Strictly Business
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Album Summary
Strictly Business came roaring out of Brentwood, Long Island in 1988, released on Fresh Records — and baby, when Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith stepped into that studio, they were on a mission. These two cats, known as EPMD — Erick and Parrish Making Dollars — self-produced this debut record with a laid-back, heavy-bottomed swagger that felt unlike anything else coming out of the rap game at that moment. Recorded with a philosophy of letting the groove breathe and the rhymes ride low and slow, Strictly Business had that confident, almost effortless cool that you just cannot fake. It hit shelves in June of 1988 and landed like a slow, deep bass note that vibrated through the whole culture.
Reception
- Strictly Business was a commercial breakthrough for an independent debut, earning gold certification and establishing EPMD as a legitimate force in the hip-hop landscape.
- Critics and fans alike responded to the album's distinctively unhurried, funk-drenched production style, which stood in sharp contrast to the louder, more frenetic sounds dominating rap radio at the time.
- The title track and 'You Got's To Chill' gained significant radio and street traction, helping push the album's profile well beyond the New York regional scene.
Significance
- Strictly Business is widely recognized as a foundational text in the development of hardcore and East Coast hip-hop, establishing a template of cool, understated lyricism over deep funk grooves that would influence a generation of MCs.
- EPMD's self-production on this album was a bold statement of artistic autonomy for 1988, proving that two young men from Long Island could craft a cohesive, fully realized hip-hop vision entirely on their own terms.
- Tracks like 'You Got's To Chill' and 'It's My Thing' helped cement the album's place in hip-hop history as a record that prized smoothness and confidence over flash, carving out a lane that defined a whole school of rap performance.
Samples
- You Got's To Chill — one of the most recognizable and frequently sampled tracks from late 1980s hip-hop, with its groove appearing across numerous records throughout the 1990s and beyond.
- Strictly Business — the title track has been sampled and interpolated by multiple artists, carrying that slow-rolling Long Island energy into later generations of hip-hop production.
- It's My Thing — sampled by various producers drawn to its rhythmic foundation, contributing to the track's lasting footprint in hip-hop sample culture.
- Jane — the haunting, minimalist feel of this closing track attracted producers looking for atmosphere, and it has appeared in the sample lineage of several notable hip-hop recordings.
- The Steve Martin — a fan-favorite deep cut that found its way into the crates of producers who recognized the raw, functional energy locked inside its groove.
Tracklist
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W1 Strictly Business 96
4:43
-
W2 Because I'm Housin' —
3:59
-
W3 Let The Funk Flow 91
4:14
-
X1 You Got's To Chill —
4:20
-
X2 It's My Thing —
5:41
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Y1 You're A Customer 93
5:23
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Y2 The Steve Martin 88
4:37
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Z1 Get Off The Bandwagon 170
4:19
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Z2 D.J. K La Boss 109
4:27
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Z3 Jane 81
2:56
Artist Details
EPMD — that's Erick and Parrish Making Dollars — came together out of Brentwood, Long Island, New York in 1987, and these two cats, Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith, laid down a gritty, funk-soaked brand of hip-hop that was as cool and unhurried as a Sunday morning, built on heavy samples and that unmistakable laid-back swagger. They helped define the sound of late '80s and early '90s East Coast rap, dropping classic albums like Strictly Business and Unfinished Business that proved hip-hop could be smooth, clever, and hard all at the same time. Beyond their own records, EPMD's cultural fingerprint runs deep — they launched the careers of Redman, K-Solo, and Das EFX through their Hit Squad collective, cementing their legacy not just as performers but as architects of a whole era in hip-hop history.
