EPMD-We Mean Business Review (requested)

As requested by Murray, here is my review of the first release by EPMD in over 9 years. For those of you that don't know, EPMD are one of the biggest rap groups to come from the East Coast, and really made an impact throughout the mid-90s.

Before we go anywhere though, it's only fair that I confess to not having a great deal of knowledge or liking for East Coast rap. With that said, I probably can't appreciate or analyse this from a completely perfect perspective.

This album however, was a fairly pleasant surprise, highlighted by the fact it genuinely sounds so old-school, you can smell the dodgy school dinners.

This seems to be further highlighted by who they have chosen to do guest verses on the album. Instead of succumbing to using guys who feature on everything, it's nice to hear from guys like KRS-One, Raekwon and such.

The old cliche of 'going back to my roots' is used all the time by artists, but it never quite materialises. With the guest spots, EPMD are making a clear statement before you've even put the CD in-they do mean business, and they mean it in the same way they did 15 years ago.

They don't sacrifice themselves to the easy money of throwing in a catchy, lyrically-numb hook for the sake of getting some radio time. The hooks and verses seems to flow into one another seamlessly, which is both good and bad-it offers consistency and a nice flow throughout.

However, in certain songs it does give it a repetitive feel which can prevent any particular verse or line from jumping out at you. Arguably, this does create the perception that the guest verses are outstanding, just because they break up the monotony.

Puttin' Work In (Ft. Raekwon) - 7.5/10
-A memorable opening verse with some nice lines, and a beat that hooks you in straight away.

What You Talkin' (Ft. Havoc of Mobb Deep) - 6.5/10
-The beat has a slightly creepy feel which is cool, but I don't really like EPMD's verses as much as Havoc's.

Roc-da-Spot - 7/10
-Another good production job and they do a nice job flowing on this beat, a likeable song.

Blow - 8/10
-Sounds like an old Rakim beat, has an atmosphere and Erick Sermon does a great job with some of his lines-Loving the wrestling reference!

Run It (Ft. KRS-One) - 6/10
-KRS doesn't come as intense as is expected, and none of the verses really stand out.

Yo (Ft. Redman) - 7/10
-I like Redman's hook and verse with his typical energetic approach, and it's got a memorable, uptempo beat.

Listen Up (Ft. Teddy Riley) - 6.5/10
-The beat contrasts with the lyrics, which is good and bad (jazz/pop beat, harsher lyrics). The contrast is creative, but neither the beat nor lyrics are outstanding.

Bac Stabbers - 8/10
-They speed their flow up and chuck in a nice sample for the chorus. The back-and-forth rapping near the end is impressive too.

Never Defeat 'Em (Ft. Method Man) - 7/10
-A nice laid-back beat which lets the lyrics take centre stage. Method Man has done better.

Jane - 6/10
-Just not a fan of this, it's average. Cool story, but seems too forced.

Left 4 Dead (Ft. Skyzoo) - 6.5/10
-Skyzoo does a good job, and EPMD do OK. 9th Wonder has done much better beats though.

They Tell Me (Ft. Keith Murray) - 8/10
-A haunting beat with some quiet, eerie singing makes for a powerful track with some good verses.

Actin' Up (Ft. Vic D and Tre) - 8/10
- I really like some lines in this. The sarcastic drops of certain current artists/albums/lyrics makes for a creative and intelligent track, which is highlighted again in the back-and-forth rapping around halfway through.