producers: dj scratch, erick sermon, redman

On an old EPMD track, Erick Sermon once referred to himself as Erick Noreaga. Of course that alias is now taken and so Erick had to look for something new. And he found it in Erick Onasis. And we are fast to say that this was very much uncalled for, and we are perfectly right to do so. But as much as it was unnecessary, it can just as easily be overlooked, and in the end, it doesn't matter if it's Sermon or Onasis, as long as the music is tight, he might as well call himself Jean Pierre Huckleberry or something like that.

But the album starts on a bad foot. The whole 1'41" of the intro is a waste. Called "Talk To Me", it's Erick mowing the lawn, getting a phone call, paying someone a visit and a smackdown. And if he wanted to settle some rumors with this, as he mentions at the end: rhyme about it and leave those radio play interludes alone. However, the album really starts with "I Do 'Em". Erick does his best bragging and boasting, he spits "all y'all lightweight me, I'm elephant", and you can see some Redman influence in his styling, especially in his add libbing. The beat moves with some classical, small bells, some slicing big band horns. "Don't Get Gassed" then switches back to Erick's most famous style of late, the bubbling bass, with a little choppy effect over it too. Just the style he likes to do on everything after "Double Or Nothing". This is solid, and lyrically on the same tip as the track before.

The first guest shows up on "Why Not". Slick Rick, ex label mate, trades some more battling rhymes, Erick spitting "I'm not Don King's promoter". The beat is faster, the bubbling too, and so, with the very bare and elemental rawness, works better. Not managing to stray away from more interludes, "Live It Up" with Redman and Khari Santiago, is much more a short track than really an interlude. It's very questionable in deed, why this should even be considered an interlude. The EPMD funk continues here, and while on that meter, the track is solid, hearing more of Redman than just him providing the hook, would certainly have been appreciated. Then again, he shows up on the next cut "Hostility" and he opens the track with "why you bugging / I stick a 16 shot slug in your ear / put it to my dick so you hear me cuming". And yes, this track belongs to him, and it's very much on the 'gorilla' tip, beat wise and ape chanting at the beginning.

Next up is a skit that's to give the cut with Eazy-E some more shine, and "So Sweet" that is featuring the original N.W.A member, follows right away. Erick puts a piano to some more bass, and Eazy is providing the "bein' a gangsta is so neat / yeah / gangsta beat for the street" hook, before he drops his own short rhyme. The chemistry of Eazy's distinctive voice and the beat is dope and the nostalgia is immediately creeping onto you.

Maybe the dopest cut on here comes courtesy of DJ Quik. Him hooking up the beat to the "Focus" track, this is again just like everything that made "Rhythm-al-ism" so very enjoyable. The Quik man provides the hook and rhymes himself, but all of that is almost overshadowed by the lyrical contribution of the X man. Xzibit kicks "I fucked your mother so now I'm the motherfuckin' man". Maybe X's 1999 shout makes us go: 'how old is this?', but it doesn't matter ish, if it's as funky as this. Something "Fell Me Baby" is struggling to achieve. We get several pop appeal effects in here: the scratching, some Swizz element, and Erick's bass. While everything sounds aight together, it's not a beat that blows you away. Khari Santiago drops a nice little braggin' writes, and Erick shows that he can still hang with the young cats when it comes to that, before Sy Scott attacks the track with a somewhat annoying voice, but quite funky content. This is followed up by "Can't Stop" featuring Dave Hollister and Peter Moore. This is the r'n'b club track, but it's musical lowness of the bass is actually working nice. There's also a drum effect guiding through the cut in a hidden echo style, that's sounding dope too. Ja Rule then lends some street appeal to "Get Da Money". Erick digged out a late 80s guitar to 'diggle' over the track. The 'murdaaahh' chant is very unnecessary, the Redman inspiration is prominent and Ja spits "who I be, the one that got you ready to run, the one, with rhyme and reason to bust my gun".

"Ain't Shit To Discuss" then does switch the beat style, and Teflon Da Don and Noah team up with the Green Eyed Bandit. These new cats can't really add much new to the game with their thugism, Teflon is dropping "I was well respected in the streets with no watch" though, so is spitting nicely. The little added sound during the chorus is mighty nice though. "Sermon (Speech)" is maybe the most honest moment on this album. When Erick talks about his newly found savior Jesus Christ, talks about how grateful he is to be in the game forso long. But this will probably be forgotten as soon as "Vangundy" kicks in. This is the posse cut, full of new cats, namely, Big Kim, Sy Scott, Nolan Epps, Bo & Ruck and Billy Billions, but PMD shows up too, and gives this the EPMD touch. While none of them cats is wack, not all of them are destined for bigger and brighter things. But they all rip the track and only time can tell who will be still bragging about this track in a few years to come, or who will have moved on. However, the Hurricane G wannabe should better not leave her day job, cause both her and G sound, well, as appealing as chalk on the backboard.

Teaming up with his old homey, Too $hort joins Erick on "Fat Gold Chain" and he spits "promoters pay me 10 G's just to breathe on the mic". While the acoustic guitar is kinda annoying, the drum and bass sound dope, especially the musical jazzyness reached after the first chorus. But by now, the album is pretty much over and that leaves us with saying, that every Redman, Keith, EPMD and Erick Sermon fan should be satisfied with this here, unless the style found on all of them albums already goes on your nerves. This does not move on, but rather still rides the success that has been achieved over the last few months. That could be considered a disappointment, but it's still funky enough.