10 Business Tips From EPMD’s Lyrics

The hip-hop culture of the late 1980s and early 1990s is triumphantly making a comeback, with Rae Sremmurd jumping around and off stages like Kriss Kross, Drake acting as a smooth operator for the ladies while still setting beef off like Big Daddy Kane and J. Cole making birthday party arrangements with Rakim. But while many 16-year-olds with high-top fades learned from watching Straight Outta Compton that Ice Cube did a lot more in his life than quip “Bye Felicia” and making forgettable family movies, EPMD, one of the most popular hip-hop groups of the old school, have largely fallen from the mainstream conscious.

Not only did Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith make a lot of classic music together, they were quite possibly the most visionary business minds in the history of hip-hop. Yet another biopic about Steve Jobs is hitting theaters in just two years, but EPMD have yet to receive their proper due.

EPMD stood for “Erick and Parrish Making Dollars,” and starting with their debut 1988 masterpiece, Strictly Business, they have provided an invaluable wealth of business wisdom sprinkled throughout their seven studio albums, all with business-themed album titles (Unfinished Business, Business As Usual, Business Never Personal... you get the picture). As Erick Sermon prepares to release his solo next album E.S.P. (Erick Sermon’s Perception), XXL celebrates the business acumen of this legendary duo by examining their lyrics for 10 of their best business tips. —Kellan Miller