''Unfinished Business'' is the second album by
hip hop duo
EPMD
EPMD is an American hip hop duo from Brentwood, New York. The duo's name is a concatenation of the members' names "E" and "PMD" or an acronym for "Erick and Parrish Making Dollars", referring to its members: emcees Erick Sermon ("E" a.k.a. ...
. Released August 1, 1989 the album built upon the success of the group's previous album ''
Strictly Business'', which was released the previous year. The lead single, "
So Wat Cha Sayin'
"So Wat Cha Sayin'" is the first single released from, EPMD's second album, '' Unfinished Business''. Produced by EPMD with scratches provided by DJ Scratch, "So Wat Cha Sayin'" made it to three Billboard charts, peaking at #5 on the Hot Rap Singl ...
," was the only charting single released from the album. It was the second album from the group to hit #1 on the
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated J ...
chart.
The album was certified Gold by the
RIAA
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
on October 16, 1989. It was one of three albums that
Priority/EMI Records acquired from Sleeping Bag Records when it ceased operations in 1991.
Reception
''
Trouser Press
''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who Dave Schulps and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference to ...
'' wrote that "the rudimentary self-production of ''Unfinished Business'' is its most engaging asset: Sermon and his largely silent partner Parrish Smith (the band’s acronym stands for Erick and Parrish Making Dollars) sound like a couple of kids fooling around in mom’s basement, rapping about nothing, singing a line or two, making cut-in jokes with some favorite records and generally amusing themselves while the tape runs."
In 1998, the album was selected as one of ''
The Source
''The Source'' is an American hip hop and entertainment website, and a magazine that publishes annually or . It is the world's longest-running rap periodical, being founded as a newsletter in 1988 by Jonathan Shecter. David Mays was the ma ...
s 100 Best Rap Albums
and, in 2005, was ranked #7 on comedian
Chris Rock
Christopher Julius Rock (born February 7, 1965) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and filmmaker. Known for his work in comic film, television and stage, he has received multiple accolades, including three Grammy Awards for best come ...
's Top 25 Hip-Hop Albums of all-time list for ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
''.
Track listing
All songs produced by EPMD
Charts
Certifications
See also
*
List of number-one R&B albums of 1989 (U.S.)
References
{{Authority control
1989 albums
EPMD albums
Albums produced by Erick Sermon
Fresh Records (US) albums
Priority Records albums