The "Intro" is short and sweet. Erick says "We're back" and then Parrish states loudly, "EPMD's back together!" Then, gunshot and then, water... hmmm.

"Richter Scale" kicks the album off with a dope beat complete with bouncing bassline and sampled vocals in the background going. The chorus feels old school right when you hear it: "Off the meter, and everytime we reach the tip-top and ya don't stop, uhh! In the field of rap, we pull rank no question, We top the.." (and a computerized voice says.." Richter Scale". It's a great way to start the album. Though it's no "Strickly Business", it's a fun song that is nor corny.

"Da Joint" is a cool song with a slow, simple beat and an errie melody. E kicks the rhymes off with a cool flow and has some dope lyrics: "Lyrical mastermind, a genius so dont snooze, no missions impossible, ask Tom Cruise, I keep a joint lit, when I have to spit a rough paragraph, laugh when I'm busting yo' ass.." When the chorus comes in, we're reminded of how old school EPMD are: Erick: "My squad stays on point like - Den en den den de den, It's the joint."  Parish: "Yeah my squad stay on point like.."Erick: "Den en den den de den, Its the joint." Both: "New York I'm in your area" DJ scratches: "Over here!".   DJ Scratch does some brilliant turntable wizardry at the end of the song.. The scratches are unbelievable..  He makes you get down to the song so much that you'll probably be pretending to be scratching on records along with him getting down... Though it's a simple concept, it's a cool song.

"Never Seen Before" uses a Public Enemy sample that has been used in many rap songs before. They only add a drum beat to the looping guitar. It's not the most clever but they make up for it in the back and forth lyrical flow. E kicks the song off with those easy to memorize lyrics: "They go ohh and ahh when I jump in my car-People treat me like Kareem Abdul Jabbar" Even Parrish sounds cool in this song. The chorus, though simple again, maintains the ol' school feel: "Never seen before, or heard before- The uncut raw- I'm Erick Sermon - and I'm Parrish Smith" Well, now that we've been properly introduced, let's go to the next song...

The "Skit" features Das Efx buying weed and having many different bags to choose from...There's not really a pun to the skit.. Ussually, EPMD records did not have skits.. just tight hip-hop joints... The skits are one of the aspects which bring the record up to a more contemporary time period.

"Intrigued" featuring Das Efx has a dope beat and a sharp bass line. The theme of the song is how they intrigue the audience by ripping on the mic. The chorus has the old school feel once again: "You're intrigued by the way I do my thing... Do what thing? Pick up the mic, hot, and make it swing...."  Dj Scratch scratches in "Yo, cold wax and tax MC's who tend to act ill" from "You're A Customer".. or was it "Get Off The Bandwagon"???? It's one of those.. Still... the scratches and slices of the old EPMD songs add to the old school hip hop but mixes in with the modern styles. Das Efx, though I'm not a fan, do an excellent job of ripping the mic. This is a dope song.. tight, cool, and hardcore hip-hop!

"Last Man Standing" has a slower beat which is more groovy and serious. E and Parrish's rhymes aren't the best here but DJ Scratch does an awesome job of slicing up lines from Mobb Deep's "Hell On Earth" where P raps: "Whatever it takes how ever it gots to go down- 4 mics on stage a motherf*ckin' 4 pound" Then, you can hear em' saying "Last Man Standing".. This is a cool cut...

The next song, "Get Wit This" is another slower and seriously grooved out song where Erick borrows his rap from "Crossover" for the chorus: "Let's get up, let's get down, roll with the hardcore funk, the hardcore sound. Let's get with this, mack-a-docious, funk material..." then, Rakin is scratched in "It's been a long time, I shouldn't of left!" I'm very glad to see the use of scratching and slicing of lyrics..Hip-hop is made on that and it should be used to give songs a new life. EPMD seems to choose the perfect slices too..  Not too popular to get annoyed or sick by it but popular enough to recognize them.

"Do It Again" is a dance-friendy party joint which isn't too commercially obvious. The beat is fast and the bass line pumps like a very fast "It's My Thing". The chorus uses words rapped by E or Parrish only after there's a sample singing: "I feel it, inside my soul...ooohooohh, Gotta get it into you..." then they say "Do it again, do it again!"

The next skit is called "Apollo Interlude" where E claims to have bugged the playa-haters in the dressing room of the Apollo. Suddenly, it sounds like everyone is holding their nose and speaking bad about EPMD, Redman, Keith Murray, & Nocturnal.. pretending to be in character... They could have paid someone to act it and not have done it themselves. This interlude is a waste of time..

"You Gots 2 Chill '97" uses the same exact beat as the original but some of the lyrics are slightly changed. Parrish raps, "Well my name is M-D, I'm known as the motivator, funky beat maker,New jack terminator, enjoy to destroy, because your rhyme's a toy, Never sweatin no click , Why P?, cause I'm a b-boy.." As the first one flows gracefully with an old school wave, this one is rough as the lyrics are delivered somewhat off-beat. The chemistry is not very good on this and compared to the original... it sucks...

