There’s crews, then there’s the Def Squad, the wild bunch that is Erick Sermon, Redman and Keith Murray that are hip-hop’s supreme dream team. Leading the underground sound to mainstream shores, the infamous elite street emcees, who earlier this year blew up nationwide with their "Rapper’s Delight" remake, embark on their full-length virgin voyage, El Nino. Masterminded by EPMD legend Erick Sermon, the Def Squad’s origins can be traced to the dissolving of The Hit Squad (K-Solo, Redman, Das EFX) shortly after Sermon and partner Parrish Smith parted ways in 1992. What followed was truly the start of something big. First flowing together on "Swing It Over Here," from Sermon’s solo album No Pressure (1993), the trio have collaborated on several occasions, most notably on "Cosmic Slop" from Redman’s Dare Iz A Darkside (1994), "How’s That" from Murray’s The Most Beautifullest Thing In This World (1994), "Open Fire" from Sermon’s Double Or Nothing (1995), "Yeah" from Murray’s Enigma (1996) and "Da Ill Out" from Redman’s third banger, Muddy Waters (1996). Although the success of the Sugarhill Gang redux motivated the group to record this album, Reggie Noble is quick to clarify that, "We don’t just do songs to get a lil’ video and all of that. We do this because we love it. We eat, sleep and breathe hip hop." No doubt the Def Squad also loves to crush the competition into mush. This is proven on the blazing lead-off single, "Full Cooperation." In your face from the get-go, Murray declares: "Now first but not least/You will respect Keith/Lay a nigga down like a doo-rag and grease/You must be crazy tryin’ to play me/I’ve been dedicated since King Tut the III, baby...," Coming second as hard as he did on EPMD’s critically acclaimed reunion album, Back In Business, E says: "My style ain’t no walk in the park/Got mainstream emcees scared to rhyme after dark...For battlin’ reservations 1-900-SQUAD/Frontin’ on us is like frontin’ on God..." And like the last episode of Seinfeld, all eyes shift to The Funk Doctor Spock who hems the finale with his trademark spark: "And when we take it there/ These three niggas in a square/ My Squad hangs out like 400 pounds of brassieres...Your style is weak/ Guard your Rollie/ With all the ice in it/ I snatch the ice out/ Put a price out/ Cop a Benz/ Put my moms in it..." Oh, the humanity.
