EPMD

EPMD is an American hip hop duo from Brentwood, New York, formed by Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith. The group's name is a play on their initials, also read as “Erick and Parrish Making Dollars”, and their music became known for a laid-back, bass-heavy funk sound that stood apart from the more aggressive East Coast rap of the late 1980s.

Their 1988 debut album, Strictly Business, introduced their signature style built on deep funk and soul samples, unhurried flows and street-savvy lyricism, with tracks like «You Gots to Chill» and «You're a Customer» becoming golden-age hip hop staples. The duo continued the run with albums such as Unfinished Business and Business as Usual, consistently mining funk grooves from artists like Zapp and Kool & the Gang to build their laid-back, heavy-bassline sound. </p>EPMD also served as a launching pad for other artists through their Hit Squad collective, which included acts like Redman and Das EFX, extending their influence across the 1990s. Despite a mid-career breakup, Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith reunited multiple times, releasing further albums and cementing EPMD's reputation as one of the most influential and sample-savvy duos in classic East Coast hip hop.