"Head Banger" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by EPMD featuring K-Solo and Redman | ||||
from the album Business Never Personal | ||||
B-side | "Scratch Bring It Back" | |||
Released | October 29, 1992 | |||
Recorded | 1992 | |||
Genre | Hip hop | |||
Length | 4:51 | |||
Label | Def Jam | |||
Songwriter(s) | Erick Sermon, Parrish Smith | |||
Producer(s) | EPMD | |||
EPMD singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Head Banger" on YouTube |
"Head Banger", also "Headbanger", is the second single released from EPMD's fourth album, Business Never Personal . [1] [2] [3] [4]
The song, which was produced by member Erick Sermon, featured verses from K-Solo and Redman, both members of EPMD's rap collective, the Hit Squad. The single became a minor hit on both the R&B and rap charts. peaking at 75 on the Hot R&B Singles chart and 11 on the Hot Rap Singles chart. The song used three samples, Parliament's "One Of Those Funky Thangs", Joe Tex's "Papa Was Too" and Brand Nubian's "Slow Down", and was later sampled itself by the Ruff Ryders on "Ryde or Die", which served as the opening song on their debut album, Ryde or Die Vol. 1 . [5] [6] [7] [8] This was EPMD's final release before disbanding, [9] eventually returning five years later in 1997.
Chart (1992) | Peak position |
---|---|
US Billboard Hot R&B Singles | 75 |
US Billboard Hot Rap Singles | 11 |
Reginald Noble, better known by his stage name Redman, is an American rapper, DJ, record producer, and actor. He rose to fame in the early 1990s as an artist on the Def Jam label.
EPMD is an American hip hop duo from Brentwood, New York. The duo's name is a concatenation of the members' names "E" and "PMD" or an acronym for "Erick and Parrish Making Dollars", referring to its members: emcees Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith. During an interview on college radio station WHOV in 1987, Parrish Smith stated that the name evolved from the original: "We were originally known as "EEPMD", but chose to go with EPMD because it was easier to say." He also stated that they dropped the two "E's" because N.W.A.'s Eric Wright was already using "Eazy-E" as his stage name. The group has been active for 36 years.
Erick Sermon is an American rapper and producer. He is best known as one-third—alongside PMD & DJ Scratch—of 1980s/1990s hip hop group EPMD and for his production work.
Dana Stinson, better known by his stage name Rockwilder, is an American hip hop record producer and rapper. A long term friend of Def Jam rapper Redman, Rockwilder got his start producing for East Coast hip hop artists in the mid-1990s. In 1999 Rockwilder produced Method Man & Redman's hit single "Da Rockwilder". He has produced at least one track on every Redman album since 1994's Dare Iz a Darkside.
Keith Omar Murray is an American rapper from New York. Murray grew up on Carleton Ave, in Central Islip, which is located on the South Shore of Long Island in Suffolk County. Murray was a known member of a local rap collective in Long Island called Legion of Doom (L.O.D.) which included fellow rappers 50 Grand, Ron Jay, and Kel-Vicious. Murray is more famously known for being a member of the Hip Hop trio the Def Squad, which includes fellow rappers Redman and fellow Long Island native Erick Sermon, previously the co-founder of the legendary Hip-Hop group EPMD.
Dare Iz a Darkside is the second studio album by American rapper Redman. It was released on November 22, 1994, by Def Jam Recordings. The album debuted at 13 on the US Billboard 200. The album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Whut? Thee Album is the debut studio album by American rapper Redman. It was released on September 22, 1992, by Def Jam Recordings, Rush Associated Labels and Chaos Recordings, a dimension of Columbia Records. Taking place at Ian London Studios, North Shore Soundworks, and Power Play Studios, recording sessions began in 1991 and continued into 1992. The album features production from mentor and fellow Hit Squad member Erick Sermon; as well as Redman himself under his birth name Reggie Noble, with additional production from Pete Rock.
Business as Usual is the third album by hip hop duo EPMD. It was released on December 18, 1990, and was their first on Def Jam, after being signed from their former label, Fresh Records. It was also the first release under Def Jam's new Rush subsidiary, which allowed founder Russell Simmons more control and more ownership over its material, as the masters for proper Def Jam releases at that time were primarily owned by Sony Music's Columbia Records.
Business Never Personal is the fourth studio album by hip hop duo EPMD. It was released on July 28, 1992, on Def Jam Recordings. Following mixed criticism of their previous studio effort, 1990's Business As Usual, the duo was able to return to their past acclaim on Business Never Personal. The lead single, "Crossover," became its biggest success, nearly reaching the Top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song is about keeping it real and not crossing over to the mainstream, but became EPMD's biggest mainstream success.
Back in Business is the fifth studio album by the hip-hop duo EPMD, released on September 16, 1997, through Def Jam Recordings. It was their first album since 1992, when the pair had broken up due to money issues. The single "Da Joint" became their second Billboard Hot 100 hit.
Def Squad is an American rap supergroup consisting of Erick Sermon, Redman, Keith Murray, Hurricane G, and Jamal. Before officially forming as a group to release an album in 1998, they had each been featured on tracks by each other. The Def Squad was formed following the disbandment of the Hit Squad, who broke up after the struggles between EPMD members Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith.
Def Squad Presents Erick Onasis is the third solo studio album by American rapper and producer Erick Sermon. It was released on June 27, 2000, via DreamWorks Records. The album peaked at #53 on the U.S. Billboard 200 and reached the fifteenth spot on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
The Hit Squad is an American hip hop collective of East coast hip hop artists. Originally formed in the 1990s by Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith of the rap group EPMD, the group included rap artists such as K-Solo, Redman, Das EFX, Top Quality, and Knucklehedz. When EPMD broke up for the first time in 1993, the collective separated, with Sermon forming Def Squad and Smith retaining the Hit Squad name.
Redman Presents...Reggie is the seventh studio album by rapper Redman. It was released on December 7, 2010, through his own label Gilla House Records in conjunction with Def Jam Recordings. The original title of the album, as promoted in the booklet of Blackout! 2, was going to be Reggie Noble "0" 9 1/2. It would also be his final album with Def Jam, after being signed to the label for 19 years.
"Crossover" is a single by American hip hop group EPMD released in August 1992 from their album Business Never Personal. The song's lyrics criticize rappers who crossover to R&B or pop in order to sell more. The single became EPMD's highest charting as it climbed the Billboard charts at #42. The song was also certified gold by RIAA, becoming the group's only single to accomplish that feat. The song samples "Don't Worry If There's a Hell Below " by Curtis Mayfield and Roger Troutman's "You Should Be Mine". A music video, colored in blue, was released for the song which features Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith rapping around a building under construction with other people around doing various activities like break-dancing.
"Da Joint" is the first single from EPMD's fifth album, Back in Business. Produced by Erick Sermon and Rockwilder, "Da Joint" became EPMD's second and final single to make it to the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at 94 on the chart with approximately 100,000 copies sold in the first week. "Da Joint" was released a week before the Back in Business album, making it to the first release by the newly reformed EPMD since the group's 1992 single, "Head Banger".
"Symphony 2000" is the lead single released from EPMD's sixth album, Out of Business. The song was produced by Erick Sermon and featured verses from EPMD's labelmates, Method Man & Redman and Lady Luck. "Symphony 2000" was EPMD's last charting single making it to the R&B and rap charts.
This is the discography of American rap duo, EPMD.
The following is a discography of production credited to Erick Sermon.
E.S.P. is the seventh solo studio album by American rapper and producer Erick Sermon. It was released on September 25, 2015 via Def Squad Records/Caroline Records.