Business Never Personal | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | July 28, 1992 | |||
Recorded | 1991–1992 | |||
Genre | Hardcore hip hop, golden age hip hop | |||
Length | 38:58 | |||
Label | ||||
Producer | EPMD Charlie Marotta DJ Scratch Mr. Bozack | |||
EPMD chronology | ||||
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Singles from Business Never Personal | ||||
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Business Never Personal is the fourth studio album by hip hop duo EPMD. [1] It was released on July 28, 1992, on Def Jam Recordings. [2] Following mixed criticism of their previous studio effort, 1990's Business As Usual , the duo was able to return to their past acclaim on Business Never Personal. The lead single, "Crossover," became its biggest success, nearly reaching the Top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song is about keeping it real and not crossing over to the mainstream, but became EPMD's biggest mainstream success.
The duo cut "Head Banger" with Redman and K-Solo, and it was also a hit in 1992. The album was certified Gold in sales by the RIAA on October 13, 1992. [3] The single "Crossover" was certified Gold on November 16, 1992. While it has yet to be reissued in the U.S., Business Never Personal was re-released in 2005 on vinyl in Europe.
Members Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith began having money troubles during recording, which led to a 1992 robbery of Smith's home. The perpetrators claimed that Erick Sermon paid them to do the deed, causing the group to break up soon after this release. They each released two solo albums between 1993 and 1996, then reunited as a duo in 1997. [4]
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [5] |
Robert Christgau | [6] |
Entertainment Weekly | B+ [7] |
Rolling Stone | [8] |
The New Rolling Stone Album Guide | [9] |
The Source | 4.5/5 [10] |
The album is considered the duo's third classic by fans and critics. The record was given a rating of 4.5 mics out of 5 in The Source in 1992. [10]
The Washington Post wrote: "Zapp member Roger Troutman's sampled, synthesized voice is looped with the chorus of the bumping current hit 'Crossover,' EPMD's attack on rappers who 'sell their souls to go gold' while slinking bass propels 'Play the Next Man,' which finds Sermon and Smith slamming manipulative women." [11]
# | Title | Producer(s) | Performer (s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | "Boon Dox" | EPMD | EPMD | 2:48 |
2 | "Nobody's Safe Chump" | EPMD | EPMD | 2:12 |
3 | "Can't Hear Nothing But the Music" | EPMD, Charlie Marotta | EPMD | 3:37 |
4 | "Chill" | EPMD | EPMD | 2:57 |
5 | "Head Banger" | EPMD | EPMD, K-Solo, Redman | 4:52 |
6 | "Scratch Bring It Back, Pt. 2 [Mic Doc]" | DJ Scratch, Mr. Bozack | EPMD | 3:04 |
7 | "Crossover" | EPMD | EPMD | 3:49 |
8 | "Cummin' at Cha" | EPMD | EPMD, Das EFX | 4:03 |
9 | "Play the Next Man" | EPMD | EPMD | 3:36 |
10 | "It's Going Down" | EPMD | EPMD | 4:12 |
11 | "Who Killed Jane?" | EPMD | EPMD | 3:47 |
Boon Dox
Nobody's Safe Chump
Can't Hear Nothing But the Music
Chill
Head Banger
Scratch Bring It Back, Pt. 2 [Mic Doc]
Crossover
Cummin' at Cha
Play the Next Man
It's Going Down
Who Killed Jane?
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Year | Song | Chart positions | |||
Billboard Hot 100 | Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks | Hot Rap Singles | Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales | ||
1992 | "Crossover" | #42 | #14 | #1 | #12 |
1992 | "Head Banger" | - | #75 | #11 | - |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United States (RIAA) [17] | Gold | 500,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Reginald Noble, better known by his stage name Redman, is an American rapper, DJ, record producer, and actor. He rose to fame in the early 1990s as an artist on the Def Jam label.
