PMD

After New York hip-hop pioneers EPMD split in the early '90s, Parrish Smith went solo and simply dropped the "e" from the duo's name -- which stood for Erick, as in Erick Sermon -- to record as PMD (as in "Parrish Making Dollars"). As with EPMD, Smith's solo work is hardcore rap in its purest form, with strong rhymes delivered over booming beats, and a defiantly non-mainstream attitude. In 1994, PMD released Shadé Business (featuring guest spots from Das EFX and Top Quality), and 1996 saw the release of a better follow-up, Business Is Business (with a few more Das EFX appearances). Smith joined back up with Sermon (and Def Jam) for 1997's Back in Business, EPMD's fifth album, and a sixth album with his partner -- Out of Business -- came in 1999. The duo broke up a second time, and PMD collaborated with Japan's DJ Honda for several singles and the 2002 full-length Underground Connection, which was only released in Asia. PMD's third solo album, The Awakening, appeared on Boondox Records in 2003, and Smith executive-produced Zero Tolerance, a reunion album from EPMD's long-running Hit Squad crew, which appeared in 2004. EPMD reunited again in 2006, releasing We Mean Business in 2008. After a few years of silence, PMD resurfaced in 2013, collaborating with German crew Snowgoons and Queens-based rapper Sean Strange for an album called Welcome to the Goondox. PMD returned in 2017 with Business Mentality, which he co-produced along with Snowgoons and Agallah. ~ Andy Kellman & Paul Simpson