Features

ThaFormula.com - How did you guys hook up with Das EFX?

PMD - Well Das EFX…we met them after we met Redman and basically I met everybody by just being myself and doing my work. I went on a promo tour on January 15th for the "Business as Usual" album and the first stop was Virginia. On our promo tour we were supposed to host a rap battle with 12 contestants, 11 regular MC's and then the last ones walked in with dreads and I knew they was different. But I knew the cats in the house wasn't ready for that so I let some other dudes win and gave Dre and Skoob my number. We got back and I already had a connect with Sylvia for K-Solo at Atlantic. She was starting a new label East West, so she was like "yeah lets do this," the Das EFX "They Want EFX," platinum! Album? Double platinum.

ThaFormula.com - Did you guys have a lot of influence on that first album or did they do it pretty much all themselves?

PMD - Nah they basically did it and Chris Charity god bless the dead, he passed. He was a young cat and Derek Lynch I got to shout him out because they were Solid Scheme who did the production. They had their own clique, they were self-sufficient. All they used to do is come to me and play the songs and I would tell them if I liked it or if I didn't. They only had like one track that I really didn't feel.

ThaFormula.com - So now you guys had EPMD, Das, Redman, K-Solo and next came the Knuckleheads. Who were they and what happened with that group?

PMD - Well I seen the game and what it was doing and Tom J was just my boy from school. He was actually Erick's boy from school. Tom had an understanding for the game, he just looked at it different and his angle was dope. So we put the Knuckleheads together and we was gonna drop that album.

ThaFormula.com - Was that album actually done. 

PMD - Yeah, it was hot too. It never dropped but I'm glad none of that stuff dropped 'cause I needed a better sense for the game.

ThaFormula.com - So now the Hit Squad was huge at that point man and the tour went down...how was that Hit Squad tour?

PMD - Yo the tour was crazy man. Everywhere we rolled up it was just sick because the industry had nothing to do with it, it was just me and my crew. The whole point of putting Hit Squad together was to show the industry that "yo you guys put guys together that's already hot or got a buzz, I'ma take regular guys that got heart and fate and wanna become something and turn them platinum without them havin' a buzz. We're gonna all get on one bus and shut down the game," and I did that.

ThaFormula.com - So at this point in time what is Erick doing?

PMD - That's when he was building the Def Squad (laughs), to be honest with you now that you ask me…because on the Hit Squad tour I couldn't understand why Erick had the boards out there and the speakers 'cause we never brought our equipment on the road with us, so basically he had a studio out there.

ThaFormula.com - So at that point in time Erick was just producing a lot?

PMD - Yeah definitely because after "Business As Usual" before we did the fourth album, I knew that I had to take care of a lot of business 'cause I had Das EFX, Redman and K-Solo, but I seen Erick's situation so basically I gave Redman to Erick. But I did the deal with Russell and Lyor at Def Jam so I had K-Solo, Erick took Redman and we split Das EFX, but I was gonna have to take care of the business so I went upstate to the mountains with my man Charlie Moratta and we brought Erick with us to show him how to use the boards and make music. When we came back I would do my half on "Business Never Personal," Erick would do his half, but then I would be able to take care of the business because the whole thing was just on me.

ThaFormula.com - So all those beats he did on the Redman album he had just learned?

PMD - Hell yeah, it's not hard to learn when your sittin' next PMD and I cranked out "Strictly Business," "Unfinished Business," and "Business as Usual," and all you gotta do is write. If you listen to all the hooks like "It's My Thang" and "You Got's to Chill," that's all me, "So Whatcha Sayin," you know what I mean? Because I know there's like this big concept in the game that Erick did all the production for EPMD and I'm like "yo this shit is crazy." Erick went out there and lied to everybody in Hip-Hop. But that's okay 'cause all of this happened when they thought the game was gonna be a fad and now its a phenomenon so its about long range.

ThaFormula.com - So the Redman album dropped…how did that album do?

PMD - That did real good, it had the Shuma Management logo on the back, it had the Hit Squad stamp on the front and with Das EFX going double platinum and EPMD gold, Redman wasn't gonna have a problem coming through with "What Thee album." We basically left for the tour in September right when the Redman album was coming out.

