Back in Business is the fifth studio album by the hip-hop duo EPMD, released in 1997.[5][6] It was their first album since 1992, when the pair had broken up due to money issues.[4] The single "Da Joint" became their second Billboard Hot 100 hit.
| Back in Business | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 23, 1997 | |||
| Genre | Hip hop | |||
| Length | 46:08 | |||
| Label | Def Jam 536 389 | |||
| Producer | EPMD Rockwilder DJ Scratch Agallah | |||
| EPMD chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Back in Business | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Chicago Tribune |  [2] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [3] |
| The New Rolling Stone Album Guide | [4] |
The album was certified Gold by the RIAA on November 17, 1997.
Critical reception
Vibe wrote that "Sermon's sluggish production makes the duo's paper-thin and finance-driven subject matter that much more irritating."[7] Rolling Stone declared: "Gone is the Wall of Sound funk that made EPMD famous."[8] The Austin American-Statesman thought that "jams such as 'Richter Scale' and 'Get With This' show true EPMD style as Erick and Parish sound perfect together over guitar funk."[9] The Guardian wrote that Back in Business "returns to the breaks and beats that made [EPMD] great: kooky 1970s funk samples mixed with guitar loops and cool-as-ice vocals."[10]
Track listing
| # | Title | Producer(s) | Performer (s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Intro" | DJ Scratch | *Interlude* | 0:13 |
| 2 | "Richter Scale" | Erick Sermon | EPMD | 3:16 |
| 3 | "Da Joint" | Erick Sermon, Rockwilder | EPMD | 3:28 |
| 4 | "Never Seen Before" | Erick Sermon | EPMD | 2:51 |
| 5 | "Skit" | Parrish Smith | *Interlude* | 0:24 |
| 6 | "Intrigued" | Erick Sermon | EPMD, Das EFX | 3:38 |
| 7 | "Last Man Standing" | EPMD | EPMD | 3:35 |
| 8 | "Get Wit This" | Erick Sermon | EPMD | 3:42 |
| 9 | "Do It Again" | Erick Sermon | EPMD | 2:52 |
| 10 | "Apollo Interlude" | Erick Sermon | *Interlude* | 1:18 |
| 11 | "You Gots 2 Chill '97" | EPMD | EPMD | 3:26 |
| 12 | "Put On" | DJ Scratch | EPMD | 3:54 |
| 13 | "K.I.M. (Keep It Movin')" | Erick Sermon | EPMD, Redman, Keith Murray | 4:36 |
| 14 | "Dungeon Master" | Parrish Smith, Agallah | EPMD, Nocturnal | 3:24 |
| 15 | "Jane 5" | Parrish Smith | PMD | 2:41 |
| 16 | "Never Seen Before [Remix]" | Erick Sermon | EPMD | 2:52 |
Samples
Richter Scale
- "Person to Person" by Average White Band
- "Jungle Boogie" by Kool & the Gang
- "California Love" by 2Pac
Da Joint
- "Help Me Make It Through the Night" by Gladys Knight & the Pips
- "Think (About It)" by Lyn Collins
- "The New Style" by Beastie Boys
Never Seen Before
- "Just Kissed My Baby" by The Meters
- "Public Enemy No. 1" by Public Enemy
- "It's Funky Enough" by The D.O.C.
Intrigued
- "Walk on By" by Gloria Gaynor
Last Man Standing
- "Midnight Groove" by Love Unlimited Orchestra
- "Hell on Earth (Front Lines)" by Mobb Deep
- "Change the Beat (Female Version)" by Beside
Get Wit This
- "We Don't Care" by Manfred Hübler
- "The Big Beat" by Billy Squier
- "I Know You Got Soul" by Eric B. & Rakim
Do It Again
- "Funkin' for Jamaica (N.Y.)" by Tom Browne
You Gots 2 Chill '97
- "Jungle Boogie" by Kool & the Gang
- "More Bounce to the Ounce" by Zapp
K.I.M. (Keep It Movin')
- "Symphony No. 40 (Third Movement)" by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
- "Girls" by Beastie Boys
- "Da Mad Face Invasion" by Onyx
Jane 5
- "Papa Was Too" by Joe Tex
- "You Are What I'm All About" by The New Birth
- "Mary Jane" by Rick James
Never Seen Before (Remix)
- "Watching You" by Slave
- "It's Funky Enough" by The D.O.C.
Charts
| Chart (1997) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 | 16 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums | 4 |
Singles
| Year | Song | Chart positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Hot 100 |
US R&B[11] |
US Rap |
US Dance Sales | ||
| 1997 | "Da Joint" | 94 | 45 | 17 | 5 |
| 1997 | "Richter Scale" | — | 62 | — | — |
References
- ^ Back in Business at AllMusic
- ^ Baker, Soren. "EPMDBack In Business (Def Jam) (star) 1/2On..." chicagotribune.com.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Volume 3: MUZE. p. 301.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link) - ^ a b The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon & Schuster. 2004. p. 281.
- ^ "EPMD | Biography & History". AllMusic.
- ^ Inc, Nielsen Business Media (July 26, 1997). "Billboard". Nielsen Business Media, Inc. – via Google Books.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ Ex, Christian (Nov 1997). "Revolutions". Vibe. 5 (9): 148.
- ^ "Back in Business". Rolling Stone (770): 54, 56. Oct 2, 1997.
- ^ "EPMD". Austin American-Statesman: C1. 27 Sep 1997.
- ^ "Music: This week's pop cd releases". The Guardian: 16: 4. 17 Oct 1997.
- ^ "EPMD Chart History: Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 16 November 2019.