He's made stops at pretty much any label you can think of. He's been with Priority, Def Jam, MCA, BMG International, J-Records and where he is now, Universal Motown. And in his 15 years in the game, he's seen a lot of changes.
"Every major player that's in it... been changed around / But I'm still standing, got something to say-The boy still here like LL and Dre," rhymes a serious Erick Sermon on "Relentless," the first single off his latest LP, Chilltown, New York.
That's right, as a veteran of the game, "The Green Eyed Bandit," Erick Sermon is still here. But for the Long Island, NY native and one-half of the legendary EPMD, Chilltown, NY may be his final solo album.
"And this might be my last hurrah / I'm gonna rock now until tomorrow," he candidly rhymes later on "Relentless."
If this is indeed his final solo effort at least he's going out strong because Chilltown, NY is a lyrically tight album. The first single, "Relentless," helps sets the tone for the album's overall vibe and content- paying dues in the game. In addition to "Relentless" where he rhymes about how long he's been going hard in the game, "Godsent," proves to be a similarly reflective and reminiscent track.
Although Sermon is more serious on the majority of this album, his club ready second single, "Feel It," is proof he still wants to have a good time too. The single features the creative use of a Sean Paul sample on the hook and the lyricism of Sy Scott, the newest member of the Def Squad crew, an artist that hip-hop fans should keep an ear out for.
Also "Chillin," a track featuring Talib Kweli and Whip Montez (a talented female MC) provides a heavy NY hip-sound that fans are bound to like.
Other assists on the album, include the rest of Def Squad- Keith Murray and Redman, and even Nas. Although sampled in on Street Hop, the use of Nas on the hook saying, "This ain't rapping, this is street hop/Now get up off your ass like your seat's hot," is creative and gives the up-tempo track some strong presence. Redman and an artist named Tre, help "The Green Eyed Bandit" deliver a strong track with that one.
Overall, Chilltown, NY should please hip-hop fans and more specifically NY hip-hop fans because of all the references made about NY, NY. However, the rather up-tempo production of the album can begin to sound monotone to listeners during the middle of the album. Also, even though this may be his last solo LP, Sermon makes constant references to what he did in the past, which may appease his die-hard fans, but turn others away.
From his EPMD days and solo work, the man has influenced many artists and, "Like Eminem said- you wanna be Erick Sermon, but you're a generic version." So for a personal triumph, E Double has to be happy with Chilltown, NY because it's his benchmark- all about his grind as an MC, accomplishments and life with the mic in his hand. From a fan standpoint though, it's just a worthy effort.
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