It’s almost hard to believe that Strictly Business, the debut
album by EPMD straight out of Strong Island - that is, Long
Island, New York is twenty-five years old today. And almost
unbelievable that it’s not getting heavy mention across the
hip-hop world considering its relevance and impact. For me
and others, Strictly Business served to raise the bar and to
open some minds up.
Let’s take into account the year of 1988. Hip-hop at that
time was enjoying its rise to prominence as an art form.
That year alone saw a slew of classic releases before the
summer even ENDED. For east coast hip-hop, you had clear
representation out of New York City, mainly the Bronx,
Brooklyn and Queens. Some people I knew back then
looked at Long Island as an alternative world. Soft. Mostly
white. Suburban. Living right on the border between the
city and Nassau County, you could see the clashing of
worlds often. You saw it whenever you hit up Green Acres
Mall or Sunrise Cinemas next door. Hip-hop struck a lot of
that conflict down to a degree. While The Beastie Boys got
a lot of attention when they dropped, Public Enemy and
their first album, Yo! Bumrush The Show in 1987 let cats
know that there was a lot of talent germinating out in L.I.
EPMD stepped right into that zone in 1988 as two young,
bold MCs with a different sound and approach to hip-hop.
Their entry onto the rap scene proved to be the same,
being signed to Sleeping Bag Records to drop Strictly Business.
Sleeping Bag Records was, in truth a dance music label.
Their biggest artist to date at that time? Mantronix. We
also have to consider that they were both in their late
teens, but handled ALL of the writing and production on
the album save for some scratches by DJ K La Boss. With
regards to the production, Strictly Business was big due
to the use of funk & rock hits for samples. The first single,
‘It’s My Thing’ with the Marva Whitney vocal chop along
with Syl Johnson and a snippet from Pink Floyd was and
is SO damn influential. Think about how many times this
track has been sampled. This single, which actually was
released the year before is a perfect complement to the
title track which utilized a sample from Eric Clapton’s ‘I
Shot The Sheriff’ to rhythmic perfection. Those two tracks
made everyone flip out over EPMD. I mean everyone; I
remember seeing EPMD posters slapped up on the walls
outside the old Mays on Jamaica Avenue. They’d release
four singles, and ‘Strictly Business’ along with ‘You Gots
To Chill’ would fully entrench them as legends. The album
became certified gold after four months. Not bad for a
debut out of nowhere.
Another thing to consider is EPMD’s rhyming ability. Cool,
concise and free-flowing, they were all about letting any
suckers know they could never be fresh as them. The
give and go between Erick and Parrish is arguably one of
the greatest in hip-hop and on this album they pushed
the envelope on how rap duos perform. They were a natural
fit for the next phase of hip-hop visibility, music videos.
Consider the video for ‘Strictly Business.’ You’ve got a clown
figure who calls himself MC Sheriff getting onstage in a club
and getting shown up - and run out of town by - EPMD. At
this point, they were pretty much down with Priority Records,
a result of Sleeping Bag’s financial troubles. In a side note,
they’d also be joined by Nice and Smooth. They had their signature
fisherman’s bucket hats on, and you even had a nod to the
conscious collective with the backup singers/dancers in kente
cloth dresses and locks as opposed to MC Sheriff’s ladies in
white Lycra and perms. ‘You Gots To Chill’, with EPMD posted
up in an ice factory as they dropped a funky track made even
more so with that Zapp & Roger sample? Brilliant. (They’d
join Troutman on his last solo album in 1991 in a sign of
mutual musical respect.)
Strictly Business has now been regarded as one of the greatest
hip-hop albums of all time. EPMD would go on to still possess
a great career despite two break-ups into today. They’d be
responsible for The Hit Squad, their extended family of MC’s
that included fellow Strong Island natives K-Solo (who rose
to fame in 1990 with solid hits) and Keith Murray along with
Redman and Das EFX as well as Hurricane G and Knuckleheadz.
It would also be a spark for others to rise, most notably De La
Soul. The production on Strictly Business would become an industry
staple, influencing the likes of Prince Paul and Easy Mo Bee
among others. I was recently out at Resorts World Casino and they
put on the ‘Strictly Business’ video. You may not believe it, but at
least 20 people stopped whatever they were doing and got their
dance on. That is how you recognize longevity when you see it.
Erick & Parrish Making Differences.