Islip, New York emcee/producer Erick Sermon taking a backseat vocally for his ninth LP. A member of the duo EPMD & the trio Def Squad, it was’t till the early/mid 90s the place he made his solo debut No Pressure & adopted with a sophomore effort Double or Nothing beneath Def Jam Recordings. Following the DreamWorks Records-backed Erick Onasis in addition to music & React beneath J Records, he contemplated retiring in the summertime of 2004 with Chilltown, New York beneath Universal music Group. He thankfully made a flawed but strong comeback over a decade later with E.S.P. (Erick Sermon’s Perception) & his final album Vernia was an amazing tribute to his late grandmother, however he’s able to roll out the Dynamic Duos trilogy.
After the intro, the lead single “Look at ‘Em” by Method Man & Redman begins with them speaking about their complete crews going off over a ghostly instrumental whereas “Sidewalk Executives” by M.O.P. works in a soul pattern to proclaim administrative standing of their residence turf. “Like That” by WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg takes a funkier path to spit playful romance & after the “Maya Crockett” skit, “God Mode” by Conway the Machine & The Game hyperlinks as much as discuss their verses being scriptures.
“How Do You Know?” by Cypress Hill goes for a increase bap vibe cautioning that no one need the purple haze smoke from them whereas “How Long?” by Public Enemy brings again the funk shifting from hardcore lyricism to the politically related subject material they’ve all the time been recognized for. EPMD get a tune of their very own with “Test Me” daring for his or her opposition to strive them & see what occurs however after the “Pimp Gators” skit, “The City” by Tha Dogg Pound represents the west coast.
The tune “Spectacle” by Heltah Skeltah blends soul & funk speaking about making the music world expertise one thing unimaginable whereas “No Gimmicks” that includes 38 Spesh finds the two reminding us all that they continue to be genuine. Prior to the outro, “Back 2 the Party” by Salt-n-Pepa finishes with the just lately inducted Rock & Roll Hall of Famers easily getting nostalgic over the times of block events.
Focusing extra on the manufacturing aspect of issues, Dynamic Duos marks the first time because the insomnia compilation beneath Interscope Records virtually 3 a long time in the past the place Erick Sermon lets a listing of visitor performers shine on the mic though he does drop a pair verses right here & there. And it’s no shock that the inaugural entry of this collection has nice potential to be his biggest materials honoring a few of hip hop’s most iconic teams & duos.
Score: 9/10