‘Business As Usual’: EPMD’s Stellar Def Jam Debut
The group continued its creative winning streak, even as it joined one of hip-hop’s most celebrated imprints.
EPMD excelled at a brand of uncompromising hip-hop so reliable its commercial success became a self-fulfilling prophecy. Partners Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith never claimed to be the most agile rappers – a reality reflected in the former’s distinctive lisp and the latter’s often expressionless stoicism. Yet from the moment the young Brentwood, Long Island rhyming and producing duo debuted in 1987, they cohered into a whole far greater than the sum of their individual parts. EPMD was an acronym for Erick and Parrish Making Dollars; their business was being dope. And through the remarkable run of their first four albums (all cleverly brandishing “Business” in their titles), they did just that, consistently going gold along the way to becoming one of rap music’s most beloved acts.
1990, however, proved a critical juncture. Fresh Records, the once-thriving independent label that introduced EPMD to the world, had unceremoniously folded. The good news: E Double and PMD were now free of Fresh’s creative meddling, which pushed the inclusion of two dance crossover tracks on 1989’s otherwise stellar Unfinished Business. The even better news: EPMD joined the roster of rap juggernaut Def Jam Records for its third and arguably best LP, Business As Usual. Its nonchalant title notwithstanding, there’s an intensity and urgency apparent out the gates – from the dramatic cover artwork of the duo surrounded at gunpoint by police (by revered graphic novel artist Bill Sienkiewicz) to the dissonant piano; furious turntable manipulations (courtesy ubiquitous audio surgeon DJ Scratch); and derisive dismissals of biters, haters and fake friends on the opening salvo, “I’m Mad.” With success, apparently, comes additional stressors – and the need for defensive weaponry: prenup agreements to ward off scandalous women on the LP’s breakout single, “Gold Digger”; a thick skin to combat ignorant daytime radio programmers on “Give the People”; and regular mentions of metaphorical or literal firearms throughout. As per EPMD’s regular practice, matching or masking the lyrical aggression is their shared thunderous production – an expertly concocted mix of sampled James Brown productions, P-Funk, Ohio Players, and their stylistic brethren – which courts familiarity yet still feels, yes, fresh.
When Erick and Parrish utilize one of their most underrated strengths, their levity, the results are equally memorable. “Jane 3,” the latest installment of an ongoing sexcapade saga, includes a surprise twist; “Mr. Bozack” is a comical cautionary tale of safe sex etiquette in the form of an honest conversation between a man and his bozack. “Rap Is Outta Control” finds them simply tag teaming rhymes for the fun of it (E: “G man, do I have the power like He-Man? / To crack a wack emcee’s head open like a pecan?”) in playful high-pitched flows a la new labelmate, Slick Rick.
Even better is when the pair play host to actual special guests. “Rampage,” featuring a fully rejuvenated LL COOL J fresh off his Mama Said Knock You Out comeback, is a triumphant celebration of the beauty of boasting. “Hardcore” introduces the newest talented protégé of the group’s Hit Squad crew, Redman, via an alliteration-filled verse dense with syllabic punch. Leave it to PMD on the latter, though, to coolly capture the mayhem he and E Double, ever devoted to their purist aesthetic, incite with their base: “When I turn the party out, all hands in the air/ Some states chill, New York throw chairs.” Business As Usual attests to the power of calm to withstand any storm.
