Thumpin' fat, no-bullshit hardcore funk is the best description for this LP. Erick and Parrish are back, catchin' mad wreck and solidifying their position as one of the premier groups in hardcore hip-hop. The trademark EPMD slow-flow rhyme style and no-nonsense lyrics combined with their no-nonsense delivery hit you like a Tek-9 slug. And with an abundance of funky hard beats, this one promises to keep your neck jerkin'. "Crossover" deals with the sellout mentality in rap. "Cummin' At Ya" is a duet with the diggedy-Das EFX that has all four MC's flippin' shit over a fat slow beat. And "Boon Dox," with it's exploding bass, is simply the Long Island anthem. Don't forget to check for "Play The Next Man," warning of scandalous females, and "Headbanger," the Hit Squad posse cut that features MVP performances by K-Solo and Redman. Business Never Personal is EPMD at their best. With 12 cuts of pure slammin' funk, there's not going to be much fast-forwarding on this one. Chalk up another gold dish for the Hit Squad in '92. Swayze kids. - The Source (March, 1992). I got this tape at Sam Goody in the Metro Mall in Queens. You had to walk the tracks to the mall, come out through the parking lot or walk down the hill which was a no-go in the winter. I think I might've lost my copy and got another through Columbia House... but that's a whole other story. In any event, I remember taping a copy of "Headbanger" from the radio and waiting eagerly for the album's release. I credit 1994 as my favorite year in hip-hop, but my excitement for music in 1992 was probably at its highest heights. Business Never Personal was one of the reasons why, revisit the album below...
The review in The Source, ads and more below...