ThaFormula.com - Did you know that Erick was forming the Def Squad during the tour?

PMD - Nah I had no clue 'cause I was focused. I had four groups. I had two groups under Russell Simmons, EPMD and Redman and I had two groups with Sylvia Rhone.

ThaFormula.com - Was your relationship with Erick still good at this time?

PMD - Well here's what happened. In December 1991 three gunmen broke into my home and they were looking for me but I wasn't home. I came home in the middle of it when they left and they set off my alarm system but I stayed in my car and I drove around and I got a plate number of the car pullin' off because when I pulled up to my street it just didn't look right cause I live close to the school so I wrote down the plate number. I never called the police, when the alarm system goes off they automatically come. I had no idea what name or who they was gonna bring back to me so I kept working on "Business Never Personal." Well that was in December. August 25th 1992 they call me down to the precinct and they ask me "are you and your partner breaking up?" I was like "what do you mean?" "Well we caught 3 guys and they said that your partner Erick sermon paid them 5,000 dollars to break into your home. Now this is August 25th, 1992. The break in was December 12th 1991 so now I'm sitting here with a 30 city world tour in front of me with Hit Squad and they wanted to bring Erick in for questioning. Now the whole Hit Squad knew what time it was with the break in except me so I figured "yo I'm the last one." Actually they all knew except Das EFX, so basically they was like "somebody fucked up, and when P finds out there is gonna be problems." Instead of looking at it like "yo we better figure a way of how to resolve this," nobody told me nothing, the detectives told me at the precinct and they showed me all the statements.

ThaFormula.com - How did the Hit Squad know all this?

PMD - 'Cause on the inner side I guess there was talk. So they wanted to bring Erick in for questioning but I looked at the detectives and said "listen we have four albums out there and yo I don't even believe this shit, but for the vibe of what we doing let me just finish this and then when we return from the tour then we can look into this and see what's up," and that's when we got back from the tour and Erick moved to Atlanta.

ThaFormula.com - So were you and Erick having any problems at this time?

PMD - No now here is when I was on the tour and I had all the business to take care of on top of performing, but now I had a different sight on my crew and I was looking and then when I started looking I couldn't believe what I was seeing, but I couldn't let that affect what I was doing so I continued to stay focused and keep working. I've seen like a lot of segregation and just a lot of bullshit going on. A lot of side shows and side parties when to be honest with you, where I come from my mothers from Brooklyn, my fathers from Brooklyn…if I ain't feelin' you, I'll step to you and be like "yo I'm not feelin' this, I'm going my way you go your way." What people didn't expect was the Hit Squad to blow that big, so the problem existed in '91 and when we blew up in '92 all the Hit Squad did was put real light on the situation so it wasn't like I could go out there and have fun 'cause it was like "yo this is what I was tellin' y'all was gonna happen," but you know what messed it all up is this bullshit happened in '91 and instead of them going and saying "well we got personal problems but we working it out," and keep it amongst your family, straight to the street code, cats jumped in the magazines and started saying "oh I did all the music, oh P ripped me off for money," but P can't rip you off for money for the simple fact that EPMD is a 50/50 split for budget, and for publishing. So all of this work that I was doing getting Das EFX signed, getting Redman signed, the tour bus, writing and producing, it still was a 50/50 split across the board and you needed two signatures to write a check so it wasn't like nobody could write one signature checks.

ThaFormula.com - So with you doing all this business did you and Erick not have much contact anymore?

PMD - No, there was contact but what happened was the more music we started to make, the more people started to come in and voice their opinion where I'm a man who stands for myself. You could give me advice on what you think but at the end of the day it's my life and I make the decision and that's the way Erick and I always rock. The truth of the matter is that RCA gave me a multi-million dollar deal. They called me because of my business skills and my production skills and the first person I thought of was Erick and I felt like I couldn't leave and go to the big game without him so I told them make that deal for EPMD. We went to the meeting and everything but then 3 weeks after we was about to ink it, they called me down to the precinct, Erick's name is on the statement. So I never got to show up for the RCA deal. I didn't want no part in it cause I was already maxed out from "Strictly Business," "Unfinished Business, "Business as Usual," "Business Never Personal," two K-Solo's, one Das EFX, one Redman, Shuma Management and still was holding it and wasn't tired so basically nobody wanted that shit to happen.

