EPMD

EPMD is an American rap group from Brentwood, New York, active from 1987 to 1999; one of the prominent acts in East coast hip hop. The group's name is an acronym for "Erick and Parrish Making Dollar

EPMD is an American rap group from Brentwood, New York, active from 1987 to 1999; one of the prominent acts in East coast hip hop. The group's name is an acronym for "Erick and Parrish Making Dollars", referencing its members: rappers Erick Sermon ("E Double") and Parrish Smith ("PMD"). Diamond J, DJ K La Boss, and later DJ Scratch were DJs for the group.

EPMD's first album, Strictly Business, appeared in 1988, spawning the massive underground hit "Strictly Business", sampling Eric Clapton's version of Bob Marley's "I Shot the Sheriff". Many critics see their first album as their most influential. The group's brand of funk-fueled sample-heavy hip hop proved to be a major force in hip-hop. Unlike old school hip hop, which was first based on disco hits but eventually became more electronic, EPMD based its music mainly on lifting funk & 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 bassline 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 rap, and perhaps rock and roll. "You Gots to Chill" used 80s funk band Zapp's "More Bounce to the Ounce" , which has become one of the most enduring sample sources for rap. "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.