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All EPMD Albums Ranked Best to Worst (2026)

EPMD released seven studio albums, and this page ranks all seven, from Strictly Business (1988) to We Mean Business (2008). Erick Sermon's and PMD's solo albums, the Hit Squad side projects and the two-disc greatest-hits material bundled with Out of Business are not ranked.

EPMD7 albums8 min readUpdated October 2026East Coast Hip-Hop

Quick Take

Consensus PeakStrictly BusinessFive mics, no guest rappers, all funkMost UnderratedBusiness Never PersonalTheir hardest album, finished as they splitBest ReunionBack in BusinessOld chemistry, glossy late-1990s polish, gold plaque

Why it ranks here

Strictly Business is the purest version of EPMD: no guest rappers, no outside producers, just Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith rhyming in an easy conversational drawl over thick funk samples they chose themselves. "You Gots to Chill" and "I'm Housin" became calling cards, and the drum outro of "You're a Customer" proved so durable that it resurfaced in pop hits decades later. At ten tracks it never overstays its welcome.

Context

Released June 7, 1988 on Fresh/Sleeping Bag; it reached No. 1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and went gold within four months.

Highlights

  • Strictly Business
  • You Gots to Chill
  • I'm Housin
  • You're a Customer
  • Jane

Weak Spots

  • "D.J. K La Boss" is a scratch showcase that stalls the second half
  • The duo's flows are deliberately low-key, which some listeners hear as flat

Production

Erick Sermon · PMD

Read our full Strictly Business review →

Influence

The Source later gave it five mics and placed it on its 100 Best Rap Albums list, and Rolling Stone ranked it No. 453 on its 2012 list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

Replay Value

Very high — short, funky and endlessly sampled.

Why it ranks here

At under forty minutes, Business Never Personal is EPMD's tightest album and its toughest sounding. The drums are heavier, the loops darker, and "Crossover" — built on a Roger Troutman talk-box hook — took aim at rappers chasing pop success while becoming the group's biggest single. "Head Banger" with K-Solo and Redman is a posse cut for the ages, and "Chill" and "Boon Dox" show the duo's production at its peak.

Context

Released July 28, 1992 on Def Jam. Money troubles and a 1992 break-in at PMD's home split the duo soon after, and they did not record together again until 1997.

Highlights

  • Crossover
  • Head Banger
  • Chill
  • Boon Dox
  • Can't Hear Nothing but the Music

Weak Spots

  • "Who Killed Jane?" stretches the running Jane storyline thin
  • Eleven tracks leave you wanting more

Production

Erick Sermon · PMD · DJ Scratch · Charlie Marotta

Influence

Peaked at No. 14 on the Billboard 200 and went gold; The Source gave it 4.5 mics, and fans count it as the duo's third classic.

Replay Value

Very high — the best place to hear EPMD's harder side.

Why it ranks here

Unfinished Business follows the debut's formula almost exactly, which is both its strength and its limit. "So Wat Cha Sayin'" and "The Big Payback" are as funky as anything on Strictly Business, and "Please Listen to My Demo" is a sharp, funny story about the music business. At fifty-seven minutes, though, several cuts run long, and the skits and novelty tracks thin out the back half.

Context

Released July 25, 1989 on Fresh/Sleeping Bag, barely a year after the debut; K-Solo appears on "Knick Knack Patty Wack."

Highlights

  • So Wat Cha Sayin'
  • The Big Payback
  • Please Listen to My Demo
  • It's Time 2 Party
  • Strictly Snappin' Necks

Weak Spots

  • Two tracks run past six minutes without earning it
  • Less surprising than the debut

Production

Erick Sermon · PMD

Influence

Their second No. 1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, certified gold in October 1989; Trouser Press praised its rudimentary self-production as its most engaging asset.

Replay Value

High — the singles hold up, the deep cuts less so.

Why it ranks here

Business as Usual is a little less cohesive than the albums above it, but it has some of EPMD's best-known songs. "Gold Digger" and "Rampage" with LL Cool J were radio staples, and Redman makes his recorded debut on "Hardcore" and "Brothers on My Jock," sounding fully formed already. DJ Scratch joins the production and gives the album a slightly busier, more scratch-heavy sound.

Context

Released December 18, 1990, it was EPMD's first album on Def Jam and the first release on Russell Simmons's new Rush imprint.

Highlights

  • Gold Digger
  • Rampage
  • Hardcore
  • Give the People
  • Rap Is Outta Control

Weak Spots

  • Middle tracks like "Mr. Bozack" feel like filler
  • Critics at the time found it less inspired than the first two

Production

Erick Sermon · PMD · DJ Scratch

Influence

Its biggest legacy is Redman, whose debut here helped make the Hit Squad crew one of the key collectives of early-1990s rap.

