Erick Sermon (born November 25, 1968) is an American rapper, musician, and record producer. He is best known as one-third—alongside PMD &

DJ Scratch George Spivey (born June 21, 1968), known professionally as DJ Scratch, is an American hip hop DJ and producer from Brooklyn, New York. DJ Scratch is the 1988 New Music Seminar Battle For World Supremacy DJ champion, the 2010 Master of the ...

—of 1980s/1990s hip hop group

EPMD EPMD is an American hip hop duo from Brentwood, New York. The duo's name is a concatenation of the members' names "E" and "PMD" or an acronym for "Erick and Parrish Making Dollars", referring to its members: emcees Erick Sermon ("E" a.k.a. ...

and for his production work.

Career

Sermon started professionally in 1986 as a producer and artist of the hip hop group EPMD. He began recording solo albums for

Def Jam Def Jam Recordings (also simply known as Def Jam) is an American multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It is based in Manhattan, New York City, specializing predominantly in hip hop, contemporary R&B, soul and pop. The ...

in 1993; in 1997, he rejoined EPMD. The following year, Sermon,

Murray Murray may refer to: Businesses * Murray (bicycle company), an American manufacturer of low-cost bicycles * Murrays, an Australian bus company * Murray International Trust, a Scottish investment trust * D. & W. Murray Limited, an Australian who ...

and Redman recorded a cover version of "

Rapper's Delight "Rapper's Delight" is a 1979 hip-hop track by the Sugarhill Gang, produced by Sylvia Robinson. Although it was shortly preceded by the Fatback Band's "King Tim III (Personality Jock)", "Rapper's Delight" is credited for introducing hip-hop mus ...

" by the

Sugarhill Gang Sugar Hill may refer to: Places In the United States: * Sugar Hill, Georgia, a city * Sugar Hill, New Hampshire, a town * Sugar Hill, Manhattan, New York, a section of Harlem * Sugar Hill (New York), a mountain in Schuyler County * Sugar Hill, P ...

. EPMD disbanded a second time in 1999. 2004 NBA All-Star Jam Session - Erick Sermon

In 2000, Sermon moved over to

J Records J Records was an American record label owned and operated by Bertelsmann Music Group until it was transferred to Sony Music Entertainment when they acquired all of BMG’s record labels in late 2008. It was distributed through the RCA Music Gro ...

, and released the album ''

Music Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspect ...

'' the following year. The album's first single, "Music", featured guest vocals from

Marvin Gaye Marvin Pentz Gay Jr., who also spelled his surname as Gaye (April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984), was an American singer and songwriter. He helped to shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player and later as a solo ar ...

, which Sermon reportedly culled from unreleased recordings found in a small record shop in London. "Music" went on to become Sermon's highest-charting song, peaking at number 22 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number 2 on the R&B

chart A chart (sometimes known as a graph) is a graphical representation for data visualization, in which "the data is represented by symbols, such as bars in a bar chart, lines in a line chart, or slices in a pie chart". A chart can represent tabu ...

. Sermon's second album on J Records, ''

React REACT or React may refer to: Science and technology *REACT (telescope), a telescope at Fenton Hill Observatory, New Mexico, US Computing * React (JavaScript library) , a JavaScript library for building user interfaces, from Facebook ** React Nati ...

'', was released in 2002. ''React's'' title track peaked at number 36 on the Billboard Hot 100, but the album sold poorly and Sermon was dropped from the label in 2003. In a June 30, 2004 interview with ''HipHopDX.com'', Sermon told music journalist Bayer Mack, "Things weren't right at J Records.

Clive Davis Clive Jay Davis (born April 4, 1932) is an American record producer, A&R executive, record executive, and lawyer. He has won five Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a non-performer, in 2000. From 1967 to 1 ...

and them don't believe in promotion. When Puffy had Bad Boy at Arista, it was him doing all the romotionalwork." He also stated

Busta Rhymes Trevor George Smith Jr. (born May 20, 1972), known professionally as Busta Rhymes, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the moniker Busta Rhymes, after NFL and CFL wide receiver ...

and

Wyclef Jean Nel Ust Wyclef Jean (; born October 17, 1969) is a Haitian rapper, musician, and actor. At the age of nine, Jean immigrated to the United States with his family. He first achieved fame as a member of the New Jersey hip hop group the Fugees, a ...

had similar issues with J Records. Sermon went on to establish his Def Squad imprint with

Universal Records Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch–American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...

and released his sixth solo album, ''

Chilltown, New York ''Chilltown, New York'' is the sixth solo studio album by American rapper and producer Erick Sermon. It was released on June 22, 2004 via Def Squad/Universal Motown Records Group. Recording sessions took place at L.I.T.E. Recording Studios in Long ...

'', in 2004. The album was powered by the single "Feel It" (which contained a sample of reggae/R&B singer

Sean Paul Sean Paul Ryan Francis Henriques OD (born 9 January 1973) is a Jamaican rapper and singer who is regarded as one of dancehall's most prolific artists. Paul's singles "Get Busy" and "Temperature" topped the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart in the ...

), a song which became a success in the United States. In an interview, he stated that he was going to step aside and try to get upcoming artists in the spotlight. However, Sermon has not stopped in the

music industry The music industry consists of the individuals and organizations that earn money by writing songs and musical compositions, creating and selling recorded music and sheet music, presenting concerts, as well as the organizations that aid, train, ...

