So What Cha Sayin': Erick Sermon's 10 Most Influential Songs
Hip hop wouldn't be the same without these classic cuts.
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So What Cha Sayin': Erick Sermon's 10 Most Influential Songs - Just days after Heavy D passed away all too soon, another hip hop legend had a scary close call—producer/MC Erick Sermon suffered a heart attack. Although Sermon is by all accounts recovering, it's never too early to celebrate the underappreciated legacy of a rap pioneer. Though Sermon produced classic cuts for Redman and Keith Murray, his greatest impact was as a member of EPMD and a solo act. Click on see Erick Sermon's 10 most influential songs—hip hop wouldn't be the same without them. —Alex Gale (Photo: Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images)
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"Strictly Business" - Erick Sermon was the "E" in the seminal golden-age hip hop duo EPMD. As the producer and arguably dominant MC of the group, Erick was in many ways the driving force behind the influential group. "Strictly Business," their first single and title track from their debut album, introduced the world to the group's funky sample collages and back-and-forth, monotoned raps.(Photo: Courtesy Def Jam Recordings)
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"You Gots to Chill" - With its undeniably funky Zapp's "Bounce to the Ounce" sample, this 1988 EPMD classic was hugely popular on the West Coast, and helped lay the blueprint for the G-funk sound of that dominated the following decade.(Photo: Courtesy Def Jam Recordings)
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"You're a Customer" - Yet another timeless early EPMD cut, this laid-back, bravado-filled head-nodder helped push Strictly Business to gold status.(Photo: Courtesy Def Jam Recordings)
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"Jane" - This skillful twist on the typical sex rap set off one of rap's most beloved song serials (EPMD continued the "Jane" storyline on subsequent albums), and introduced hip-hop to Joe Tex's classic "Papa Was Too" break. (Photo: Courtesy Def Jam Recordings)
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