PMD does not get a lot of credit. Considering all of their classic material and all of the artists that they influenced, they should be considered pioneers. Who mentions Parrish Smith as one of the top lyrical influences for MCs? Who mentions Erick Sermon’s versatility in production, his skill and grace in the creation of interesting and banging beats with or without the use of samples? EPMD may not be the greatest group ever, but they do deserve to be mentioned as influential artists. Maybe it's due to the fact that their solo albums have been pretty damn underwhelming. Both of Parrish’s efforts have been a lot like EPMD albums without the Erick Sermon production (Read: Good rhymes, wack beats), and all three of Erick’s solos had been either dominated by guests (see 'Def Squad Presents Erick Onasis'), or lackluster rhyming (see Double or Nothing, No Pressure). As of yet, Erick has had trouble putting together a consistent solo effort. Can “Music” overcome the Erick Sermon doldrums, or does it succumb to his lack of effort in rhymes?


By now, the first single, “Music”, featuring some Marvin Gaye studio outtakes, has spread to even non-hip hop fans. Viewed by many as Erick’s comeback to form, Music ended up selling near a million copies, excellent numbers for a single today. Even though this song first appeared on the “What’s the Worst that Could Happen” soundtrack, it was brought to this album to hopefully drum up sales, along with a remix featuring Erick’s Def Squad compatriots, Keith Murray and Redman, sans Sermon. The problem with the album lies in the fact that I would rather listen to the Def Squad remix, because, as usual, Erick Sermon is not very lyrically blessed. It’s not that he’s terrible, but rather, he refuses to put effort into his flow. Some of his lyrics aren’t bad, but the delivery never rises about being disinterested with the track. Early into the CD, it becomes obvious that Erick spent a lot of time molding and shaping a banging track, and about ¼ of the time working on his rhymes. Here’s a sample from “Up Them Thangs”: “Yo, aiyyo I be the bandit, make dough expand it/Army bag full that blow mass transit/Cats can't stand it, oh God damn it/invade earth like a UFO landed/Rolex or standard, you got cheese Grant-ed/You still can't hang with the Green-Eyed-Bandit/Your chains tampered, caught red-handed/They asked you to run ya jewels and you ran it/Smile you on candid, fake thugs canned it/Got shot and “Screamed”, like Michael and Janet/Tape Sound-Scanned it, b-boys slammed it/Gots to play my tune cause radio demand it”. Definitely not a bad couple of bars, really, but it’s probably the best by Erick on the album. The problem is that the lyrics sound a lot better when read than when spit by Erick. One wonders how awesome this album would be if Erick cared, or if he had Redman help with his rhymes.


The relative lack of guests on this album is both a blessing and a curse. They are really a welcome change of pace from Erick’s slow flow. On the other hand, they appear too infrequently too make up for the aforementioned flow problems that Sermon seems to have. 'It’s Nuttin’ featuring Def Squad newcomers Khari Santiago and Daytona, is the first guest appearance on the album neither of them really do too much, but they both are pretty promising, at least. Keith Murray pops up on 'Now Whut’s Up', 'Up Them Thangs', and the 'Music' Remix, and Redman’s beside him on 'Now Whut’s Up' and the 'Music' Remix. Both of them shine in their limited work on the album. Sy Scott is the third guest on 'Now Whut’s Up', and, as usual, he rips it. Veterans LL Cool J and Scarface pop up on the pretty lame 'Do Re Me,' while Cadillac Tah shows up on 'Up Them Thangs.' None of the last three do a whole lot of anything, but they offer change from Sermon's flow problems- which probably makes them sound better than they actually are, in this case.


The production is definitely banging, however. The two songs with Marvin Gaye samples, 'I’m Hot', and 'Music', both have funk-inspired beats that bang hard and are good choices as singles. The only beat on the album that I don’t really like is on 'Genius E Dub'. It’s a fairly boring braggadocio track that could have been left off the album, easily. Other than 'Genius E Dub', none of the songs feel like they don’t belong. Erick does a good job of stringing songs together and creating a coherent, listenable album.


While a bit disappointing and slow at times, Music is not a bad album. Its sales were nearing gold, the last I heard, despite (or maybe because?) Erick apparent attempted suicide a few weeks after the album was released. The production is pretty consistent, and the only thing holding it back is Erick’s lack of interest in the rhymes. Music definitely sounds like an EMPD 2001 album, (which we’ll hopefully be getting soon), and very similar to the Def Squad’s El Nino. The album is worth it if you’re an Erick Sermon fan, and if you’re not? You probably won’t enjoy it.