EPMD

Why they matter

EPMD is Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith, out of Brentwood, Long Island; the name stands for Erick and Parrish Making Dollars. Fresh/Sleeping Bag Records, where electro-funk producer Kurtis Mantronik was doing A&R, put out Strictly Business in 1988. It had no guest MCs and no outside producers beyond DJ K La Boss, and it went gold within four months.

The sound was the hook. Where a lot of earlier rap rode drum machines and disco, EPMD lifted funk and rock breaks: “Strictly Business” used Eric Clapton’s take on “I Shot the Sheriff,” and “You Gots to Chill” went to Zapp’s “More Bounce to the Ounce,” which became one of rap’s most enduring sample sources. Over that, the two of them rapped low and unbothered, closer to talking than performing.

Unfinished Business followed in 1989. Def Jam then acquired their Sleeping Bag contract and released Business as Usual (1990) and Business Never Personal (1992). By then they were running a crew, the Hit Squad, with Redman, K-Solo and Das EFX. “Crossover,” a song against chasing pop radio, became their biggest crossover hit. They split in 1993, reunited in 1997 for Back in Business, and have kept coming back since.

What a working rapper can take from it

A consistent brand is a gift to the listener. Every album title says Business, and every record sounds like an EPMD record. Fans knew what they were buying before they heard a note. Decide what your thing is, sonically and visually, and repeat it until people associate it with you.

Sample the records other people walk past. “You’re a Customer” pulled from Steve Miller, Kool & the Gang and a ZZ Top bass line. EPMD treated classic-rock records as fair game for funk, and that range is a big part of why the debut still sounds distinct. The sample-chopping guide covers how to dig for material and flip it.

Bring your people up with you. The Hit Squad put Redman and Das EFX in front of EPMD’s audience on EPMD’s records. Posse cuts and features cost you a verse and build a scene that outlasts any one album. Just make sure everyone signs a split sheet before the session ends; use the split sheet tool.