Islip, New York emcee and producer Erick Sermon takes a backseat on his ninth record. As a member of the duo EPMD and the trio Def Squad, it was not until the early/mid-90s that he released his debut album “NoPressure”, followed by his second album “Double or Nothing” under Def Jam Recordings. Following stints with Erick Onasis on DreamWorks Records and Music & React on J Records, he considered retiring in the summer of 2004 with New York’s Chilltown, a band owned by Universal Music Group. Luckily, he’s making a flawed but solid comeback more than a decade later with ESP (Erick Sermon’s Perception), and his last album, Vernia, was a tribute to his late grandmother, but he’s ready for a “Dynamic Duo” trilogy.
Following the intro, Method Man & Redman’s lead single “Look at ‘Em” begins with their entire crew setting off over ghostly instrumentals, while MOP’s “Sidewalk Executives” works over a soul sample to declare their hometown executive status. WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg’s “Like That” takes a funkier approach to dishing out playful romance, and after the “Maya Crockett” skit, Conway the Machine & The Game’s “God Mode” ties their verses together and talks about their verses being verses.
“How Do You Know?”, the song written by Cypress Hill, creates a booming vibe, a warning that no one wants purple smoke coming out of them when “How long?” “Public Enemy” brings a sense of funk from hardcore lyricism to the politically relevant themes they’ve always been known for. EPMD wrote a song of their own, “Test Me,” daring their opposition to give it a try and see what would happen, but after the “Pimp Gators” skit, Tha Dogg Pound’s “The City” represented the West Coast.
Heltah Skeltah’s song “Spectacle” is a fusion of soul and funk about letting the world of music experience incredible things, while 38 Spesh’s “No Gimmicks” finds these 2 songs reminding us all that they’re still real. Before the coda, Salt-n-Pepa’s “Back 2 the Party” ends with the recent Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee successfully nostalgic about his block party days.
“Dynamic Duos” focuses more on the production side, marking the first time since the Interscope Records-branded “Insomnia” compilation nearly three years ago, with Erick Sermon letting a range of guest performers shine on the mic, although he did drop a few verses here and there. It’s no surprise that the first entry in the series has a lot of potential to be his best tribute material to some of hip-hop’s most iconic groups and duos.
Rating: 9/10