ThaFormula.com - So with you runnin' everything nobody really understood how much it costs to run all these businesses with tour buses, hotels, plane tickets and things like that?

PMD - Right and at any time its a very simple question that's what they have an audit for, but there is a big difference between guns and an audit. You also gotta understand to now that this is what you are dealing with too, remember I told you I took regular cats so everybody was the same until the albums hit. Then this person sold 2 million so there life would be different. This person only sold this so there life would be boom and then in the midst of that that's when shit starts flying and this person be like "well I think I should open," "well I think I should close," "well we're gonna let the facts decide who does what." Now these cats are selling these records, then these cats go in this slot. But check it, the same situation and the same crew that had the opportunity to handle it one way now everybody still has to do the same work to try to get to the same place where they was already at. 'Cause I'm home, I never really wanted to rock a fuckin' solo album but god said "this is what your supposed to do and understand you will make some mistakes." It actually ended up that I had to do the artwork, the photo shoot, the 18 songs, the promo tour, sold out all my shit by word of mouth, so I'm like "whoa, this is crazy." My whole album is out on my own label with a DJ Honda album next and a Hit Squad album next.

ThaFormula.com - One of the things that I notice is a big reason behind crews breaking up is the entourage. I know when EPMD started it was just you and Erick…

PMD - Right.

ThaFormula.com - But I'm sure when that Hit Squad tour hit everyone had their own entourage?

PMD - Yeah there is no question. See there is no entourage when you start. It's just you and god and then next thing you know you start traveling with an entourage because of your insecurity and your fear, and fear stands for (F)alse (E)vidence (A)ppearing (R)eal so it only appears in your fuckin' head.

ThaFormula.com - So Erick moved to Atlanta…

PMD - Yeah because when we was on the promo tour right after we met Das EFX, me and Erick used to share the Das EFX tape 'cause there was only one when we was on the road and we used to just talk. It was just me and him out there with our hoodies on going state to state and I was focused, but Erick always used to tell me "yo man something's not right man, the devils coming to get me," and he would tell me that he's going to Atlanta and I had no idea the break in had already happened at my house. But my way of dealing with it was to get focused on the music and then when the police come back, they will come back with whatever they come back with, not knowing that the hand was gonna fall the way it fell. So basically he was there when I was taking care of the business, there when I was putting music together and then when the opportunity came to show him the W30 board and my man taught him that was to put the energy and the music back into EPMD to take it to that level that you were talkin' about. Instead what happened was Erick did a couple of tracks on "Business Never Personal" and then started putting songs together for Redman and then from there all the gas and the hype and the haters led to that. Don't forget keep in mind now that Def Jam was 37 million dollars in the hole at the time so when EPMD broke up that was the only thing really out on Def Jam so that wasn't a good look for them at the time, and me coming off the road exhausted I had to rest. That's where the Def Squad came in and that's where the Solo project came in because Russell and Lyor Cohen called me several times like "okay the groups breaking up lets do a solo," but I was like "I don't wanna do a solo, I'ma wait to get up with Erick and then we will wait to see what's up from there," because my thinking was the world don't wanna see me rock by myself and they don't wanna see Erick rock by himself.

ThaFormula.com - So after all this you still tried to keep the Hit Squad going by bringing out Magnus Opus right?

PMD - Yeah, I busted that out going backwards. That's basically TQ, he left a message at the office and I wasn't doing nothing, I wasn't messing with the game. I made up my mind August 25th, 1992.

ThaFormula.com - So what made you decide to come back and drop your first solo PMD album?

PMD - Well I dropped "Shade Business" and the whole purpose of that album was so that I didn't get out there speaking foul about people so I basically terminated myself on that album that's why all my rhymin' is high pitch and speeding 'cause I was really gone so I just dropped that. That was my best and worst mistake at the same time. It was my worst mistake because that was the first thing that I dropped that really wasn't up to the standards that people expected, so I got the vibe back from the street like "yo it was the best because it made me reach for my mic," and I know how much I love the game so I did whatever was necessary.

