MC Serch is a 59-year-old emcee, songwriter and record executive from Queens, New York who rose to prominence as a 1/3rd bass. After Def Jam Recordings disbanded, he also released a solo LP called Return of the Product, which featured Nas’ first guest appearance. It’s been over 30 years since then, and I’m amazed that he recruited Apathy from the legions of pharaohs and demigod collectives to produce new expansion material entirely.
“Thanks Serch” opens with a beautiful instrumental expressing gratitude for the people he’s met throughout his illustrious career, while “The Builder” boasts of his wealth over a funky beat. The two team up for a playful club anthem on NEMS’ “Air It Out,” and after “Questions in My Mind” responds to those curious about his longevity, there’s some soulful grown-man shit on “The Playbook,” which precedes the closing credits.
Return of the Product isn’t necessarily one of my favorite early ’90s Def Jam releases, even though it featured some of MC Serch’s greatest songs like “Back to the Grill” and “Scenes from the Mind,” but the Millions of Zeroes EP surpasses that album by being created on a batch of urgent Apathy-produced tracks.
Score: 8/10
