Unfinished Business (EPMD album)

Unfinished Business is the second album by hip hop duo EPMD.[5] Released August 1, 1989, the album built upon the success of the group's previous album Strictly Business, which was released the previous year. The lead single, "So Wat Cha Sayin'," was the only charting single released from the album. It was the second album from the group to hit #1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.

Unfinished Business
Studio album by EPMD
Released	August 1, 1989
Genre	Golden age hip hop
Length	57:09
Label	Fresh, Sleeping Bag Records
Producer	EPMD
EPMD chronology
Strictly Business (1988) Unfinished Business (1989) Business as Usual (1990)
Singles from Unfinished Business
"So Wat Cha Sayin'" Released: 1989

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Christgau's Consumer Guide	B+[2]
The New Rolling Stone Album Guide	[3]
RapReviews	8.5/10[4]

The album was certified Gold by the RIAA on October 16, 1989. It was one of three albums that Priority/EMI Records acquired from Sleeping Bag Records when it ceased operations in 1991.

Reception

Trouser Press wrote that "the rudimentary self-production of Unfinished Business is its most engaging asset: Sermon and his largely silent partner Parrish Smith (the band’s acronym stands for Erick and Parrish Making Dollars) sound like a couple of kids fooling around in mom’s basement, rapping about nothing, singing a line or two, making cut-in jokes with some favorite records and generally amusing themselves while the tape runs."[6]

In 1998, the album was selected as one of The Source's 100 Best Rap Albums[7] and, in 2005, was ranked #7 on comedian Chris Rock's Top 25 Hip-Hop Albums of all-time list for Rolling Stone.

Track listing

All songs produced by EPMD

No.	Title	Length
1.	"So Wat Cha Sayin'"	4:57
2.	"Total Kaos"	4:34
3.	"Get the Bozack"	4:12
4.	"Jane II"	3:33
5.	"Please Listen to My Demo"	3:01
6.	"It's Time 2 Party"	4:37
7.	"Who's Booty"	4:18
8.	"The Big Payback"	4:50
9.	"Strictly Snappin' Necks"	4:29
10.	"Knick Knack Patty Wack (Feat. K-Solo)"	4:56
11.	"You Had Too Much to Drink (Feat. Frank B.)"	7:21
12.	"It Wasn't Me, It Was the Fame"	6:20
Total length:		57:09

Charts

Chart (1989)	Peak position
US Billboard 200	53
US Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums	1[8]

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[9]	Gold	500,000^^
^^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

See also

• List of number-one R&B albums of 1989 (U.S.)

References

1. Henderson, Alex. "Unfinished Business: EPMD". AllMusic. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
2. "Robert Christgau: CG: epmd". www.robertchristgau.com.
3. Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian David (July 10, 2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 9780743201698 – via Google Books.
4. "EPMD :: Unfinished Business :: Fresh/Sleeping Bag Records". www.rapreviews.com.
5. C.M, Emmanuel. "Today In Hip-Hop: EPMD Released 'Unfinished Business' - XXL". XXL Mag.
6. "EPMD". Trouser Press. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
7. "Rocklist.net...The Source 100 Best Rap Albums & Singles".
8. "EPMD". Billboard.
9. "American album certifications – EPMD – Unfinished Business". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH.