EPMD Strictly Business CD

EPMD: Erick "E Double E" Sermon, Parrish "PEE MD" Smith (vocals).
Recorded at North Shore Soundworks and Island Media Studios, West Babylon, New York.
Recording information: Island Media Studios, West Babylon, NY; North Shore Soundworks.
Photographer: Janette Beckman.
EPMD's blueprint for East Coast rap wasn't startlingly different from many others in rap's golden age, but the results were simply amazing, a killer blend of good groove and laid-back flow, plus a populist sense of sampling that had heads nodding from the first listen (and revealed tastes that, like Prince Paul's, tended toward AOR as much as classic soul and funk). A pair from Long Island, EPMD weren't real-life hardcore rappers -- it's hard to believe the same voice who talks of spraying a crowd on one track could be name-checking the Hardy Boys later on -- but their no-nonsense, monotoned delivery brooked no arguments. With their album debut, Strictly Business, Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith really turned rapping on its head; instead of simple lyrics delivered with a hyped, theatrical tone, they dropped the dopest rhymes as though they spoke them all the time. Their debut single, "You Gots to Chill," was a perfect example of the EPMD revolution; two obvious samples, Zapp's "More Bounce to the Ounce" and Kool & the Gang's "Jungle Boogie," doing battle over a high-rolling beat, with the fluid, collaborative raps of Sermon and Smith tying everything together with a mastery that made it all seem deceptively simple. There was really only one theme at work here -- the brilliancy of EPMD, or the worthlessness of sucker MCs -- but every note of Strictly Business proved their claims. ~ John Bush
As even the title states, STRICTLY BUSINESS is a no-nonsense mission statement from EPMD ("Eric and Parrish Makin' Dollars"), a straightforward, seamlessly produced piece of rap history. As the title track makes clear, STRICTLY BUSINESS was all about setting the standard for rap's burgeoning pop dominance. Eric's laid back vocals contrast his partner's more staccato delivery. Together the team contributed much to pop culture by way of this album--"The Steve Martin" is a self-explanatory dance lesson, while the tight groove of "You Gots To Chill" enjoyed a respectable tenure in the public consciousness. "Let The Funk Flow" is marked by a loose, expertly mixed blend of samples, while "You're A Customer" employs "Fly Like An Eagle" along with a spare backing track and an encyclopediaful of cultural references. The album's comedic closer is "Jane," a heavy-handed tale of a lady who messed with the wrong MC.