Whut? Thee Album

As rap duo EPMD, Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith revolutionized Hip-Hop production with their bass heavy, electro-funk derived beats and helped to usher in an era of stone faced street rap with their monotone deliveries. Yet despite the excellence of their production work and the streetwise gravitas of their delivery, they were far from masterful MCs and were constantly looking for lyrically dexterous protégés to spit over their head-nod inducing beats. In Newark, New Jersey’s Redman they found their most talented and charismatic champion. Though Redman’s early appearances on EPMD tracks were galvanizing, little could have prepared Hip-Hop listeners for the lyrical onslaught of Whut? Thee Album. Though Redman is occasionally dismissed as little more than a lyrical prankster, the raw skill on display on tracks like “Time 4 Sum Akson” and the aptly titled “Blow Your Mind” can hardly be ignored. Most MC’s this gifted would spend the majority of their time bragging about their lyrical abilities, but Redman is always refreshingly modest and turns his unparalleled virtuosity into a host of uproarious punch lines and delightful non sequiturs.