, as he produced the song "Goldmine" on

' album, ''

The Big Bang The Big Bang event is a physical theory that describes how the universe expanded from an initial state of high density and temperature. Various cosmological models of the Big Bang explain the evolution of the observable universe from the ...

'' in 2006. Soon after, Sermon has recorded "Don't Make No Sense" with

Def Squad Def Squad is an American rap supergroup consisting of Erick Sermon, Redman, Keith Murray, Hurricane G, and Jamal. Before officially forming as a group to release an album in 1998, they had each been featured on tracks by each other. The Def ...

. He also collaborated with Redman and produced a few songs on the album ''

Red Gone Wild ''Red Gone Wild: Thee Album'' is the sixth studio album by rapper Redman. It was released on March 27, 2007 via his own label Gilla House Records in conjunction with Def Jam Recordings. Background The album was delayed numerous times by Def Ja ...

'' while also making an appearance with Def Squad member Keith Murray. In early 2008, Sermon and Smith started their own record label called EP Records, distributed by RBS/Universal Music Group. The seventh EPMD album, ''

We Mean Business ''We Mean Business'' is an American reality television series that aired on the A&E cable network starting on September 6, 2008. The program featured three regular experts: "Business Expert" Bill Rancic, a former contestant on ''The Apprentice' ...

'', came out in December 2008. Sermon was featured in the final episode of ''

Yo! MTV Raps ''Yo! MTV Raps'' is an American two-hour television music video program, which first aired on MTV Europe from 1987 to mid-90s and on MTV US from August 1988 to August 1995. The American version of the program (created by Ted Demme and Peter Dough ...

'' in a freestyle session featuring artists such as

Rakim William Michael Griffin Jr. (born January 28, 1968), better known by his stage name Rakim Allah or simply Rakim (), is an American rapper and record producer. One half of golden age hip hop duo Eric B. & Rakim, he is widely regarded as one of t ...

KRS-One Lawrence "Kris" Parker (born August 20, 1965), better known by his stage names KRS-One (; an abbreviation of "Knowledge Reigns Supreme Over Nearly Everyone") and Teacha, is an American rapper from New York City. He rose to prominence as part of ...

Chubb Rock Richard Simpson, also known as Chubb Rock (born May 28, 1968 in Brooklyn, New York) is a New York-based rapper who released several successful hip hop albums in the late 1980s and early 1990s. A National Merit Scholar, Chubb Rock dropped out ...

MC Serch Michael Berrin (born May 6, 1967), best known by his stage name MC Serch, is an American rapper and music executive. He is a former member of 3rd Bass and Non Phixion. Early life and education Serch grew up in Far Rockaway, Queens, New York ...

and

Craig Mack Craig Jamieson Mack (May 10, 1971 – March 12, 2018) was an American rapper and record producer, and was famous during his tenure under Bad Boy Records. Early life and career Craig Jamieson Mack was born in The Bronx, New York, and raised on ...

. In 2018, Sermon teamed up with

Lost Boyz Lost Boyz are an American hip hop group from Queens, New York, consisting of MC Mr. Cheeks, Freaky Tah, and K Chrys. Originally in the early 90's LB consisted of Mr. Cheeks, Freaky Tah, Spigg Nice, and Pretty Lou. Member K Chrys or “K ...

' own Mr Cheeks & broadcaster Ryan Verneuille to become the executive producer on their FM radio program, "The Ryan Show". Sermon is part of Tracklib's Creators Advisory Board.

Personal life

On September 25, 2001, Sermon was injured when he fell from the third floor of an apartment building. Police claimed Sermon attempted suicide, however he later denied and claimed it was accidental. On November 12, 2011, he suffered a heart attack from which he recovered.

Discography

;Studio albums * '' No Pressure'' (1993) * ''

Double or Nothing Double or nothing (UK often double or quits) is a gamble to decide whether a loss or debt should be doubled. The result of a "double or nothing" bet is either the subject doubled to twice the amount as the original ''or'' the doubling of a debt. It ...

'' (1995) * '' Erick Onasis'' (2000) * ''

'' (2001) * ''

'' (2002) * ''

'' (2004) * '' E.S.P. (Erick Sermon's Perception)'' (2015) * '' Vernia'' (2019) ;Collaboration albums *''

El Niño El Niño (; ; ) is the warm phase of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and is associated with a band of warm ocean water that develops in the central and east-central equatorial Pacific (approximately between the International Date L ...

'' with Def Squad (1998)

Video games

*''

Def Jam Fight For NY ''Def Jam: Fight for NY'' is a hip hop-influenced action video game published by EA Games (unlike the original, which was published under the EA Sports BIG brand). It was released on September 20, 2004 for PlayStation 2, Xbox, and GameCube. It ...

'' (2004) as Himself *'' Def Jam Fight for NY: The Takeover'' (2006) as Himself

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sermon, Erick 1968 births Living people African-American male rappers Def Jam Recordings artists American hip hop record producers Motown artists DreamWorks Records artists Rappers from New York City People from Brentwood, New York Rappers from New York (state) African-American record producers East Coast hip hop musicians Place of birth missing (living people) 20th-century American rappers 21st-century American rappers EPMD members Record producers from New York (state) 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American male musicians 20th-century African-American musicians 21st-century African-American musicians