Unfinished Business is the second album by hip hop duo EPMD. Released July 25, 1989,[1] 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'," was the only charting single released from the album. It was the second album from the group to hit No. 1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
| Unfinished Business | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | July 25, 1989 | |||
| Studio |
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| Genre | Hip hop | |||
| Length | 57:09 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer | EPMD | |||
| EPMD chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Unfinished Business | ||||
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The album was certified Gold by the RIAA 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 edit
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music |  [3] |
| RapReviews | 8.5/10[5] |
| (The New) Rolling Stone Album Guide | [4] |
| The Village Voice | B+[6] |
Trouser Press 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."[7]
In 1998, the album was selected as one of The Source's 100 Best Rap Albums[8] and, in 2005, was ranked No. 7 on comedian Chris Rock's Top 25 Hip-Hop Albums of all-time list for Rolling Stone.
Track listing edit
All songs produced by EPMD
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "So Wat Cha Sayin'" | 4:57 |
| 2. | "Total Kaos" | 4:34 |
| 3. | "Get the Bozack" | 4:12 |
| 4. | "Jane II" | 3:33 |
| 5. | "Please Listen to My Demo" | 3:01 |
| 6. | "It's Time 2 Party" | 4:37 |
| 7. | "Who's Booty" | 4:18 |
| 8. | "The Big Payback" | 4:50 |
| 9. | "Strictly Snappin' Necks" | 4:29 |
| 10. | "Knick Knack Patty Wack (Feat. K-Solo)" | 4:56 |
| 11. | "You Had Too Much to Drink (Feat. Frank B.)" | 7:21 |
| 12. | "It Wasn't Me, It Was the Fame" | 6:20 |
| Total length: | 57:09 | |
Charts edit
| Chart (1989) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 | 53 |
| US Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums | 1[9] |
Certifications edit
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[10] | Gold | 500,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "Sleeping Bag Records advertisement" (PDF). Billboard. 101 (29). New York, NY, USA: Billboard Publications, Inc.: 26 1989-07-22. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
Street date July 25
- ^ Henderson, Alex. "Unfinished Business: EPMD". AllMusic. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
- ^ Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian David (July 10, 2004). (The New) Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 9780743201698 – via Google Books.
- ^ "EPMD :: Unfinished Business :: Fresh/Sleeping Bag Records". www.rapreviews.com.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (October 3, 1989). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice.
- ^ "EPMD". Trouser Press. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
- ^ "Rocklist.net...The Source 100 Best Rap Albums & Singles".
- ^ "EPMD". Billboard.
- ^ "American album certifications – EPMD – Unfinished Business". Recording Industry Association of America.