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Erick Sermon’s career has changed shape without leaving collaboration behind. He began as one half of EPMD, the Long Island MC-and-producer partnership with Parrish Smith; after the duo split, he continued through solo records, production, Def Squad and work with other artists. EPMD later reunited, and Sermon’s Dynamic Duos project turned his attention to making music with veteran rap partners. The arc runs from EPMD’s 1987 formation to the contemporary Dynamic Duos era; “37-year” is a framing span, not a separately documented career statistic.
How EPMD began
Sermon and Parrish Smith, high-school peers from Brentwood, Long Island, formed EPMD in 1987. The name stood for “Erick and Parrish Making Dollars.” Smith had previously recorded as DJ Easy P. The pair recorded songs including “It’s My Thing” before signing with Sleeping Bag/Fresh, according to Universal Music Japan’s EPMD profile.
Strictly Business established the duo
EPMD’s 1988 debut, Strictly Business, included “You Gots To Chill,” “You’re a Customer,” the title track and “It’s My Thing.” The record introduced a partnership in which Sermon’s production and Smith’s presence as an MC were central to the group’s identity.
The next phase brought Unfinished Business and singles including “So Wat Cha Sayin’” and “The Big Payback.” After Sleeping Bag’s collapse, EPMD moved to Def Jam. The group released Business as Usual in 1990 and Business Never Personal in 1992 before splitting. Sony Music Japan’s undated official profile describes four EPMD gold albums across 1988–1992; it does not specify a separate certification year for that claim (Sony Music Japan profile).
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What Sermon did after EPMD split
The breakup changed Sermon’s roles, not his connection to other artists. He released solo albums, produced and collaborated, and became part of Def Squad with Keith Murray. Sony Music Japan’s career profile lists No Pressure and Double or Nothing among his solo releases; his work on Redman’s Whut? Thee Album and Method Man and Redman’s Blackout; Def Squad’s El Niño; and EPMD’s later Back in Business. It also notes Sermon’s Erick Onasis and J Records releases Music and React. These are signposts across a broad career, rather than a complete discography.
Production as a continuing thread
In a 2026 interview with POW, Sermon recalled drawing inspiration from Parliament and Funkadelic and making sample-based records with EPMD and Redman. He also remembered using a Roland W-30 workstation on Redman’s “Tonight’s the Night.” These are Sermon’s recollections of his creative process, not independent verification of every production detail (POW interview).
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Why EPMD reunited
Universal Music Japan’s account says plans for an EPMD reunion developed in 1995. The group returned with Back in Business in 1996 and followed it with Out of Business in 1999. In a 2025 interview with The Hip Hop Museum, Sermon said he did not make the comeback by focusing on current trends: “My mentality wasn’t around what other people were doing.” He pointed to “Da Joint,” “KIM” and “Richter Scale” as records that helped EPMD compete with newer music (The Hip Hop Museum interview).
How Dynamic Duos came to be
Sermon told The Hip Hop Museum that the idea for Dynamic Duos dated to 2018. He wanted to make music for veteran colleagues, explaining: “I wanted to know why my colleagues weren’t making any music, so I made music for them.” That motivation links the project to his long history of working as a producer and collaborator, while giving veteran rap pairings the focus.
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POW’s 2026 profile discusses the first volume and reports a preview of a planned Mobb Deep track for Volume 2, then expected in late 2026. That was a reported expectation, not confirmation that the sequel had been released. The project’s later chapter therefore reflects the same collaborative instinct as Sermon’s earlier work, but with the emphasis shifted toward creating new music alongside veteran peers.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How the career’s different eras fit together
| Era or project | Sermon’s role | Collaborators and context |
|---|---|---|
| EPMD, formed 1987; debut album in 1988 | MC and producer in a duo | Parrish Smith; the Brentwood, Long Island partnership |
| After the split | Solo artist, producer and group member | Work included solo releases, Redman, Method Man, Keith Murray and Def Squad |
| EPMD reunion, beginning with Back in Business (1996) | Returned to the group partnership | New EPMD records after the reunion plan developed in 1995 |
| Dynamic Duos era; idea dates to 2018 | Producer and collaborator | Music for veteran colleagues and rap pairs; a Volume 2 Mobb Deep track was reported as planned in 2026 |
Seen this way, Sermon’s run is not simply an unbroken sequence of EPMD albums. It is a shift among roles—duo member, solo artist, producer, group collaborator and curator of new partnerships—while collaboration remains the through-line.
Quick Recap
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