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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Vastly Underrated (4.5 Stars), January 9, 2006
When cats speak about the dopest EPMD albums, for whatever reason, Business Never Personal is always left out. And it pains me, since this may be my FAVOURITE album of theirs (though their BEST is probably Unfinished Business...)
This is pure, un-cut rap music. Rugged and raw. Though Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith were far from lyrically gifted, the lyrics were always on-point, no matter what they rapped about. Even though there may have been just a bit too much gun-talk from EPMD on this album, the music has an almost unparalleled hardcore sound; quite honestly, E and P could've rapped about bunny rabbits over THIS production, and they would've sounded rough and rugged doing so. It also helps that this album features a few extremely tight guest appearances; Das EFX gets busy on Cummin' At Cha, and Redman & K-Solo catch wreck on what is in my opinion the greatest posse cut ever: The Headbanger. This track, along with Crossover, alone are worth the price of admission. They're that dope.
Also, the music on this album doesn't sound even the slightest bit dated - and this thing came out in '92. EPMD always had a knack for a good groove or a dope loop, but they just took it to another level here. Just peep Can't Hear Nothin' But The Music and the way they sampled the same break that Eric B & Rakim used on Microphone Fiend. It almost makes the latter look childish, but E and P were no Rakims and they knew it - that's why they kept making their beats as tight as possible. No track on this album suffers from a less-than-dope beat.
Also worth noting: Parrish was even able to steal the show from DJ Scratch (not easy to do) on HIS OWN DJ showcase track - Scratch Bring It Back, Pt. 2 - by dropping one of the most hype, energetic verses I've ever heard. And this verse came from the self-proclaimed "Slow-Flower".
Perhaps one flaw this album has is the short length. 39 minutes is very little room for error. But I suppose I need a real reason to give it less that 5 stars. Oh yeah, what's with all the Michael Jackson references? There's TWO of them on "It's Going Down" alone, and plenty more throughout the rest of the album. That's all, I'm done.
Yeah, call me crazy, but almost everything about this album just hits home with me. I can't guarantee you'll feel it as much as I do, but it definitely warrants a listen the same way Strictly Business, Unfinished Business, or Business As Usual do. I didn't know whether to give this album 4.5 or 5 stars, but I guess the extra .5 star is apparently just me feelin' the album more than everybody else (since only 4 other people have done it any justice by reviewing it). Too underrated, and an album as good as this should definitely NOT be out-of-print, Def Jam.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Dark EPMD Sounding LP (Rating: 7 out of 10- -3.5 stars), November 22, 2007
Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith has released many albums from 1988 to 1992. Their fourth album "Business Never Personal" would be their fourth's album as a group before they split up into solo careers. Like many listeners have realized, this is probably the duo's darkest produced LP of their career. All of the production and rhymes are dark and grimy as compared to the other albums that came before this album here.
There are many banging tracks that are scattered throughout this album. One obvious would be the hit single "Headbanger" featuring K-Solo and Redman. Recently All Hip Hop ranked Redman's verse as one of the top 20 verses in Hip Hop, and I have to agree because he basically steals the show there. Another great song is another of the album's lead singles "Crossover" as Erick and Parrish rhyme about Hip Hop artists that turn pop in a matter of time. To be honest, the production on this album took time to grow on me, probably because I wasn't used to them doing dark sounding beats, but songs like "Can't Hear Nothing But The Music" and "Chill" are some of the well produced tracks.
The album is not without flaws though. As I stated before, the production had to grow on me, and it took a while, as well as the dark sounding rhymes, as if both members were angry at something. Another flaw is that both E and P are outshined by Das EFX on "Commin' At Cha". Also, I'm not the only one who noticed the Michael Jackson refrences on this album. This album clocks in at 39 minutes (39:03 to be exact), and it really goes both ways. The good being that it is short and right to the point. Also, it keeps the vibe going for the listener. The bad being that it the shortest EPMD album. It seems like you're getting into the album, it's almost over, leaving a listener for more. Also one can't help but wonder what Erick and Parrish were going through between each other before their split up, and think that this album was put together just to keep their fans happy, and not their full backs into it (possibly another reason justifing it for it's length).
Overall "Business Never Personal" is a great album although it doesn't match their previous albums (my favorite from the group is Business as Usual). Classic material? No. Their best? No. Underrated? Yes. Although they would reunite in 1997, their last two albums wouldn't come close to this right here. This is an album I still would recommend if you want to hear some dark production from Erick and Parrish. I also don't understand why Def Jam let this go out of print. Peace and Happy Thanksgiving!!
Lyrics: B+
Production: B+
Guest Appearances: A-
Musical Vibes: B-
Top 5 Tracks:
1. Headbanger (featuring K Solo and Redman)
2. Crossover
3. Can't Hear Nothing But The Music
4. Who Killed Jane (Jane 4)
5. Play The Next Man
Honorable Mention:
1. Commin At Cha (featuring Das EFX)
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
EPMD's bestest, March 9, 2006
This is EPMD's best album, because they didn't rigidly follow what every one else was doing at the time. They took some chances with different beats on "Boon Dox," "Cummin' at cha," and "Chill," which, if you like EPMD's previous recordings, you should like these. The production on the album was much more clear and the bass heavier than the previous albums. Other tracks that must get a listen are "Can't hear nothing...," and "Scratch bring it back..." (DJ scratch is nice). If those songs don't work for you, then you can still fall back to the hits off the album like "Crossover," "Headbanger" and "It's goin down."
The "Jane" song was much better than the previous janes, because the whole skit was hilarious, it was a great way for EPMD (whose noted for their dead-pan humor) to end their work. "Easy partner, chill, put the gun down..." "oh now you're tryn to play me out like homie the clown...and you know homie don't play that," "play what?" BANG "See, See"
Rough enough to take new york from long island
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