Erick Sermon – “Dynamic Duos” review

Islip, New York emcee/producer Erick Sermon taking a backseat vocally for his 9th LP. A member of the duo EPMD & the trio Def Squad, it was’t until the early/mid 90s where he made his solo debut No Pressure & followed with a sophomore effort Double or Nothing under Def Jam Recordings. Following the DreamWorks Records-backed Erick Onasis as well as Music & React under J Records, he contemplated retiring in the summer of 2004 with Chilltown, New York under Universal Music Group. He fortunately made a flawed yet solid comeback over a decade later with E.S.P. (Erick Sermon’s Perception) & his last album Vernia was a great tribute to his late grandmother, but he’s ready to roll out the Dynamic Duos trilogy.

After the intro, the lead single “Look at ‘Em” by Method Man & Redman begins with them talking about their whole crews going off over a ghostly instrumental whereas “Sidewalk Executives” by M.O.P. works in a soul sample to proclaim administrative status of their home turf. “Like That” by WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg takes a funkier route to spit playful romance & after the “Maya Crockett” skit, “God Mode” by Conway the Machine & The Game links up to talk about their verses being scriptures.

“How Do You Know?” by Cypress Hill goes for a boom bap vibe cautioning that nobody want the purple haze smoke from them while “How Long?” by Public Enemy brings back the funk shifting from hardcore lyricism to the politically relevant subject matter they’ve always been known for. EPMD get a song of their own with “Test Me” daring for their opposition to try them & see what happens but after the “Pimp Gators” skit, “The City” by Tha Dogg Pound represents the west coast.

The song “Spectacle” by Heltah Skeltah blends soul & funk talking about making the music world experience something incredible while “No Gimmicks” featuring 38 Spesh with Da Youngfellaz on the remix finds the quartet reminding us all that they remain authentic. Prior to the outro, “Back 2 the Party” by Salt-n-Pepa finishes with the recently inducted Rock & Roll Hall of Famers smoothly getting nostalgic over the days of block parties.

Focusing more on the production side of things, Dynamic Duos marks the 1st time since the insomnia compilation under Interscope Records almost 3 decades ago where Erick Sermon lets a list of guest performers shine on the mic although he does drop a couple verses here & there. And it’s no surprise that the inaugural entry of this series has great potential to be his greatest material honoring some of hip hop’s most iconic groups & duos.

Score: 4.5/5

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Redman – “Muddy Waters 2” review

Newark, New Jersey veteran Redman returning after a decade for his 9th full-length studio LP as a Christmas Eve miracle. A member of the Hit Squad, he later signed to Def Jam Recordings & saw success during the 90s & 2000s as a solo artist & later with Method Man as a duo after his first 3 albums Whut¿: Thee Album alongside Dare iz a Darkside & Muddy Waters cemented his icon status. The latter turned 28 a couple weeks ago & is returning after almost a decade for Muddy Waters 2.

After the “Welcome” intro, the first song “Da Fuck Goin’ On?” kicks the door down with a 77 second self-produced hardcore hip hop joint gettin’ on his grind whereas “Whut’s Hot” goes for a bit of a rap rock vibe instrumentally courtesy of Khrysis talkin’ about not being told what’s poppin’ & what isn’t. “Jersey” produced by Rockwilder goes for a soulful vibe representing his turf & after the “Fat Shirley” skit, “Lalala” by Method Man & Redman moves forward with a fun look at their back-&-forth chemistry although I prefer the DJ Premier remix.

“Don’t You Miss” reflects on the old days since he’s a 90s boy who never gives up & giving everyone exactly what they pay reuniting with his mentor Erick Sermon behind the boards for leading into “Ignant” talking about the fact that there ain’t nobody else around his city like him bringing his classic ignorance using the same sample as “Tearz” by the Wu-Tang Clan. After the “Uncle Quilly” skit, “Aye” takes it to the streets over a funky ass beat while “Hoodstar” brings a disco flare to the table talking about being well known in the streets.

The lead single “Don’t Wanna C Me Rich” samples “Luck of Lucien” by A Tribe Called Quest letting everyone know that he’s been doing alright for the past 9 years just before “I’m on Dat Bullshit” dabbles with trap a bit thanks to Hallway Productionz talking about those runnin’ their mouths behind his back & to get a life. After “Da Trunk” skit, “Pop da Trunk” hooks up some synthesizers & handclaps showing off his mob ties while “Gheddo Motivation” goes trap again to provide street gospel.