The Source is an American hip hop and entertainment website, and a magazine that publishes annually or semiannually. It is the world's longest-running rap periodical, being founded as a newsletter in 1988 by David Mays.
EPMD is an American hip hop duo from Brentwood, New York. The duo's name is an acronym for "Erick and Parrish Making Dollars", referring to its members: emcees Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith. During an interview on college radio station WHOV in 1987, Parrish Smith stated that the name evolved from the original: "We were originally known as "EEPMD", but chose to go with EPMD because it was easier to say." He also stated that they dropped the two "E's" because N.W.A.'s Eric Wright was already using "Eazy-E" as his stage name. The group has been active for 37 years.
Erick Sermon is an American rapper and producer. He is best known as one-third—alongside PMD & DJ Scratch—of 1980s/1990s hip hop group EPMD and for his production work.
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Whut? Thee Album is the debut studio album by American rapper Redman. It was released on September 22, 1992, by Def Jam Recordings, Rush Associated Labels and Chaos Recordings, a dimension of Columbia Records. Taking place at Ian London Studios, North Shore Soundworks, and Power Play Studios, recording sessions began in 1991 and continued into 1992. The album features production from mentor and fellow Hit Squad member Erick Sermon; as well as Redman himself under his birth name Reggie Noble, with additional production from Pete Rock.
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Back in Business is the fifth studio album by American hip hop duo EPMD. It was released on September 16, 1997, through Def Jam Recordings. Recording sessions took place at Mirror Image and Soundtrack Studios in New York. Production was handled by members Erick Sermon and PMD, as well as DJ Scratch, with Agallah and Rockwilder serving as co-producers. It features guest appearances from Das EFX, Keith Murray, Nocturnal and Redman.
Out of Business is the sixth studio album by American hip hop duo EPMD. The album was originally scheduled for a December 1998 release under Def Jam Recordings, but had been delayed numerous times as a result of a merger between Seagram's PolyGram and Universal Music Group's MCA Records, combining Def Jam and Island Records' operations together under the Island Def Jam Music Group. Ultimately, the album was released on July 20, 1999. It is the first official Def Jam album released under the newly-formed Island Def Jam Music Group and the group's last album released under the label as they left the imprint a year later before going inactive for the second time.
Straight Up Sewaside is the second studio album by American hip hop duo Das EFX. It was released on November 16, 1993 via East West Records. Recording sessions took place at Northshore Soundworks in Commack, New York. Production was handled by Solid Scheme and Charlie Marotta, with PMD serving as executive producer. The album debuted at number 20 on the Billboard 200 and number 6 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums in the United States. It was supported with two singles, "Freakit" and "Baknaffek". Its lead single, "Freakit", was released on October 21, 1993 and made it to number 43 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Generation EFX is the fourth studio album by American hip hop duo Das EFX. It was released on March 24, 1998 via EastWest Records America. Production was handled by Agallah, Solid Scheme, Rashad Smith, Mike Lowe, Tony L, and PMD, who also served as executive producer. Unlike the first three Das EFX albums, it features a number of guest appearances from Redman, Agallah, EPMD, Miss Jones, M.O.P., Nocturnal and Teflon. The album debuted and peaked at number 48 on the Billboard 200, selling 22,000 copies in its first week. In its second week of release, the album dropped to number 89 on the Billboard 200, selling 14,000 copies bringing the two week total to 36,000 copies.
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"Crossover" is a single by American hip hop group EPMD released in August 1992 from their album Business Never Personal. The song's lyrics criticize rappers who crossover to R&B or pop in order to sell more. The single became EPMD's highest charting as it climbed the Billboard charts at #42. The song was also certified gold by RIAA, becoming the group's only single to accomplish that feat. The song samples "Don't Worry If There's a Hell Below " by Curtis Mayfield and Roger Troutman's "You Should Be Mine". A music video, colored in blue, was released for the song which features Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith rapping around a building under construction with other people around doing various activities like break-dancing.
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This is the discography of American rap duo, EPMD.
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