EPMD - Strictly Business

In 1988, two friends from Brentwood, Long Island walked into a local studio and made one of the coolest-sounding debuts in hip-hop history. Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith did not shout, did not rush, and did not sound like anyone else on the radio. Strictly Business went to number one on the R&B and hip-hop albums chart and was certified gold within four months, all on an independent label and without a pop crossover hit.

The sound is the story. EPMD produced the album themselves, building it from slow, heavy funk and rock loops that few rappers had thought to touch. The title track rides Eric Clapton's "I Shot the Sheriff," and "You Gots to Chill" turns Zapp's "More Bounce to the Ounce" into one of the most recognizable grooves of the era. Over the top, Sermon's lazy drawl and Smith's deadpan monotone trade lines like two guys who never needed to raise their voices. "It's My Thing," "I'm Housin'," and "You're a Customer" keep the party moving, and "Jane" starts a running saga the duo would return to on album after album.

The record peaked at number 80 on the Billboard 200, which undersells its reach. Its funk-heavy, sample-driven approach became a blueprint for a decade of hip-hop production on both coasts, and it has since been ranked among the greatest albums of all time. Ten tracks, no filler, and a template that still gets borrowed.

This vinyl edition puts Strictly Business back where it belongs, on a format that does justice to those thick, rolling basslines. It is a cornerstone of any hip-hop shelf, and the place the EPMD story begins.