“Dynomite” featuring Sheek Louch finds the pair linking up reminding everyone that both of them be movin’ while “Wave” takes a minute & half to discuss being all about real shit & shrugging off anyone who tries to be all up in his business. After the “My Weed’s Been Taken” skit, “Kush” featuring WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg brings the synths back in the fold for a stoner’s ballad while “Booyaka Shot” aggressively talks about fuckboys never winning & that the G’s stay up.

Ke Turner joins Funk Doc on the Mike & Keys laced “Goofy” so they can poke fun at all the weird muhfuckas out here these days & after the “Obama Stick Up” skit, “1:00” ruggedly let’s y’all know the way shit’s going down from the cannabis king’s side of things. “Lite It Up” strips the drums for a star-studded New Jersey posse cut featuring El Da Sensei, Hakim Green, Heather B, Lady Luck, the Lords of the Underground, Naughty by Nature, Nikki D, Queen Latifah, Rah Digga & 4-time NBA Champion Shaquille O’Neal sampling “Rapper’s Delight” by the Sugarhill Gang while “Wudeytauknbout” playfully talks about having a look at all his haters.

“Why U Mad?” featuring Mr. Cream & Runt Dawg sees the trio wanting to know the exact reason for everyone walking around so pissed over a Rick Rock instrumental & after the “Soopaman Luva 7” skit, we are treated to the 7th installment of Reggie’s beloved series of tracks split into 2-parts. “Looka Here” featuring KRS-One nears the conclusion of Muddy Waters 2 with both of them assuring that everything’s in order & “Smoke wit Me” ends by addressing his legend status.

Funk Doctor Spock’s been teasing this for so long to the point where people were calling it the east coast’s answer to Dr. Dre’s mythical Detox album & now that we finally got it after 15 years, it’s his most consistent body of work since Red Gone Wild: Thee Album roughly 18 years ago this spring. I find it to be more well-produced than the commercial Reggie & Mudface were in addition to the Brick City Masher making a returning to form to the humorous hardcore approach he’s known for.

Score: 4.5/5

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Erick Sermon – “Vernia” review

Erick Sermon is a 50 year old MC & producer from Islip, New York known for being a member of EPMD & the Def Squad. However, it was’t until the early/mid 90s where he made his solo debut No Pressure & followed with a sophomore effort Double or Nothing under Def Jam Recordings. Following the DreamWorks Records-backed Erick Onasis as well as Music & React under J Records, he contemplated retiring in the summer of 2004 with Chilltown, New York under Universal Music Group. He fortunately made a flawed yet solid comeback over a decade later with E.S.P. (Erick Sermon’s Perception) & he’s at it again with his 8th full-length album.

After the “Payne Intro”, the first song “Wake Up (No Fear)” brags about his skills over a futuristic instrumental while “Da Wave” continues the lyrical themes of the previous joint over a vintage Rockwilder beat. “Tha Game” featuring AZ & Styles P sees the 3 dissing people only out for the fame over a bass-line & a soul sample while “Go” with No Malice talks about life in the streets over a luscious boom bap instrumental.

“My Style” with N.O.R.E. & Raekwon sees the 3 showing all of their unique styles over a laidback soul sample while “That Girl” with Big K.R.I.T. is a smooth dedication to Southern womenz “Cabinet” shouts out a plethora of legendary MCs over yet another funky instrumental & “Stay Real, Pt. 2” with Keith Murray & Nature is a fantastic sequel to a highlight off No Pressure.

The song “Zion” with Xzibit alongside David Banner & even Shaquille O’Neal spit battle bars over a boom bap beat with a sinister piano lead while “May Sound Crazy” with Devin the Dude & Too $hort finds the trio getting romantic over a g-funk beat from DJ Battlecat. “300 E” is essentially E-Dub charismatically boasting over a beautifully futuristic instrumental from Rockwilder album & it all finishes with the Apathy produced title track, which is a heartwarming dedication to his grandmother.

E.S.P. (Erick Sermon’s Perception) still has its after all this time, but Vernia sticks out as the greater album of the 2 he’s given us since making music again. Only a couple tracks I could’ve done without yet through it all, Erick really sticks to his guns lyrically remembering his late grandmother Vernia Mims with the guests mostly adding into the equation & the production mostly handled by The Green-Eyed Bandit himself is top notch including the contributions from a few noteworthy great producers.

Score: 4/5