4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Still in business, Dec 10 2008
By Kurupt "God-Body Reviewer" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: We Mean Business (Advisory) (Audio CD)
EPMD is a classic duo that has been rapping and creating good music for decades. Their latest release is nothing short of a very good release. The album does start a little slow. I liked raekwon's verse on PUTTIN IN WORK, but the song as a whole just didn't work for me. Same thing for WHAT YOU TALKING. The song didn't work for me and i am really not a big fan of Mobb Deep anymore. After that, the album bangs from track 3 to track 13! Awesome appearances by KRS-One, Method Man, Redman, and Keith Murray. Skyzoo's lame a$$ even had a decent verse in my opinion.. The production is dope and EPMD laid some good bars to go along with the beats. I would have to say it is neck and neck between RUN IT FT KRS and YO ft REDMAN as my favorites on the album. Highly recommended for new and old EPMD fans.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Give Em The Business, Dec 10 2008
By Darrin Brown "First Born Productions" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: We Mean Business (Advisory) (Audio CD)
I've been waiting on this one since "BACK IN BUSINESS". EPMD is and has always been one of REAL hip-hop's best. If I had to rate hip-hop duo's since the beginning it would have to be RUN-DMC, EPMD and OUTKAST (in that order) The album is a breath of fresh air for hip-hop. Once I heard "BLOW" in knew the album would be vintage EPMD. With guest artists like KRS-ONE (Legend), REDMAN (Funk Doc) and KEITH MURRAY (Wordsmith), the formula stayed the same which in this case is a good thing. If it ain't broke don't fix it. If your a fan of ERICK and PARRISH or a fan of TRUE hip-hop, you won't be disappointed. Congrats on the new EP Record Label too.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
Handlin' Business {3 Stars}, Dec 9 2008
By Norfeest "Yes Yes Y'all" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: We Mean Business (Advisory) (Audio CD)
EPMD hit the scene in 1988 with the classic Strictly Business and went on to craft a strong catalog. They wound up breaking up for a long time and there were folks like myself that thought they'd never get back together. Well, after several reunion attempts and a small hiatus, they return 20 years after their debut with an album that, by 2008 standards, is nothing short of solid material. "Blow" brings an energy that most vets in the game as long as Erick and Parrish couldn't recapture if they tried. "Run It" features a dope, dope verse from KRS-One [Side Note: I just love how KRS continues to bring heat lyrically after almost 30 years of doin' this. "Run It" showcases him over the type of production that he needs and is sorely lacking on his own albums, but that's another story...] Keith Murray shows up and drops a vintage verse that exhibits the style that had cats holdin' their head back in '95/'96. That was probably the biggest surprise for this listener. There are many other dope tracks, but these were by far the highlights for me.
Despite the lovely rhymes and funky production, a few lame ducks manage to make their way onto the album. Erick & Parrish stumble out of the gate with flat tracks like "Puttin' Work In" and "What You Talkin'". They probably should've been left on the cutting room floor since they were so hum drum and lacked a great deal of energy...and "Left 4 Dead" features a solid 9th Wonder beat that Skyzoo almost rendered lame with a wack verse. Outside of that, the album flows from track to track with no problem.
We Mean Business is a solid release from the veteran L.I. duo. It's not necessarily required listening, and there are some tracks that feel uninspired, but there are enough bangers here to make getting this album a good idea. I recommend checking it out.
Standout Tracks: They Tell Me feat. Keith Murray (My Favorite), Run It feat. KRS-One, Yo feat. Redman, Listen Up feat. Teddy Riley, and Blow