Back in Business is the fifth studio album by American hip hop duo EPMD. It was released on September 16, 1997, through Def Jam Recordings. The recording sessions took place at Mirror Image and Soundtrack Studios in New York. The album was produced by members Erick Sermon and PMD, as well as DJ Scratch, with Agallah and Rockwilder serving as co-producers. It features guest appearances from Das EFX, Keith Murray, Nocturnal, and Redman. In the United States, the album peaked at number 16 on the Billboard 200 and number 4 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. It was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America on November 17, 1997 for selling 500,000 copies. It also reached number 100 on the UK Albums Chart and number 14 on the UK Hip Hop and R&B Albums Chart. The song "Never Seen Before" was released as a split single with Foxy Brown's "Big Bad Mamma" from Def Jam's How to Be a Player soundtrack. "Da Joint" made it to number 94 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became the duo's second most successful single (after "Crossover") in the album era. The final single off of the album, "Richter Scale", only reached number 62 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. The album marks the reunion of the group after five year disbandment, when the pair had broken up due to financial issues.

Critical reception

Vibe wrote that "Sermon's sluggish production makes the duo's paper-thin and finance-driven subject matter that much more irritating". Rolling Stone declared: "Gone is the Wall of Sound funk that made EPMD famous". The Austin American-Statesman thought that "jams such as 'Richter Scale' and 'Get With This' show true EPMD style as Erick and Parish sound perfect together over guitar funk". The Guardian wrote that Back in Business "returns to the breaks and beats that made [EPMD] great: kooky 1970s funk samples mixed with guitar loops and cool-as-ice vocals".

Track listing

Personnel

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications