Every Wednesday, in honor of Ed Lover Dance Day from Yo! MTV Raps, I take a break from rock and roll to write a little bit about hip hop. In the late 80s and early 90s hip hop ruled my musical life. During this often called 'Golden Era' I discovered so much incredible music. As I am slowly replacing the CDs I've had for thirty plus years with vinyl copies, I'm going to talk about some albums that had a really important impact on me during some very formative years.
It's kind of funny to me that I've never written about EPMD's fourth album before. It's mostly because the original single LP version has been in my record collection for a really, really long time and it's just now that I have a new version to write about. I can't even tell you how much I love this record. I have been listening to it kind of nonstop since it originally came out back in 1992. It was the video for the song "Crossover" on Yo! MTV Raps! that first hooked me. With its robot funk hook, hard beat and lyrics about not selling out and crossing over, it was tailor made for what I wanted to hear as a 15 year old. I think some people forgot or just weren't around to see just how crazy the anti-sellout thing was in both rap and rock back then. But it struck a chord with a lot of people and I was definitely one of them when it came to hip hop.
And as much as I was drawn in by "Crossover," a truly stellar song, I'm not even sure I would rank that one in the top half of great songs on this record. It's one of those records that is flawless from start to finish. The production on this thing is so amazing. It's rugged, with big bass lines and a fullness that is tough to compare anything else to. I don't know of too many records that sound like this, and if I'm missing something, please let me know. In some ways I've spent the last 32 years trying to chase down another record like this one.
Lyrically, I think Erick and Parrish shine brighter than they ever did on Business Never Personal. You'll never hear me say a bad word about the first three EPMD records. They are all wonderful in their own way. For me, this album is their peak. Their vocals pack more punch than anything they'd done previously and the way they flow over the beats is just a joy to hear.
The only possible criticism I could ever levy at this album is that an uncensored version doesn't exist. They only ever released a version with the bad words scratched out in the wake of the Parental Advisory nonsense in the early 90s. I still hold out hope that some day we'll get the ultimate reissue that finally uncorks the full, unedited album. For now, this double LP reissue from 2005 will have to do. It was a UK only release and tends to be tough to find and sell for more than I'd like to pay most of the time. Luckily I was finally able to find a deal.
Having this as a double LP makes the songs sound the best they ever had on vinyl. That makes it worth it for me as the art isn't anything special. Especially irritating is the hype 'splotch' that they dumped on the cover art. Give me a remastered double LP pressing (with the "Brothers from L.I." B-side as a bonus track), uncensored in a gatefold cover and I'll be the happiest person going. Until then, this is the best version that there is.
EPMD - Business Never Personal:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_lFTq20kYiq_JyLVJrG8qsHl5gV5HEN6Iw
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_lFTq20kYiq_JyLVJrG8qsHl5gV5HEN6Iw
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