Track Checker: EPMD "Da Joint"

Yesterday I was showing my grandpa the wonders of the internet and we made our way over to Internet Radio. To my surprise, the first song that came up was this one! "Da Joint" by EPMD! So, of course, we got retarded* and when the song ended we cleaned up the mess and had some brunch. Sunday shit!
*in a traditional hip hop sense, not in an offensive sense, just like the Black Eyed Peas (who have nothing to do with hip hop)

Anyway, listening to this song reminded me that EPMD had a good song that nobody talks about. And it doesn't fit in the very old school category like all their other good songs ("You Gots 2 Chill", "So Whatcha' Sayin", "Get The Bozack", plus about ten others that I can't remember off the top of my head.). So I thought I'd take a second and remind you about this good song. Here it is:



I know that this song has an official video, but it's edited and has a bunch of dumb shit added to it that nobody wants to hear, so I put up the good version. Plus when I spun this shit in the days of old, I never listened to the clean version. Strictly dirty, that's how I do it, and that's how I did it. Word.

There is a lot to say about this song. First, the beat is good! It sounds like a typical Erick Sermon beat, but its one of his better beats. Professional. Second, the lyrics sound like they're coming from masters. The team stayed strong for their comeback and killed it. Third, the chorus is good (even though I bet it looks dumb on paper). Finally, the chemistry is there between the boys. Did they hate each other at this point? Did they reunite just for the paper? Who knows?

I do have some minor issues: Erick Sermon kicks off the song by saying that he "makes a million bucks every six months". OK! I don't care. You're a good producer and Def Squad and whatever. Earn what you can. Then he says that people are hating. I doubt it. I think at this point (and still) not many people hate anyone from EPMD. They're well respected. They stay on point (except for "We Mean Business").

In Conclusion: EPMD is the shit. This song is good. I attached the official video at the end of the post, in case you want to see it. Which you do.

DA JOINT SCORE 8/10

EPMD - Da Joint by umusic

We Got Something New: Erick Sermon "Breath of Fresh Air"

I don't know what is going on anymore. I respect Erick Sermon greatly, but I basically wrote him off as a has-been for the very good reason that he hasn't put out anything good in a LONG TIME. I mean, it got to the point that I would see E. Serm's name attached to something and have second thoughts about spinning it. I still would spin it out of respect, but I was almost always disappointed. So when I heard about his new mixtape I said "Ugh, I'll check that out later". And I waited for a long time then I finally gave in and gave it a spin...and HOLY F, it's really good. I mean like his best work in a really long time and also better than a lot of stuff out right now. He has a new energy, his rhymes are solid and his beats are on time. What in the hell happened? I can honestly say that "Breath of Fresh Air" is incredible, and I never use the word "incredible" because people sound like dinks when they say that. But this is that! I can't believe it.

GREAT JOB* THIS TIME ERICK SERMON!

*There are a couple of exceptions, but great job for the most part.

Yo! From Track 3 "Fix Your Face" all the way to Track 11 "I'm Good" is top choice hip hop. All the tracks in this window are great. But the whole shit is mostly good. Plus the guest spots are top notch (even with Rick Ross) and everyone comes correct. What more can I say, just listen to it and see if you agree with me!

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Now for the exceptions, and I don't want to dwell on this, but there are some mistakes on here too. First of all, WHY ARE THERE SKITS? Nobody wants to hear those ever. They're the worst and EVERYBODY HATES THEM. Second of all the skit called "Head Skit" is the worst kind of skit that everyone especially hates and everyone wonders why it is on the mixtape and what is wrong with people in general and especially whats wrong with people who make sex skits. I know skits have become a throwback to the good old days, but they're a terrible throwback. I would literally throw them back in time, into a fire so I never hear one again.

Next, the track "Headgames" featuring 50 Cent and one of my favorites, Keith Murray, is awful and reminds me of why I doubt the Green Eyed Bandit. That beat SUCKS A NICKLE THROUGH A STRAW and it has that traditional Def Squad sound that we would all like the Def Squad to move past. Just put Keith Murray on a good beat, like any other beat on this album (Except for Commander N Chief, cuz that's from the same crop of crap beats). Why not?

Oh, and the hook of Lil Nikki is terrible, oh yeaaahhhh! But I'll still say that it's a good song. 1-9-9-9.

Okay other than that the rest of the album is great.

BREATH OF FRESH AIR SCORE 8/10

Trackmasters: Yo! MTV Raps Freestyle

It goes without saying that MTV is a joke and THE WORST and nobody likes it except for a few teenage shut-ins. They should really just drop the "M" right? That's what people say, "they don't even play music SMH." Well I say they should drop the M and the TV and then off the planet.  Anyway, they're a bunch of toady posers that put on  a bunch of shows about really dumb high school pranks and being pregnant as a teenager. So they got their LOLz and OMGs covered, right? WHO CARES? NOBODY AT ALL.

Okay, so long ago they had a show about rap music and it was okay. Really? Yep. But if anyone ever tells you that their show was "great" or "awesome", they've either been blinded by nostalgia, or they've got bad taste, because it wasn't that good. Ed Lover and Dre were good....and sometimes the videos were good, but not usually. It was all hit or miss. Anyway when the show got cancelled they had a freestyle farewell and it was ten minutes long and a lot of big names spit: Rakim, KRS-One, Erick Sermon, Chubb Rock, MC Serch, Redman, Method Man, Large Professor, Special Ed, and Craig Mack. Wow! Plus DJ Scribble was on the turntables. AND Flava Flav got placed. There is nothing better than hearing a lineup like that, no matter where it's coming from.

But why am I posting this? Well, this is from 1995, shortly after "Tical" dropped. Please notice how Method Man dominates his peers and superiors .This is the Method Man we were dealing with back then. He destroys some of the biggest names in rap...in a freestyle...with Rakim and KRS One. That's incredible. Great to watch, plus Erick Sermon killing it! Redman! This is just a good video: check it out.




Oh, 1995 Method Man, please come back to us. We miss you.

As a bonus I'm also throwing up an old ODB freestyle, also from MTV. Needless to say, it's a classic. O killing it. Look at how different this is from everything else ever. RIP to the grandmaster...MUCH RESPECT:



How about a little more Meth? Sure.


I can't stop. How about the Wu spitting over one of the best beats in history:


Living in Philly freestyles like this would come up from time to time on the radio or on street mixtapes. Honestly, it was Wu-Tang at their best. My all time favorite ODB verse was one he did for some radio station in New York (Hot 97 I guess) and somehow it made it on a mixtape I bought off the street in Philly, that shit never made it to any of his albums but it was dope. It was the best. Anyway, that shit doesn't happen anymore, Method Man is making candy commercials. 

MTV Score 0/10
MTV Raps Freestyle Score 7/10
ODB Freestyle Score 10/10
Method Man Freestyle #1 Score 10/10
Wu-Tang Freestyle Score 10/10

Thanks to Village Voice for the idea of blogging about some of these vidoes!