Erick Sermon - Insomnia: Erick Sermon Compilation

2 songs = 2 stars

Red's Funkorama and Keith's This That Ish. That's about it. November 18, 2006

6 Billion Feet Beneath, Where The Def Squad Dwells... {4 Stars}

Sleep if you want to, but this a seriously ill album. Erick Sermon shows why he is one of the best producers in hip hop history with albums like this. Even the tracks where the MC isn't all that great, the Green Eyed Bandit's production keeps your ears glued to the stereo speakers. Bangers like "The Vibe", "Reign", "On The Regular", "Fear" (R.I.P. Tommy Gunn), and "I Feel It" are tight vintage tracks from the Def Squad crew. "Funkorama" and "It's That Hit" are timeless, classic Funklord productions that take this album from good to great. Even the WFDS interludes are on point.

There are a few passable tracks, but not many. "Up Jumps The Boogie" suffers from sleep inducing production while "Ready For War" is hindered by Domo's weak lyrics. I'm not sure how many people remember Keith Murray's single "Get Lifted", but that single contained a b-side called "Pay Per View" that featured LBM, Passion, and Kel Vicious. On "As The..." Passion rehashes lyrics from that song (which is probably her best verse ever) and it brings nothing fresh to the table (though the beat, again, is superb) and makes things kind of boring. Don't get me wrong, Passion is nice, but she could've come more creative than that. And maybe I'm trippin', but I thought "Beez Like That" was definitely skip material.

When it's all said and done, cats will remember Erick Sermon as one of the best producers in hip hop history. When I look back at this album, I feel like it's the perfect representation of the Funk Lord's sound -- bass heavy, rugged, smoked out funk (even though Redman and Rockwilder do lend production assistance). Amazon is selling this album for a penny. I'd take advantage of anyone foolish enough to sell at that price and snatch this one up. Highly recommended.

Standout Tracks: Reign, Funkorama (My Favorite), Fear, It's That Hit, The Vibe, On The Regular, and I Feel It June 28, 2006

very underated album

this album was released in 1996, this is the type of album you would play only at night when cruisin' in your car or when the sunset come or the sun rises. this album has very dark production from erick sermon and some of best beats.If you like mid 90's east coast hip hop then this is 4 you. i'll review the songs for you.

1.Intro- it's just radio personality cherry martinez talking about redman's new single funkorama.(produced by redman) (co-produced by erick sermon)(3/5)
2.Funkorama- hot single, the video for it is just straight hood. this to me is one of redman best songs that he put out.(5/5)
3.The Vibe- good song by cross-breed. he also appears on case closed on redman's muddy waters album. (produced by redman)(5/5)
4. As The...- hot beat by erick sermon. rapper passion ripping the song to bits.very lyrical. (produced by erick sermon) (5/5)
5.Beez Like That- a song by jamal and calif, jamal very lyrical, he also released his first album last chances,no breaks. he was also in the teenage group illegal. the beats ok it's erick's best. (produced by erick sermon).(4/5)
6.It's That Hit- a hot song by keith murray when he was good until he fell off.the only thing that bothered me about this so ng is that it's edited for some reason.plus he was in trouble around this time for hitting a fan with a barstool across the face.damn keith you're a angry brother,chill.(4/5) (produced by erick sermon). (4/5).
7.Up Jump The Boogie- a hot song by a unknown group called the wixton's. they can flow and the beat fits them. i love beats like this.erick should of still make beats like this but he kind of fell off too on the beats. (produced by erick sermon). (5/5).
8.Caller's Interlude- it's just cherry martinez answering phone calls and redman calls and gives shout outs and erick sermon also calls and give shout outs. nothing special. (3/5).
9.I Feel It- A hot song by keith murray's click L.O.D. one of the hottest song on the album. hard drums and a haunting trumpet chord the one you would here on oz when someone dies. dark beat.(5/5) (produced by erick sermon)
10.On The Regular- a song by duo, believe to be erick sermon's sister and her partner t-man, she's not bad, a nice dark beat, it's alright nothing special.(3/5) (produced by erick sermon)
11.Fear- A hot song by tommy gunn, from the west coast, and is actually good, the beat has a dark jazzy type feel to it. gave me goosebumps when i first heard it. sadly not long after he was fatally shot.it's a sshame that all good artist got to leave. (5/5).(produced by erick sermon)
12.Ready For War- a song by domo. i didn't really like this song too much, it sounded like erick sermon didn't put enough emphasis to this beat, i felt like erick could've done better. (2/5).
13.reign- a hot song by erick sermon. erick's solo song, the beat is very dark, he just basically talks about him being just the champion but a hot song one of my favorites. this song should've been on erick's second album ''double or nothing''.

overall, this is a very dark album, and this album is a underground classic that should've been promoted better, some of these songs should've been in the new jersey drive soundtrack. if you're tired of listening to carbon copy hip hop then just pop this cd in and chill. and it's good to play when you're goin out at night or just to chill to. they don't make hip hop like this any more. support real hiphop. September 6, 2005

ILL

Here you have a sample if each DEF SQUAD member and what they bring to the table. Very slept on, however I feel its better than any of the def squads LP's. Ill production and tight rhymes Nuff said~ July 27, 2005

Good compilation from E Double and company

After EPMD parted ways and each member began to work on solo projects, Erick Sermon began to develop a unique style all his own. Laid-back, dark beats and understated samples, light-years away from his high-energy work with EPMD. But it was a great sound. He kind of lost it recently, ever since the "El Nino" album, his production is a little generic nowadays. But this is a great example of the peak of his creativity. He, Rockwilder and Redman man the boards throughout "Insomnia," and the record is essentially a showcase for little-known talent within the Defsquad extended family. Some of the production gets a little monotonous, but otherwise, this is a good album, and it's aptly titled. I like to have this album on when I'm drivin' around 2-3 a.m. It calms you down and just sort of gets you in the right mindset for a late-night cruise. Redman's "Funkorama" is probably the best song. Other highlights include "Beez Like That," by Jamal (whose entire solo album unfortunately didn't live up to this single), and "Up Jumps the Boogie" by the Wixtons. All in all, this is a pretty good album, but if you're not into Erick Sermon tracks, I wouldn't recommend it. March 13, 2000

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