the "Intro," and even there,
Sermon and
Smith turn "Fanfare for Rocky" into something over and above the original. The pair's raps have definitely progressed in the past ten years, as "Pioneers," "U Got Shot," "Right Now," and "Hold Me Down" more than prove. One of the album highlights is the anti-crossover diatribe "Rap Is Still Outta Control," featuring
Busta Rhymes (another rapper who's been around long enough to know) and including great lines like, "They took our music and our beat and tried to make it street/And then got in the magazine to try to sound all sweet." Still,
EPMD occasionally falls prey to current trends, with obligatory string-sample productions on "Symphony" and "Symphony 2000" (the latter with
Redman,
Method Man, and
Lady Luck) that serve only to obscure the great guest raps. Despite the title, in the liner notes
EPMD dispels any rumors that this could be the duo's last album. [
Out of Business is also available in a clean version.] ~ John Bush