Back in Business (EPMD album)

Back in Business
Back in Business
Studio album by EPMD
Released	September 16, 1997
Genre	Hip hop
Length	46:08
Label	Def Jam; 536 389
Producer	EPMD; Rockwilder; DJ Scratch; Agallah
EPMD chronology
Singles from Back in Business
	"Da Joint"; Released: September, 1997; "Richter Scale"; Released: November, 1997;

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[1]
Chicago Tribune	^[2]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	^[3]
The New Rolling Stone Album Guide	^[4]

Back in Business is the fifth studio album by the hip-hop duo EPMD, released on September 16, 1997, through Def Jam Recordings.^[5]^[6] It was their first album since 1992, when the pair had broken up due to money issues.^[4] The single "Da Joint" became their second Billboard Hot 100 hit.

The album was certified Gold by the RIAA on November 17, 1997.

Critical reception[]

Vibe wrote that "Sermon's sluggish production makes the duo's paper-thin and finance-driven subject matter that much more irritating."^[7] Rolling Stone declared: "Gone is the Wall of Sound funk that made EPMD famous."^[8] The Austin American-Statesman thought that "jams such as 'Richter Scale' and 'Get With This' show true EPMD style as Erick and Parish sound perfect together over guitar funk."^[9] The Guardian wrote that Back in Business "returns to the breaks and beats that made [EPMD] great: kooky 1970s funk samples mixed with guitar loops and cool-as-ice vocals."^[10]

Track listing[]

#	Title	Producer(s)	Performer (s)	Length
1	"Intro"	DJ Scratch	Interlude	0:13
2	"Richter Scale"	Erick Sermon	EPMD	3:16
3	"Da Joint"	Erick Sermon, Rockwilder	EPMD	3:28
4	"Never Seen Before"	Erick Sermon	EPMD	2:51
5	"Skit"	Parrish Smith	Interlude	0:24
6	"Intrigued"	Erick Sermon	EPMD, Das EFX	3:38
7	"Last Man Standing"	EPMD	EPMD	3:35
8	"Get Wit This"	Erick Sermon	EPMD	3:42
9	"Do It Again"	Erick Sermon	EPMD	2:52
10	"Apollo Interlude"	Erick Sermon	Interlude	1:18
11	"You Gots 2 Chill '97"	EPMD	EPMD	3:26
12	"Put On"	DJ Scratch	EPMD	3:54
13	"K.I.M. (Keep It Movin')"	Erick Sermon	EPMD, Redman, Keith Murray	4:36
14	"Dungeon Master"	Parrish Smith, Agallah	EPMD, Nocturnal	3:24
15	"Jane 5"	Parrish Smith	PMD	2:41
16	"Never Seen Before [Remix]"	Erick Sermon	EPMD	2:52

Samples[]

Richter Scale

"Person to Person" by Average White Band
"Jungle Boogie" by Kool & the Gang
"California Love" by 2Pac

Da Joint

"Help Me Make It Through the Night" by Gladys Knight & the Pips
"Think (About It)" by Lyn Collins
"The New Style" by Beastie Boys

Never Seen Before

"Just Kissed My Baby" by The Meters
"Public Enemy No. 1" by Public Enemy
"It's Funky Enough" by The D.O.C.

Intrigued

"Walk on By" by Gloria Gaynor

Last Man Standing

"Midnight Groove" by Love Unlimited Orchestra
"Hell on Earth (Front Lines)" by Mobb Deep
"Change the Beat (Female Version)" by Beside

Get Wit This

"We Don't Care" by Manfred Hübler
"The Big Beat" by Billy Squier
"I Know You Got Soul" by Eric B. & Rakim

Do It Again

"Funkin' for Jamaica (N.Y.)" by Tom Browne

You Gots 2 Chill '97

"Jungle Boogie" by Kool & the Gang
"More Bounce to the Ounce" by Zapp

K.I.M. (Keep It Movin')

"Symphony No. 40 (Third Movement)" by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
"Girls" by Beastie Boys
"Da Mad Face Invasion" by Onyx

Jane 5

"Papa Was Too" by Joe Tex
"You Are What I'm All About" by The New Birth
"Mary Jane" by Rick James

Never Seen Before (Remix)

"Watching You" by Slave
"It's Funky Enough" by The D.O.C.

Charts[]

Weekly charts[]

Chart (1997)	Peak position
UK Albums (OCC)^[11]	100
US Billboard 200^[12]	16
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)^[13]	4

Year-end charts[]

Chart (1997)	Position
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)^[14]	72

Singles[]

Year	Song	Chart positions
Year	Song	US Hot 100	US R&B^[15]	US Rap	US Dance Sales
1997	"Da Joint"	94	45	17	5
1997	"Richter Scale"	—	62	—	—

References[]

^ Back in Business at AllMusic
^ Baker, Soren. "EPMDBack In Business (Def Jam) (star) 1/2On..." chicagotribune.com.
^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Volume 3: MUZE. p. 301.CS1 maint: location (link)
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon & Schuster. 2004. p. 281.
^ "EPMD Reopens For 'Business'". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. July 26, 1997 – via Google Books.
^ "EPMD | Biography & History". AllMusic.
^ Ex, Christian (Nov 1997). "Revolutions". Vibe. 5 (9): 148.
^ "Back in Business". Rolling Stone (770): 54, 56. Oct 2, 1997.
^ "EPMD". Austin American-Statesman: C1. 27 Sep 1997.
^ "Music: This week's pop cd releases". The Guardian: 16: 4. 17 Oct 1997.
^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 5, 2021.
^ "EPMD, TLP". Billboard. Retrieved May 5, 2021.
^ "EPMD, BLP". Billboard. Retrieved May 5, 2021.
^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1997". Billboard. Retrieved May 5, 2021.
^ "EPMD Chart History: Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. Retrieved November 16, 2019.

[1] Back in Business at AllMusic

[2] Baker, Soren. "EPMDBack In Business (Def Jam) (star) 1/2On..." chicagotribune.com.

[CL-3] Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Volume 3: MUZE. p. 301.CS1 maint: location (link)

[RS-4] Jump up to: ^a ^b The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon & Schuster. 2004. p. 281.

[5] "EPMD Reopens For 'Business'". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. July 26, 1997 – via Google Books.

[6] "EPMD | Biography & History". AllMusic.

[7] Ex, Christian (Nov 1997). "Revolutions". Vibe. 5 (9): 148.

[8] "Back in Business". Rolling Stone (770): 54, 56. Oct 2, 1997.

[9] "EPMD". Austin American-Statesman: C1. 27 Sep 1997.

[10] "Music: This week's pop cd releases". The Guardian: 16: 4. 17 Oct 1997.

[ac_UK2_-11] "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 5, 2021.

[12] "EPMD, TLP". Billboard. Retrieved May 5, 2021.

[13] "EPMD, BLP". Billboard. Retrieved May 5, 2021.

[14] "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1997". Billboard. Retrieved May 5, 2021.

[15] "EPMD Chart History: Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. Retrieved November 16, 2019.

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hide v t EPMD
Erick Sermon PMD
Studio albums	Strictly Business Unfinished Business Business as Usual Business Never Personal Back in Business Out of Business We Mean Business
Other albums
Singles	"" "Strictly Business" "You Gots to Chill" "I'm Housin" "" "So Wat Cha Sayin'" "Gold Digger" "Rampage" "Give the People" "Crossover" "Head Banger" "The Joint" "Richter Scale" "" "Symphony 2000" ""
Related articles	Discography Hit Squad