Back in Business (EPMD album)

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Back in Business
Studio album by
EPMD
ReleasedSeptember 16, 1997
Studio
  • Mirror Image (Long Island, NY)
  • Soundtrack Studios (New York, NY)
GenreHip hop
Length46:08
LabelDef Jam
Producer
EPMD chronology
Business Never Personal
(1992) 		Back in Business
(1997) 		Out of Business
(1999)
Singles from Back in Business
  1. "Da Joint"
    Released: September 1997
  2. "Richter Scale"
    Released: November 1997
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Chicago Tribune[2]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[3]
The New Rolling Stone Album Guide[4]
RapReviews7/10[5]

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.[6] 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.

In the United States, the album peaked at number 16 on the Billboard 200 and number 4 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. It was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America on November 17, 1997 for selling 500,000 copies. It also reached number 100 on the UK Albums Chart and number 14 on the UK Hip Hop and R&B Albums Chart.

The song "Never Seen Before" was released as a split single with Foxy Brown's "Big Bad Mamma" from Def Jam's How to Be a Player soundtrack. "Da Joint" made it to number 94 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became the duo's second most successful single (after "Crossover") in the album era. The final single off of the album, "Richter Scale", only reached number 62 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.

The album marks the reunion of the group after five year disbandment, when the pair had broken up due to money issues.[4][7]

Critical reception[edit]

Vibe wrote that "Sermon's sluggish production makes the duo's paper-thin and finance-driven subject matter that much more irritating".[8] Rolling Stone declared: "Gone is the Wall of Sound funk that made EPMD famous".[9] 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".[10] 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".[11]

Track listing[edit]

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Intro"Erick SermonErick Sermon0:13
2."Richter Scale"
Erick Sermon3:14
3."Da Joint"
3:28
4."Never Seen Before"
Erick Sermon2:51
5."Skit"
  • P. Smith
  • Andre Weston
  • William Hines
PMD0:24
6."Intrigued" (featuring Das EFX)
  • Sermon
  • P. Smith
  • Weston
  • Hines
Erick Sermon3:37
7."Last Man Standing"
  • PMD
  • Erick Sermon (co.)
3:35
8."Get wit This"
Erick Sermon3:42
9."Do It Again"
  • Sermon
  • P. Smith
  • Tom Browne
  • Thomassina Carrollyne Smith
Erick Sermon2:50
10."Apollo Interlude"
  • Sermon
  • Darryl Trotter
Erick Sermon1:19
11."You Gots 2 Chill '97"
  • Sermon
  • P. Smith
  • Roger Troutman
  • Rob Bell
  • Ron Bell
  • Boyce
  • G. Brown
  • Mickens
  • C. Smith
  • Thomas
  • Westfield
EPMD3:26
12."Put On"
DJ Scratch3:54
13."K.I.M." (featuring Keith Murray and Redman)
Erick Sermon4:38
14."Dungeon Master" (featuring Nocturnal)
  • Sermon
  • P. Smith
  • Yasin Muhammedi
3:24
15."Jane 5"
PMD2:41
16."Never Seen Before" (Remix)
  • Sermon
  • P. Smith
  • Mark Adams
  • Steve Arrington
  • Ray Turner
  • Stephen C. Washington
  • Danny Webster
Erick Sermon2:52
Total length:46:08
Sample credits

Personnel[edit]

  • Erick Sermon – vocals, producer (tracks: 1-4, 6, 8-11, 13, 16), co-producer (track 7), executive producer, sleeve notes
  • Parrish "PMD" Smith – vocals, producer (tracks: 5, 7, 11, 14, 15), executive producer, sleeve notes
  • Andre "Krazy Drayz" Weston – additional vocals (track 5), vocals (track 6)
  • Willie "Skoob" Hines – additional vocals (track 5), vocals (track 6)
  • Yasin "Nocturnal" Muhammedi – additional vocals (track 5), vocals (track 14)
  • Darryl "Pop" Trotter – additional vocals (track 10)
  • Keith Murray – vocals (track 13)
  • Reggie "Redman" Noble – vocals (track 13)
  • George "DJ Scratch" Spivey – scratches, producer (track 12)
  • Dana "Rockwilder" Stinson – co-producer (track 3)
  • Angel "8-Off" Aguilar – co-producer (track 14)
  • Ivan 'Doc' Rodriguez – recording (tracks: 1, 5, 10, 13-15), mixing (tracks: 1-3, 5-10, 12, 13, 15)
  • Tommy Uzzo – recording (tracks: 2-4, 11, 16), mixing (tracks: 4, 11, 16)
  • Tom Chianti – recording (tracks: 6-9)
  • Mikael Ifversen – recording (track: 12)
  • Chris Irish – mixing (track 14)
  • Dave Butcher – engineering assistant
  • Marc Berto – engineering assistant
  • Mike Koch – engineering assistant
  • Tony Dawsey – mastering
  • Bernard Alexander – co-executive producer, management
  • Danny Clinch – photography
  • Kevin Liles – A&R
  • Irving "Irv Gotti" Lorenzo Jr. – A&R
  • The Drawing Board – creative director
  • Jasmine "Jazz" Young – marketing

Charts[edit]

Certifications[edit]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[17] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References[edit]

  1. ^ Stanley, Leo. "EPMD - Back in Business Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
  2. ^ Baker, Soren (September 26, 1997). "EPMDBack In Business (Def Jam) (star) 1/2On..." Chicago Tribune. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
  3. ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 3. MUZE. p. 301.
  4. ^ a b Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian David (2004). (The New) Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon and Schuster. pp. 281. ISBN 978-0-7432-0169-8.
  5. ^ Juon, Steve 'Flash' (July 30, 2019). "EPMD :: Back In Business – RapReviews". www.rapreviews.com. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
  6. ^ Nelson, Havelock (July 26, 1997). "EPMD Reopens For 'Business'". Billboard. Vol. 109, no. 30. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. pp. 21, 24. ISSN 0006-2510 – via Google Books.
  7. ^ Ducker, Jesse (September 19, 2022). "Rediscover EPMD's 'Back in Business' (1997) | Tribute". Albumism. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
  8. ^ Ex, Christian (November 1997). "Revolutions". Vibe. 5 (9): 148.
  9. ^ "Back in Business". Rolling Stone (770): 54, 56. October 2, 1997.
  10. ^ "EPMD". Austin American-Statesman: C1. September 27, 1997.
  11. ^ "Music: This week's pop cd releases". The Guardian: 16: 4. October 17, 1997.
  12. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 5, 2021.
  13. ^ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
  14. ^ "The Billboard 200". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. October 11, 1997. p. 106. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
  15. ^ "Top R&B Albums". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. October 11, 1997. p. 32. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
  16. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1997". Billboard. Retrieved May 5, 2021.
  17. ^ "American album certifications – EPMD – Back In Business". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved November 18, 2023.

External links[edit]

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