Replay Value

Moderate to high — a strong playlist album.

Why it ranks here

After five years apart, Back in Business sounds like two old partners easing back into a groove. "Da Joint" and "Never Seen Before" are bright, bouncy singles, and "K.I.M." with Keith Murray and Redman brings back the Hit Squad energy. The production is glossier than the early records, and some reviewers found Sermon's beats sluggish, but the chemistry is intact.

Context

Released September 16, 1997 on Def Jam after both members had released two solo albums each.

Highlights

  • Da Joint
  • Never Seen Before
  • Richter Scale
  • K.I.M.
  • Intrigued

Weak Spots

  • "You Gots 2 Chill '97" invites comparison with a song it can't top
  • Glossy late-1990s mixes date it

Production

Erick Sermon · PMD · DJ Scratch · Rockwilder

Influence

Peaked at No. 16 on the Billboard 200 and went gold, proving the duo still had an audience in the jiggy era.

Replay Value

Moderate — the singles carry it.

Why it ranks here

Out of Business plays like a goodbye: loud guest spots, nostalgic references and a sense that the duo is closing the books. "Symphony 2000" with Redman, Method Man and Lady Luck is a strong posse cut, and "Pioneers" makes a reasonable case for their legacy, but much of the album feels routine next to their early work.

Context

Released July 20, 1999 on Def Jam, with a bonus disc of greatest hits in some editions.

Highlights

  • Symphony 2000
  • Pioneers
  • Rap Is Still Outta Control
  • Symphony
  • Check 1, 2

Weak Spots

  • Too many guest-driven tracks for an EPMD record
  • "Jane 6" shows how tired the running storyline had become

Production

Erick Sermon · PMD · DJ Scratch

Influence

Peaked at No. 13 on the Billboard 200, their highest chart position, though lead single "Symphony 2000" stalled at No. 62 on the R&B/Hip-Hop chart.

Replay Value

Low to moderate — mostly for "Symphony 2000."

Why it ranks here

We Mean Business leans on outside producers more than any earlier EPMD album — 9th Wonder, DJ Honda and Ty Fyffe among them — and a long list of guests including Raekwon, KRS-One, Method Man and Redman. The duo sounds comfortable, and "Left 4 Dead" with Skyzoo and "Never Defeat 'Em" are solid, but the album rarely feels essential. Pitchfork rated it 6.6, which is about right.

Context

Released December 9, 2008 on the duo's own EP Records, their first album in nine years.

Highlights

  • Puttin' Work In
  • Roc-Da-Spot
  • Never Defeat 'Em
  • Left 4 Dead
  • Run It

Weak Spots

  • Guests outshine the hosts on several tracks
  • Short songs that rarely develop

Production

Erick Sermon · PMD · 9th Wonder · DJ Honda · Ty Fyffe

Influence

Reached No. 13 on Top Rap Albums; it added to the catalog more than it changed their legacy.

Replay Value

Low — a few tracks for completists.

Essay

The Complete Picture

Strictly Business and Business Never Personal bookend the duo's first era, and both still sound like the blueprint for laid-back, sample-heavy East Coast rap. Unfinished Business and Business as Usual are close behind, while the reunion records are worth hearing for a handful of songs rather than front to back.

Start with Strictly Business, then go straight to Business Never Personal to hear how much harder the sound got in four years.

Read next
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EPMD Albums in Order

  1. 1988Strictly BusinessRanked #1
  2. 1989Unfinished BusinessRanked #3
  3. 1990Business as UsualRanked #4
  4. 1992Business Never PersonalRanked #2
  5. 1997Back in BusinessRanked #5
  6. 1999Out of BusinessRanked #6
  7. 2008We Mean BusinessRanked #7

EPMD Albums: Common Questions

What is the best EPMD album?
We rank Strictly Business (1988) as the best EPMD album, with a score of 9.3/10: Ten songs that made slow funk the sound of rap.
How many EPMD albums are ranked here?
This ranking covers 7 EPMD projects, released between 1988 and 2008.
What is the earliest EPMD album in this ranking?
Strictly Business (1988) is the earliest release in this list. We rank it #1.
What is the most recent EPMD album in this ranking?
We Mean Business (2008) is the most recent release in this list. We rank it #7.
Which EPMD album is ranked lowest?
We Mean Business (2008) sits at #7 with a score of 6.2/10.