EPMD is an American hip hop group from Brentwood, New York. The group's
name is a concatenation of the members' name "E" and "PMD" or
an acronym for "Erick and Parrish Making Dollars" (later "Erick
and Parrish Millennium Ducats"), referencing its members, emcees
Erick Sermon ("E") and Parrish Smith ("PMD").
The group has been active for more than 20 years (1986–present),
and is one of the most prominent acts in East coast hip hop. Diamond
J, DJ K La Boss, and DJ Scratch were DJs for the group.[1]
The word "business" is used in every title of the group's
albums. Every album also has a track titled "Jane".
Hailing from Long Island NY, EPMD's first album, Strictly Business,
appeared in 1988, which featured the underground hit "Strictly
Business," based on a sample of Eric Clapton's version of Bob
Marley's "I Shot the Sheriff." Many critics cite this first
album as the group's most influential.[citation needed] The group's
brand of funk-fueled sample-heavy hip-hop proved to be a major force
in the genre. Unlike old school hip hop, which was originally based
on disco hits but eventually became more electronic, EPMD based its
music mainly on lifting funk and rock breaks for samples and helped
to popularize their usage, along with Marley Marl and Public Enemy. "You're
a Customer" combined snippets of Steve Miller's "Fly Like
an Eagle," Kool & the Gang's "Jungle Boogie," and
the bass line from ZZ Top’s "Cheap Sunglasses." "Jane," about
a romantic rendezvous turned bad, would be revisited on no less than
five sequels; a first for hip-hop, and, perhaps, rock and roll as
well. "You Gots to Chill" used 1980s funk band Zapp's "More
Bounce to the Ounce," which has become one of the most enduring
sample sources for hip-hop. "I'm Housin'" was covered some
12 years later by Rage Against the Machine. Managed early on by Russell
Simmons' RUSH Management, the group toured with such hip-hop luminaries
as Run-DMC, Public Enemy, and DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince.[1]
Promotional EPMD t-shirt for its 1990 Business as Usual album
EPMD signed with Fresh/Sleeping Bag Records, which eventually released
its debut album, Strictly Business, by electro funk pioneer Kurtis
Mantronik. Propelled by several strong singles ("You Gots to
Chill" and the album’s title track), the album was eventually
certified gold, selling over 500,000 copies[citation needed], as
did 1989's follow-up, Unfinished Business. Financial frustrations
followed when Sleeping Bag went under in 1992. The two EPMD albums
and Nice & Smooth’s debut album were acquired by Priority/EMI
Records before the label was sold to Warlock Records. The duo’s
Sleeping Bag contract was acquired by Def Jam. EPMD returned in 1990
with Business As Usual and Business Never Personal two years later.
By 1992, the group presided over an extended family dubbed the Hit
Squad, which included Redman, K-Solo, Das EFX, Hurricane G, and Knucklehedz.[1]
In 1992, EPMD had a hit with its song "Crossover," which
lamented rappers making blatant concessions to pop sensibilities
in order to get mainstream attention from music audiences.[1] Ironically,
the song became a crossover hit itself peaking at #42 on the Billboard
Hot 100 and in doing so becoming their biggest hit to date.
The duo split in January 1993, under controversial circumstances.
According to interviews in The Source and Rap Pages, in late 1991,
Smith's house was burglarized by armed intruders. According to Smith,
in the ensuing police investigation, one of the apprehended culprits
supposedly gave up Sermon's name as having allegedly paid them to
do it. Sermon was arrested and briefly detained for questioning,
but no charges were filed. Still, it led to lingering tensions, and
by the time of the break-up, Sermon alleged financial impropriety
on Smith's part. The duo found itself as solo artists by default:
Sermon debuted in 1993 with No Pressure, followed by Double or Nothing
(1995), Def Squad Presents Erick Onasis (2000), Music (2001), and
React (2002). Smith made his statements on 1994's Shade Business,
followed by Business is Business in 1996.[1]
[edit] Reunion and solo: 1997–Present
The duo reunited in 1997, recording a comeback LP, Back in Business.
In 1998, a remix of the song "Strictly Business" appeared
by the A&R man who signed the duo while at Fresh/Sleeping Bag,
Kurtis Mantronik. Sermon released an album with Redman and Keith
Murray as the Def Squad in 1998: El Niño was certified gold[citation
needed] that same year. EPMD’s last LP, Out of Business, was
released in 1999 as both a single CD and a limited edition double
CD. The limited edition double CD contained both new material and
rerecorded versions of its greatest hits. Smith released The Awakening
(2003) on his own Hit Squad label, and Sermon released Chilltown,
N.Y. (2004) on Motown/Universal. A Hit Squad compilation LP (overseen
by Smith, featuring a new EPMD track) was released on Nervous Recordings
in 2004.[1]
A reunited EPMD with DJ Scratch performed live at the Rock the Bells
Tour in New York on October 14, 2006 at B.B. King Blues Club & Grill,
their first NYC show in eight years. The tour also featured former
Hit Squad members Keith Murray, Das EFX, and Redman. YouTube currently
hosts a number of videos of the EPMD reunion concert.
Two months later, EPMD and Keith Murray released a new song, titled "The
Main Event," produced by DJ Knowhow. In the March 2007 issue
of Swedish hip-hop magazine Quote, Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith
talked about whether the duo planned to record together again. On
its recent tour, the group announced that it was working on a new
album, tentatively titled We Mean Business.
On June 27, 2007, the group appeared on BET's Rap City to freestyle.
EPMD's new single, "Blow"[2], was released on vinyl from
Unique Distribution during August 2007 as a prelude to a new album
that is to be released in 2008. The song instantly became a regular
feature on the Funkmaster Flex show. The same month, the duo made
a number of surprise live appearances, including the Rock the Bells
tour with Rage Against The Machine, Wu-Tang Clan, Cypress Hill, Mos
Def and others.
In June 2008, during an interview with HipHopGame, Erick and Parrish
confirmed that We Mean Business would be released on September 9.
The album eventually emerged in December 2008, and featured guest
appearances from the likes of KRS-One and Redman amongst others.
In the end of the interview, they mentioned the possibility of a
Hit Squad/Def Squad double disc album, but that they had problems
with K-Solo.[3]
On August 3, 2008, EPMD joined Method Man and Redman on stage at
the Rock The Bells concert at Jones Beach, New York.
The following month, EPMD took the stage as part of AllHipHop.com's
Breeding Ground event at S.O.B.'s in New York City.[4] The duo performed
many of their early hits and featured Keith Murray as a guest.
[edit] Discography
Main article: EPMD discography
* Strictly Business (1988)
* Unfinished Business (1989)
* Business as Usual (1990)
* Business Never Personal (1992)
* Back in Business (1997)
* Out of Business (1999)
* We Mean Business (2008)