ThaFormula.com - Then after that Das EFX steadily started losing sales on their next album right?

PMD - Yeah for the simple fact that they got hit with the syndrome and the syndrome is basically you know everybody was marketing "They Want EFX" and this and that and messing with their style so you know how that goes. See they stopped believing in they style. I was there when they told me. Too many people was giving them hassles about the "iggidy."

ThaFormula.com - It's funny 'cause everyone was biting but still could never do it like them…

PMD - And that's like us with the funk and the hard underground shit. Everybody was trying to do it but nobody could do it like us. So they caught so much flack around it and that "yo you all can't sell records without that," so that's why they backed off it.

ThaFormula.com - So you dropped the first album and you felt it was a mistake, what were you thinkin' now?

PMD - I was thinking shit is serious and I really fucked up. I was like "yo something is definitely going on out there," but I was still staying focused 'cause I knew how positive the whole movement was.

ThaFormula.com - And then Erick dropped his first solo album which was a disappointment also to the fans…

PMD - Right and the difference between Erick's solo album and mines is that he had Def Jam behind him. I had no one and still sold the same amount of records.

ThaFormula.com - So now you and Erick get back together for another EPMD album. How did that come about?

PMD - Well the world started changing, we started getting older and growin'. One, on the same token Eazy-E died, Biggie died, and Pac died so basically I had to give a lot there 'cause we seen the solo situation on both sides. The only problem was the only way EPMD could get back together was if uh, part of the agreement was that we couldn't talk about the break up okay, so that already threw a sign up in my head. Then two, I would not be able to produce the album like I did the first four. I would only be able to do three tracks.

ThaFormula.com - Now who is telling you all this?

PMD - The same guy who actually set up the whole breakup in the first place. So the people who asked me who was involved in breaking into my house, they went on the Hit Squad tour with us so there was no room for separation.

ThaFormula.com - So it wasn't like you callin' Erick and saying "yo Erick let's do this homie?"

PMD - Nah, not at all. I didn't even name the shit "Out of Business." That was marketing and promotion to drop EPMD so Erick can launch his solo off of that with people thinking "EPMD is never coming out again so go cop that album."

ThaFormula.com - So you were told you could only do three tracks and what else?

PMD - And that instead of you know all the EPMD albums I produced all of them and wrote but we split the money 50/50 and I put EPMD on the sticker as opposed to just "produced by Parrish Smith," well now it would be different. I would only be able to produce three songs and we would get separate billing and I would get half of what Erick gets paid because I didn't do the whole album but I didn't care, 'cause god said "give it all to them."

ThaFormula.com - So did you guys actually get in the studio together?

PMD - Yeah we was in the studio for this one but basically like I said I only did three tracks on the first one.

ThaFormula.com - How did it feel to be doing an EPMD album and you have no control over it?

PMD - It felt cool because I knew we had three strikes. I wasn't really worrying about it from where I was. I went back to the real world so regardless of what was taking place I knew what the group was and what it meant from a outside and an inside standpoint, so as long as the album was half way decent and it looked cool then we would be okay and it was all of the above. But it was interesting for me because last time I seen Erick I was doing everything and Erick didn't know no business, so I just was fascinated watching E work. I didn't take it as no other way but okay "E done learned a couple of things, now you put that with what I already fucking know!"

ThaFormula.com - So how was the response to the album when it dropped?

PMD - Dope, I remember our first show in Las Vegas it was fucking pandemonium. I couldn't even understand anything 'cause shit was moving so fast but we knew all of our lyrics. When we stepped out there and dropped "You Got's to Chill" the place exploded.

ThaFormula.com - How did you feel about that album compared to all the other albums before?

PMD - I felt it was cool but I didn't feel we had the right support and I didn't feel we had the right understanding. I felt that Def Jam understood the situation and knew what it was so that's why it went the way it went. See before I used to rock close with Russell and Lyor. On "Back in Business" and "Out of Business" I didn't go to one meeting with Russell or Lyor so there was an understanding for business and there was an understanding for music.

ThaFormula.com - So you did "Back in Business" and then "Out of business…"

PMD - Right and it don't make sense. How you gonna be broken up 5 years go "Back in Business to go "Out of Business." I wasn't feeling that when we was promoting that shit.

