March 11, 2007 - House of Blues, West Hollywood, CA

EPMD is an American rap group from Brentwood, New York, active from 1987 to 1999; one of the prominent acts in East coast hip hop. The group's name is an acronym for "Erick and Parrish Making Dollars", referencing its members: rappers Erick Sermon ("E Double") and Parrish Smith ("PMD").

The last time they performed at the House of Blues on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood was over 10 years ago with Slick Rick and Keith Murray. Just by that, you know that this was going to be a special performance. The venue was perfect as the House of Blues provides an intimate atmosphere, but at the same time brings you the energy of stadium performance. Unlike most hip hop concerts out there, this one feature a lot of older fans who were there when EPMD came to its rise in the late eighties. When Erick Sermon and Parish Smith came out on stage, both sporting all black jumpsuit pants, and an all black hoodie, the fans went crazy. Erick, not so much as excited as Parish, surveyed the crowd with his hands in his pockets and a stern look on his face. While Parish, came out with a lot of energy and a big smile, excited about the show. It was as if Erick was not sure how the show would go, and wanted to see if the people in hall were true fans or not. However, the show had to go on, and the artists started it off by taking us back to 1987 to perform “Strictly Business.” That’s when the crowd went wild, jumping up and down while voicing the words of the song verbatim. I guess that was enough for Erick’s approval, as he began to get into it and realized that these guys who came out for the show were definitely true fans. They finished the show by performing classic hits such as “Headbanger,” “Crossover,” and “Rampage” among others. However, you couldn’t have an EPMD show with out a surprise guest, it was just a matter of who it was going to be.

Well EPMD did not let down, and brought out old school legends Das EFX. Most of the crowd did not recognize them until they heard the beat of “They Want EFX” and began to rap along. Just when you thought it was over, EPMD brought out Redman to shock and awe the crowd. The concert was overall one of the best shows I’ve ever been to. It had everything you could ask for: a great performance by legends EPMD, surprise guests of Das EFX and Redman, and an intimate feeling with the performers due to the size of the venue.

-Vishal Vibhaker