PMD

After New York hip-hop pioneers <a href="spotify:artist:3zpKjsMg2gw1St5WcWoUJN">EPMD</a> split in the early '90s, Parrish Smith went solo and simply dropped the "e" from the duo's name -- which stood for <a href="spotify:artist:2VX0o9LDIVmKIgpnwdJpOJ">Erick</a>, as in <a href="spotify:artist:2VX0o9LDIVmKIgpnwdJpOJ">Erick Sermon</a> -- to record as PMD (as in "Parrish Making Dollars"). As with <a href="spotify:artist:3zpKjsMg2gw1St5WcWoUJN">EPMD</a>, 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 <a href="spotify:artist:0auu2itHTxEdAMRHvx7CyG">Das EFX</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:0f8FFjCoPSnFNMoW24shtV">Top Quality</a>), and 1996 saw the release of a better follow-up, Business Is Business (with a few more <a href="spotify:artist:0auu2itHTxEdAMRHvx7CyG">Das EFX</a> appearances). Smith joined back up with <a href="spotify:artist:2VX0o9LDIVmKIgpnwdJpOJ">Sermon</a> (and <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Def+Jam%22">Def Jam</a>) for 1997's Back in Business, <a href="spotify:artist:3zpKjsMg2gw1St5WcWoUJN">EPMD</a>'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 <a href="spotify:artist:7mrvU3OShTgthJV80o2day">DJ Honda</a> 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 <a href="spotify:artist:3zpKjsMg2gw1St5WcWoUJN">EPMD</a>'s long-running <a href="spotify:artist:2P3NQhZRCK3FFy8HIwt1T8">Hit Squad</a> crew, which appeared in 2004. <a href="spotify:artist:3zpKjsMg2gw1St5WcWoUJN">EPMD</a> reunited again in 2006, releasing We Mean Business in 2008. After a few years of silence, PMD resurfaced in 2013, collaborating with German crew <a href="spotify:artist:7cTfr9nU9kwlKrVxwghbxN">Snowgoons</a> 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 <a href="spotify:artist:7cTfr9nU9kwlKrVxwghbxN">Snowgoons</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:4Ai7jlc9gCMBuiLYbjpIlw">Agallah</a>. ~ Andy Kellman & Paul Simpson, Rovi