ThaFormula.com - So after "Back in Business" was the sales good and was the label happy?

PMD - Yeah, it went gold but the label was surprised. The only promotion item was an EPMD button, that was the only promotion and we still went gold.

ThaFormula.com - So they were planning for it to flop?

PMD - Yeah exactly, 'cause last time I was on top of my game nothing could move.

ThaFormula.com - So how did "Out of Business" come about after all that?

PMD - Because the next album was supposed to be "Major Business" or "Big Business" or whatever, and because of me not communicating with Def Jam or whatever, one day I just went up there with my cousin and one of the peeps came out with the ad that said "Out of Business" and it was like too late and nothing we could do 'cause they had already sent the ads out to Vibe, Source and XXL. So that was strike two.

ThaFormula.com - So now what were the terms for you on that album?

PMD - Well now it went up to me being able to do 5 tracks and that's because I was learning and feeling a lot better and seeing the game 'cause I had totally left the game alone for 5 years after the break up. But I went back to the real world.

ThaFormula.com - So how did "Out of Business do?"

PMD - It did good. That sold like 300,000 but it didn't do what it could do. But look at our first single. The first time in EPMD's life we had a girl rappin' on our single, come on man!

ThaFormula.com - Who's idea was that?

PMD - I don't know but I know who's idea it wasn't but I was like that's okay 'cause as soon as we came out and started promoting it that's when I knew. I felt the album was cool 'cause it had some bright spots. That album more or less didn't even really matter. The real fans would understand but I was feeling it enough to wake up and really get into myself. But after that some bad business had handles in a meeting so Def Jam let us off of the label without charging us nothing. That's when I really started getting on top of my business 'cause that was like a mind game. They was like "if you guys really think you're these cats and you can take care of business we're gonna see." So they let EPMD go.

ThaFormula.com - So they fucking killed EPMD by calling it "Out of Business" and then said "now we're gonna fuck them and drop them?"

PMD - Exactly, you're right there and that's when me and Erick were supposed to get our shit super tight and be like "yo it's really on this is real shit."

ThaFormula.com - So what happened?

PMD - Erick did "Music," went to J records and then signed EPMD to J Records. Then he dropped "Music," then the accident, and then he dropped "React," and then after that J records was like "that's a wrap," so we were off that label (laughs). I'm laughing man 'cause the shit is funny to me, I'm not fucking with none of this!

ThaFormula.com - So what was your involvement with the EPMD thing? 

PMD - Well I was like "yo okay Clive Davis got the new situation that's doing real good but I never even been to J Records, I don't even know what that shit looks like." I signed my contract naturally for Boondocks Records 'cause we was going as a joint venture.

ThaFormula.com - So when Erick got dropped so did EPMD?

PMD - Right and if I look at that I think they both was hooked up. I think EPMD and Erick's situation was one situation. So I'm thinking that maybe the label signed it for the EPMD thing and then maybe E's side projects were part of it but then after being signed at the label for three years and then no EPMD all of E's projects they were like "okay enough is enough, this shit ain't even salvageable."

ThaFormula.com - So at this time what were you doing?

PMD - I was already working with DJ Honda and I had an album called "The Underground Connection" that we released in Japan and Korea.

ThaFormula.com - How did that connection come about?

PMD - 'Cause through a third party Honda was working on his H3 album and he wanted me to do a song so I went to Chinatown in Manhattan and we knocked out a song and Honda is a real cool cat and it was just a different vibe him being form Japan. One thing I remember no matter what we was doing musically, I just felt something ill from that kid. Although I wasn't feelin' myself his whole aura around me was like he knew who I was and he wouldn't accept nothing less then who I am and that shit was bug. I was watching him work, do his shit and then after that we was having so much god damn fun, we was like "fuck it lets do an album," so Honda was knocking out the beats and I was knocking out the rhymes 'cause I still was working with my mind. So that's when we was doing "The Underground Connection." "The Underground Connection" was there in the midst of all the EPMD stuff, but that was still just me and Honda's album. Before I left I already knew I still had some unfinished business to take care of that's why I have myself signed to distribution through Caroline for my album "The Awakening." Once the EPMD deal folded and that didn't go and me and Honda was still working on our U.S. one I knew I had to go come through that Hip-Hop dome this year no later.

