Out of Business Plus Greatest Hits
NOTE:This limited-edition version ofOut of Businesscomes with a second CD of EPMD's greatest hits. Call EPMD old, but call them consistent. EPMD'sOut of Businessis rather like their previous effort,Back in Business--agreeable, accessible, but deathly unexciting. EPMD can always be depended upon to put out albums with a string of cool club hits and mild filler--they invented that formula on bothBackandOut. But at this point in their career, EPMD's LPs feel weighted down by their molasses pacing and rhyme-by-numbers lyrics (basically, the same styled verbals EPMD's been kicking for over a decade now). They find brief moments of fire on tracks like "You Got Shot" (blazing with its hook taken fromOl' Dirty Bastard) and "Jane 6," which thumps with surprising force thanks to its reworked "Tramp" sample. Nevertheless, even "Symphony 2000," with cameos fromMOP,Redman, andMethod Manfeels flat, indicative ofOut of Businessas a whole. They might still be old-school masters, clocking millennium ducats, but long-time fans may not feelpaid in full.--Oliver Wang