"Put On" is a slow song with a serious theme and murky piano loop. It's all about the shifty ways of the deals made in the streets. E provides the chorus: "That's how it goes down, down on the under.." They tell a story of betrayel and murder and money... it's sad.. Still, though it paints a hardcore picture, it's not as good as the other songs.

"K.I.M." featuring Redman & Keith Murray is probably the best song on the entire album. Damn! This song is dope! The orchestra-sample flows gracefully and the beat kicks! Redman kicks the album off with some dope lyrics: "I grab my d*ck, spit, hit the blinkers, split- the Dutch Coronas, tokin irons without permits-Repetoire long-faced murderer's the shit- Black Bruce Willis mix tape arsonist- Esquire, for hire, with total rapid fire- Supplier to any Tom Dick Jerry Maguire......" Redman's flow is wild and he proves that he's a true master of the mic. As he was just begining on "Headbanger", he shows that he's a pro on "K.I.M." In the chours, Onyx is sampled when they scream: "K-I-M- Keep it moving!" Keith Murray finishes the song with ill lyrics and a terrific fast and furious flow. He's brilliant in this song too. He raps, "I be maxin and relaxin, attractin action-      Flippin more big ol words than Jesse Jackson- My shit knock don't it, drive you crazy if you loan it- man, I feel for my opponents.." This song is perfect and displays EPMD as a valuable modern hip-hop force... It will be a future classic.

"Dungeon Master" featuring Nocturnal is a dissapointment especially since it follows the perfect "K.I.M.". The piano loop is errie and murky but it doesn't really fit well with the beat which is not that great. Nocturnal's rhymes are not anything amazing. He also does the hook: "Yo with cyphers our tradition, then I'm a spill when I'm spittin', This vocal ammunition " The lyrics to the hook are good but Nocturnal's delivery and voice just messes the song up.. It seems like this is filler..

The next song, "Jane 5" is a boring tale told strictly by Parrish Smith using the same beat they used on the original "Jane" and slicing up a line from "Who Killed Jane?" This is a boring song with no chorus.. Erick should have been on it and since he's not, this song sucks too. Finally, the album ends with a remix of "Never Seen Before" that is cool and very dancable. It bounces along as a sample is played singing "Watching you!" The lyrics are the same but the beat is actually better than the original version because it's much more creative.

Overall, the album is good but the second side falls flat with filler. The beats, for the most part, are very good. Though one or two songs have very simple beats, most of the songs hit hard with a steady groove. Lyrically, EPMD keep it old school as they make battle records of how dope they are. Only on songs like "Put On" or "Jane 5" do they tell a story. Unfortunately, those songs are weaker than the others... Erick and Parrish are NOT deep lyricists nor do they drop lyrics with any intense mystery. They are straight-up old school emcees who appeal to the street and people getting paid. If you want very funny and wild lyrics, try Redman. If you want wild word collages, try Keith Murray. But if you want straight up hip-hop with an old school hardcore twist, EPMD does it well. Still, lyrically they do not have the deepest thoughts but they do have a strong delivery most of the time. The production is very good for most of the album. DJ Scratch's use of samples and beats along with Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith's production creates a unique formula which they have used before.  This time it is updated. The scratching and samples are the best part as the beats generally bump very strong.Only songs like "Jane 5" and "Dungeon Master" fall short of being good. EPMD are original but here, they don't break any new ground. They follow their formula and with typical loops like "Never Seen Before", it seems like they could be more creative. "K.I.M." is a very creative hip-hop modern classic with very innovative use of samples both in melody and in lyrical slicing. When EPMD are on their own during songs, they are straight up old school hip-hop heads trying to get paid. Since the same formula is followed and only updated and their lyrics are mainly about rocking mics, macking out, and getting paid, their creativity is not stressed. "You Gotz 2 Chill '97" is an example of updating a perfect song and ruining it.  The album does flow nice though the better songs are in the begining and the worse are at the end except for "K.I.M." The album is short and should leave you wanting more but the weak songs toward the end give it a boring/filler and lazy feel. EPMD are hardcore in the fact they have street sense. They are prepared to blast you in the face for self defense. Especially for discovering Redman, EPMD maintain their hardcore image and vibe without becoming weak or overdoing it. Smoking weed, having sex, making money is  the vibe during a hip-hop lifetime. The reunion album is more symbollic as a good time in hip-hop than it is a good album. Though EPMD do put out a quality record for the most part, the filler does drag it down. Albums like "Stictly Business" should remind us what hip-hop records should be. These people do make hot records and follow their winning formula. No R&B, guest appearances by Redman and Keith Murray make this album better than it should. DJ Scratch saves it too. As Erick and Parrish make dollars, it's a good day in hip-hop that they are back in business.
Beats: 8/10.
Lyrics: 8/10
Production: 8/10
Creativity/Originality: 7/10
Album Flow: 8/10
Hardcore Rating: 8/10
[ Overall Rating : 7.8 / 10 ]