ThaFormula.com - So why did you guys only drop it in Japan and not here?

PMD - My purpose is "yo I'm here for Hip-Hop, not to get lost in it, so I want to take this to different countries." In 2001 me and Honda went over to Korea for the first time that Korea even had Hip-Hop in their country and we was in front of 12,000 people. These kids had serious questions and they was break dancing and all types of stuff going on so I was like yo…I'm looking at this like look this phenomenon is sitting here and nobody is explaining it to me, they're just coming to snatch the cash. So from that point on every year that's an annual thing with us and we go out there and we tear it down. Now last year I took Erick with me and EPMD went and tore it down. Basically I wanted to be able to do my own label and Honda wanted to be able to do his own label 'cause we already rocked with the majors.

ThaFormula.com - So what's up with the new album "The Awakening?"

PMD - I was in the hood around serious cats and you know basically they looked at my situation and that's the name that came up and that was a couple of years ago. What I notice is a lot of cats have ideas from the hood but by the time they get to where they going they change up their album titles, they change up they names. I just did the album and stayed with the information and now that I'm here it makes sense. "The Awakening," the single "Back to Work" with K-Solo and Fat Joe.

ThaFormula.com - So what's your relationships like now with everyone from Erick, Redman, to Das, and K-Solo?

PMD - Yo me and Reggie Noble for some reason…me and Red is tighter then tight. We don't even have to see each other, we on the same page 'cause Redman knows from day one, Redman never cared about none of this shit all he wanted to do was sell records and be down with Hip-Hop and he always knew what his shit could be. In the meanwhile he has to do what he has to do. Drayze from Das I have on my new album. With Solo what happened is basically the same thing that happened to everybody which is life. But you know has back and he's on his 'cause you he's a dope MC. I'm doing my thing right now and Solo gives me a lot of support. He still has that chip for Hip-Hop man. Solo is still coming he just has a few things to work out. As far as Erick, honestly EPMD's whole relationship is based on if everything goes the way Erick wants…its cool. There is only one problem, I'm here and I don't want nothing, I don't wanna run shit, I just wanna do what's right so basically EPMD didn't get put together on basically runnin' everything as long as Erick is happy and cool. I was the one callin' and signing Erick out of High School. Erick wasn't callin', signing me out of High School so the real on that is if you don't make change how can you expect things to change? Basically I'm only here for Hip-Hop and Erick wanted to turn the whole EPMD into just strictly business.

ThaFormula.com - The EPMD track on your new solo joint...what was that from?

PMD - That's basically when EPMD broke up and Erick and I could find time with nobody around, that's what we did. So when there was peace and we was just chillin', bang there it is.

ThaFormula.com - So you also got Pete Rock on the album. How was that track hooked up?

PMD - That was like basically a mixtape so you know Pete Rock is one of the illest producers in Hip-Hop so when I got up with Pete, Pete had his SP1200 out and he was working on his Soul Survivor 2 coming out and he wanted to definitely go there but the time on the clock didn't permit us so I already had a Pete Rock track from a mixtape situation that I was doing from cats in my hood that put me on in Brentwood so I told Pete "yo listen this is my first album that I'm gonna do, I like this song like this, I want this feel 'cause its an underground tape and I like the rawness of it" so Pete was like "this is decent and this is cool," but to me it was super phat. Pete's idea what he wanted to do for my album was some whole different thick shit and once I explained to Pete that this is independent and basically the whole purpose of this album is to get a feel of where the game is at, then I'll come through with my shit, then we can do that next one cause we gonna be rockin'. So he was like "okay bet," and then on top of that you know I'ma do a joint on his album coming out so I had the option of to get the smokin' blazin' SP1200 hot off of the oven or the CD that I had for like 8 months that every time I heard I would be like "yoooo!" So I chose that track for where I was at now.

ThaFormula.com - Now you also got that bangin' Muggs track on there with Cypress Hill. How did that get hooked up?

PMD - That's basically DJ Muggs and basically B-Real you know how he is "runnin' with the PMD universal no rehearsal," we did that song on straight basis of street. No commercial appeal at all.

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