Strictly Business (EPMD song)
| "Strictly Business" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
_(Fresh_Records-US).jpg) | ||||
| Single by EPMD | ||||
| from the album Strictly Business | ||||
| Released | August 27, 1988 | |||
| Recorded | 1987 | |||
| Genre | Hip hop | |||
| Length | 4:47 | |||
| Label | Fresh/Sleeping Bag Records | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Erick Sermon, Parrish Smith, Bob Marley | |||
| Producer(s) | EPMD | |||
| EPMD singles chronology | ||||
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"Strictly Business" is a song by EPMD from their debut album Strictly Business. Written and produced by the duo, "Strictly Business" became EPMD's first charting single, becoming a minor hit on the R&B charts. Although not a huge success when it was released, the song has since become a hip hop classic, making it onto several best hip hop songs lists.[1]
The song's main sample is Eric Clapton's cover of Bob Marley's "I Shot the Sheriff". Other samples include "Jungle Boogie" by Kool & the Gang and "Long Red" by Mountain. [2]
Consider the video for "Strictly Business." You’ve got a clown figure who calls himself MC Sheriff getting onstage in a club and getting shown up - and run out of town by - EPMD. They had their signature fisherman’s bucket hats on, and they even had a nod to the conscious collective with the backup singers/dancers in kente cloth dresses and locks as opposed to MC Sheriff’s ladies in white Lycra and perms. [3]
Single track listing
- "Strictly Business" (Vocal Mix)- 6:30
- "Strictly Business" (Radio Mix)- 3:30
- "Strictly Business" (Instrumental Mix)- 5:26
- "Strictly Business" (Acapella)- 4:01
Charts
| Chart (1988) | Position |
|---|---|
| U.S. R&B Singles | 25 |
| U.S. Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales | 17 |
| U.S. Dance Music/Club Play Singles | 19 |