React

by John BushErick Sermon, one of the few dedicated artists in hip-hop with a steady hand on both the mic and the mixing board, delivered a hardcore follow-up to his 2001 crossover hit Music. With Sermon spitting rough, raw raps and sequencing the tracks to match, React is much closer to the dark tone of his main concern EPMD than on his J. Records debut. The hit here is the title track, with Sermon and guest Redman locking into a killer groove, helped along by an Indian film loop. "To tha Girlz" proves that Sermon's better telling off the guys than talking to the ladies, but it's one of the few missteps here. For fans of hardcore hip-hop with no concessions to R&B or any type of crossover, Sermon's fourth album is a breath of fresh air.