Erick Sermon has been revisiting old memories and revealing new stories, and one of them includes the super-group he would build around Eminem.
The rapper, writer, and producer has spent more than three decades shaping the sound of East Coast hip hop, often from outside its brightest spotlights. Now, on Episode 2 of On the Record, the EPMD legend takes a generous pause to reflect on his new album Dynamic Duos, Vol. 1, the eight-year grind behind it, and the collaborations that still play on his mind.
Sermon, relaxed but sharp, details the long road of making the project, speaks on his top five producers, and hints at the kind of chemistry he still chases in the studio.
The Lost Dr. Dre Sessions
One of the biggest revelations of the interview comes when Sermon quietly drops a detail most hip hop fans never knew:
“In 2002, I made five records with Dr. Dre… three of them he did entirely by himself. One with both of us. It would never be heard”.
It’s the kind of lost-tape moment that would send collectors into a frenzy. Sermon describes how he imagined people would be listening to the track: as EPMD vs N.W.A collaboration 32 years too late. He realised that the songs would not be perceived as they are, in their purity. These tracks, at least for now, will remain locked in a vault.
The Eminem Connection That Started With a Soundtrack
Eventually, the conversation turns toward Eminem, an artist Sermon has worked with twice across very different eras. He produced “Off the Wall”, the Eminem and Redman cut from the Nutty Professor II soundtrack, and later contributed to “EPMD 2”, the collab with Eminem on Nas’ “King’s Disease II”.
Sermon remembers the early days:
“I did Eminem and Redman the Nutty Professor II soundtrack… but I really didn’t spend much time on that. Now my mind would be different”.
There’s affection there, and respect, the kind that grows between architects of eras.
The Posse Cut He’d Build Around Eminem
Talking about this, Sermon lights up. He says he would follow the blueprint that Eminem left, using names Em once praised on “’Till I Collapse”:
It goes: Reggie, JAY-Z, 2Pac and Biggie
André from OutKast, Jada, Kurupt, Nas, and then me
Already, Sermon has adjusted the list a bit, adding Treach and removing Jay-Z, Jadakiss, and Kurupt, acknowledging that 2Pac and Biggie won’t join. In other words, he is shaping a lineup his way. It becomes less of a recreation and more of a Sermon-style homage to Eminem’s influences.
And while Em’s “’Till I Collapse” verse is over 20 years old, his respect for that generation hasn’t faded. Maybe it even went deeper. In 2022, he name-checked over 100 MCs during his Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction. Sermon is part of that lineage, too. He did not make it to the song, but EPMD found its place on the list of those whom Eminem called his teachers in the induction speech.
A Legacy Bigger Than One List
Sermon’s place in hip hop culture is impossible to ignore. EPMD became foundational to East Coast hip hop. The Def Squad era with Redman and Keith Murray set new standards in group chemistry. His solo albums, including 2001’s Music, defined their moment. And his production credits run from Jay-Z to Ludacris, from Method Man to SWV.
Eminem, who often pays tribute to the artists who shaped him, has repeatedly shown his respect for EPMD. One day, he’s promoting their albums to younger generations; another, he recreates the Unfinished Business imagery with Denaun.
The connection is real, even if the dream posse cut stays in Sermon’s imagination.
