EPMD's 14-cut third album, Business As Usual, is their bumpingest and most influential. By 1990 the Long Island duo of Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith had perfected their beatmaking formula. They didn't have to raid vocoder guru Roger Troutman's vaults for the funk. On "Gold Digger," an austere commentary on materialistic female groupies, and the battle-rhyme cut "Manslaughter," the duo flex their unusual ability to meld danceable rhythm tracks with hardcore rhymes, a strength which helped EPMD appeal to rap fans of all persuasions. "Rampage" resurrected a burnt-out LL Cool J. "Hardcore" and "Brothers on My Jock" marked the introduction of Redman to the MC game, further proving that the boondocks can produce something other than strip malls. --Dalton Higgins
