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Erick Sermon On Subliminal Rap Disses: 'The Hood Made Those Beefs'

Erick Sermon On Subliminal Rap Disses: 'The Hood Made Those Beefs'

Published Wed, October 25, 2023 at 11:00 AM EDT

In rap music's infamous "golden era," subliminal shots both real and imagined flew back and forth often. On an upcoming episode of Math Hoffa's My Expert Opinion, Erick Sermon discusses subliminal shots between Rakim and EPMD.

"Rakim came out with 'I Ain't No Joke' and said 'You could get a sack for this.'" the "You Gots To Chill" MC recounted. "Then we came out with 'You're A Customer' and said 'It's like a dig 'em smack, you smack me and I'll smack you back.' The hood took it, and they [said to Rakim], 'You heard what EPMD said, they dissed you.'"

Sermon then tells the story of an encounter at EPMD and Eric B. & Rakim's accountant's office.

"It was Eric B., his brother Ant Live, me and Rakim. I'd [previously] told this girl that I wasn't feelin' Rakim's last album, and I didn't know that she went and told him. This is the God, and I rhyme because of him. I came in the room, and he was sitting there, and he said, 'You're stressin me.' We were on the 20th floor in front of a big window, I could see me going through that widow."

E Double recalls that even though all misunderstandings had been squashed by '88's "Follow The Leader," there was still an EPMD reference in the song.

"On 'Follow The Leader' he said, 'Stop buggin'/A brother said dig 'em I never dug 'em/He couldn't follow the leader long enough so I drug him into the danger zone.' That whole shit was about with the dig 'em smack and the danger zone from 'You're A Customer' when we said 'Remember this, lounge you in the danger zone.' I told Parrish I'm not goin' behind that. Leave [him] alone."

Erick also pointed out LL COOL J's line from "To The Break Of Dawn." "He said, 'Gimme that microphone, I show you the real meaning of the danger zone.' We were the only ones talking about the danger zone back then, I was like, 'Ain't he our boy?' The crews get in rappers ears a lotta times. It's not the rappers, it's their crews."

Check out a snippet from the interview above.

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