Hip-hop is famed for being one of the most difficult genres for artists
trying to maintain a career, because its fans tend to be ardently
fickle. So it's rare for an established rap act to break up and then
reunite with the same creative spirit. But that's just what Erick Sermon
and Parrish Smith, who together form the rap act EPMD, have done with
the release of the crew's new Def Jam set titled Back In Business.
Back In Business is a major priority for the label (and no doubt
fans), and some say the album has the potential to be one of the label's
biggest projects this year. To get the project rolling, Sermon and Smith
re-recorded several of their more popular titles. Last Spring, to get
things rolling, Def Jam released "You Gots To Chill '97" to club jocks
and mix-tape DJs around the country. Originally, the track was supposed
to be an attention-getter and wasn't slated to be on the album--but the
song, which glued new lyrics to the classic EPMD track, was so well
received in the rap community that it found a place on the final
project. Further boosting awareness of the act's return was the
mid-Summer release of "Never Seen Before," which was a cut on the
soundtrack to the movie How To Be A Player.
Other tracks on the album feature the talents of popular rap artists
like LL Cool J, Redman, Keith Murray and KRS-One. The reunion set is
filled with the familiar kind of booming bass, strong samples and
head-nodding lyrics that made EPMD a household name in the hip-hop
realm.
Sermon and Smith disbanded in 1992 after releasing an impressive four
gold albums: Strictly Business, Unfinished Business,
Business As Usual and Business Never Personal. Among the
classic hip-hop singles they recorded during that period were
"Crossover," "Headbanger," "It's My Thing," "You're A Customer" and the
original "You Gots To Chill."
"The reason why EPMD was so successful is we always made new records
behind our old albums," says Parrish. "We knew our audience and never
tried to go beyond them. And when you see this new tape you'd be like,
'Okay, that reminds me of something I heard before.' You'd be like,
'This is EPMD music.' Nothing's gonna be shocking. When you hear the
joints with all the bottom and bounce, you'll know the feel. You'll know
it's us."
Sermon and Smith have remained silent regarding specific reasons for
their break-up, and their relationship reportedly remains tenuous.
Following the separation, each artist released solo albums and formed
their own business ventures; Sermon oversaw the Def Squad stable of acts
that included Redman, Keith Murray and K Solo, while Smith managed the
careers of Hit Squad members such as Das EFX through his company Shuma
Entertainment. Now that they're back together, many are encouraged that
it will serve as a signpost for greater unity in the hip-hop community.
