If you walked into a club in 1989 and the DJ dropped that opening bassline, you didn't just hear the music. You felt it in your teeth. So Whatcha Sayin EPMD wasn't just another single; it was a shift in the tectonic plates of hip-hop. Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith, two guys from Brentwood, Long Island, basically walked into the studio and decided that "relaxed" was the new "aggressive."
It worked.
The song leads off their second album, Unfinished Business, and it sounds like a victory lap taken before the race even finished. Hip-hop in the late eighties was often frantic. Think about the high-energy delivery of Public Enemy or the rapid-fire lyrical gymnastics of Big Daddy Kane. EPMD did the opposite. They slowed it down. They got "funked out."
The Sample That Changed Everything
People talk about sampling like it’s just stealing, but what Erick Sermon did here was high art. He took "Spaced Out" by the Knickerbockers and turned a psychedelic rock fragment into the grittiest loop imaginable. It's a weird choice on paper. Who looks at a 1960s garage rock band and thinks, "Yeah, that’s the future of New York rap"? Erick Funk did.
He layered it with "If It Ain't Funk, Don't It" by J.P. Robinson and a slice of BT Express. The result? A muddy, thick, wall-of-sound production that felt like it was covered in dust from a basement crate. It wasn't clean. It wasn't polished. It was perfect.
Honestly, the way the "So Whatcha Sayin" vocal snippet (sampled from their own track "You Gots to Chill") hits right before the beat drops is one of the most satisfying moments in music history. It’s self-referential. It’s confident. It basically tells the listener, "We know we’re the best, so we’re going to sample ourselves."
The "E" and "PMD" Dynamic
Erick Sermon (E-Double) and Parrish Smith (PMD) had this chemistry that shouldn't have worked but did. Erick had the lisp and the laid-back, almost slurred flow. Parrish was the anchor—sharper, more rhythmic, and incredibly consistent.
In So Whatcha Sayin EPMD, they don't battle each other for the spotlight. They trade lines like they're finishing each other's sentences at a kitchen table. When Parrish says, "I'm the P-M-D, yes, the solo king," and Erick follows up with his "Green-eyed bandit" persona, they aren't trying to out-rap the world. They are just stating facts.
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There's a specific kind of "cool" they projected. They wore the Carhartt jackets, the gold chains, and the Kangol hats, but they didn't look like they were trying hard. That’s the secret. The song is the sonic equivalent of a shrug.
Why the Video Still Matters
If you watch the video today, it’s a time capsule of 1989 New York/Long Island culture. You see the Jeeps. You see the massive mobile phones that looked like bricks. But more than the gear, you see the posture.
The video for So Whatcha Sayin EPMD was directed by Adam Bernstein. He’s the guy who later directed episodes of Breaking Bad and 30 Rock. You can see that cinematic eye even then. It wasn't just rappers standing in front of a brick wall. It had a mood. Dark, slightly blue-tinted, and heavy. It matched the "muddy" sound of the production.
Technical Brilliance in Simplicity
Technically, the rhyme schemes aren't complex. We aren't looking at Eminem-level multisyllabic madness here. But that's the trap people fall into when analyzing rap.
- Rhythm over Rhyme: EPMD focused on how the words sat on the snare.
- The "Funk" Factor: They prioritized the groove over the "lyrical miracle" style.
- Space: They weren't afraid of silence between bars.
Most rappers today are terrified of a beat breathing. They want to fill every millisecond with noise. EPMD let the beat do the heavy lifting. When the bass is that thick, you don't need to scream over it. You just need to talk.
The Legacy of the "Funk"
Without this track, the nineties sound of the East Coast would have looked very different. You can trace a direct line from So Whatcha Sayin EPMD to the work of The Notorious B.I.G., Redman (who Erick Sermon eventually mentored), and even Jay-Z.
Erick Sermon basically invented the "Funklord" persona. He proved that you could be hardcore without being "fast." He took the DNA of George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic and re-coded it for the crack-era streets of New York. It was sinister funk.
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Addressing the Misconceptions
Some people claim EPMD was "one-dimensional." They say all their songs sound the same.
That’s a lazy take.
If you listen closely to the engineering on Unfinished Business, the layering is incredibly sophisticated for 1989. They were using the E-mu SP-1200 sampler, which had a very limited memory—usually about 10 seconds of sample time. To get that thick sound, they had to be master technicians. They would pitch samples up while recording and then pitch them down in the machine to save memory, which created that signature "crunchy" low-end.
It wasn't an accident. It was engineering genius born out of technical limitations.
How to Appreciate It Today
To really "get" this song in 2026, you have to turn off your phone. Put on a pair of high-quality headphones—not cheap earbuds. You need to hear the separation between the kick drum and that humming bassline.
Notice how the vocals sit inside the beat rather than on top of it. It’s an immersive experience.
Actionable Steps for Hip-Hop Heads
1. Go Back to the Source
Don't just listen to the single. Listen to the original sample: "Spaced Out" by The Knickerbockers. Seeing how Erick Sermon flipped a psych-rock track into a hip-hop anthem will change how you view "creativity." It's about seeing potential in the "wrong" places.
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2. Study the "Hit Squad" Era
If you like the vibe of this track, look up the Hit Squad. This was the collective EPMD built, including Redman, Das EFX, and K-Solo. You'll hear the "So Whatcha Sayin" DNA in every single one of those artists.
3. Check the BPM
The song clocks in at around 95 BPM. In a world of 140 BPM trap and 80 BPM slow-burners, 95 is the "golden ratio" for New York hip-hop. Try walking to it. It’s the perfect tempo for a confident stride.
4. Analyze the Lyrics for "The Business"
EPMD stood for "Erick and Parrish Making Dollars." They were obsessed with the business side of the industry. Notice how few songs they have about "street life" in the stereotypical sense and how many are about protecting their brand, their beats, and their money. It was a precursor to the "mogul" era of Jay-Z and Puff Daddy.
The impact of So Whatcha Sayin EPMD cannot be overstated. It was the moment the genre realized that being cool was more powerful than being loud. It taught us that the funk wasn't just a 1970s relic—it was a living, breathing foundation that could be sampled, chopped, and served to a new generation.
Next time you hear a track with a heavy, swinging bassline and a rapper who sounds like they just woke up from a nap but could still out-rhyme your favorite artist, you’re hearing the ghost of EPMD. The "Business" never really closed; it just became the industry standard.
Final Insights
To understand modern production, you have to respect the SP-1200 era. EPMD didn't have unlimited tracks in Pro Tools. They had grit, a record collection, and an ear for the "pocket" of a groove. If you’re a creator, take that lesson to heart: limitations are often where the best style is born. Stop looking for more plugins and start looking for a better loop.