Erick Sermon says that despite not dropping a solo project since 2004’s Chilltown New York, there has been a heavy demand from younger fans for another E-Double project. During an interview with AllAccessDVD, the EPMD co-founder explained how he encountered a large number of younger fans while overseas on tour.
“I used to meet young kids in their twenties saying, ‘I’m not old but I like your stuff. Are you gonna come out soon?’” Sermon explained. “My audience was going from the Drake concert one week to watching EPMD the next month. Even with the difference in decades, someone was either telling them about EPMD or they were finding us themselves. And they loved it, so that was dope.”
Another factor working in the Green Eyed Bandit’s favor was the positive reception he got from recent tracks with the likes of Rick Ross [“Ain’t Me”] and Sheek Louch. Producer Rockwilder, who has been working with both Sermon and Redman since Sermon’s 1995’s Double Or Nothing album, gave Sheek Louch and Sermon different versions of the same track, “Dodge This.” Sheek and E-Double ended up collaborating based off both emcee’s familiarity with the track, and a recommendation from some of Sermon’s friends. As for Sermon’s recent collaboration with Rick Ross, the track was originally a collaboration with Vic Damone.
AD LOADING...
“Through the grapevine, when Rick did that record, it was a $40,000 verse,” Sermon added. “I don’t know if he knows because of how the companies went down. But we ended up paying like 40 grand for that verse at the time. I just revamped it by changing the beat and putting myself on it.”
