Erick Sermon Net Worth

What is Erick Sermon's Net Worth?

Erick Sermon is an American rapper and record producer who has a net worth of $4 million. Erick Sermon is best known as one-half of the hip hop duo EPMD. The duo hit it big with such albums as "Strictly Business" (1988), "Unfinished Business" (1989), "Business as Usual" (1991), and "Out of Business" (1999). Sermon has also had success as a solo artist, starting with his 1993 debut solo album "No Pressure."

Sample Royalties

Erick Sermon has repeatedly demonstrated how valuable publishing ownership can become long after a song's release. His earliest major sample windfall came from Mario Winans' 2004 hit "I Don't Wanna Know," which used the drums from EPMD's 1988 track "You're a Customer." The interpolation gave Sermon and Parrish Smith writer credits, delivering steady royalty checks for years. Two decades later, those earnings multiplied when Metro Boomin, The Weeknd, and 21 Savage remade Winans' song as "Creepin'." Because the new version relied on the same underlying composition, Sermon again received writer royalties, this time on a global blockbuster scale. He revealed that his 4% stake in "Creepin'" generated royalty checks of roughly $250,000 every three months for a period of time, fueled by the song's billions of streams. Sermon has used the experience to highlight how even a small ownership slice can become a powerful generational asset when a catalog track is revived for a new audience.

Early Life

Erick Sermon was born on November 25, 1968 in Islip, New York.

Rapper Erick Sermon in New York in March 2004. (Photo by Julia Beverly/Getty Images)

EPMD

Sermon began his career in 1987 when he formed the hip hop duo EPMD with rapper Parrish Smith. An acronym, the name of the duo stands for "Erick and Parrish Making Dollars." EPMD went on to release its debut album, "Strictly Business," in 1988. The album was a substantial hit, reaching number one on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and number 80 on the Billboard 200, and soon earning a gold certification from the RIAA. EPMD had even greater success with its second album, 1989's "Unfinished Business," which made it to number 53 on the Billboard 200 as well as number one on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The duo continued to climb the charts with their subsequent albums. "Business as Usual," released in early 1991, peaked at number 36 on the Billboard 200, while "Business Never Personal," released in 1992, reached number 14. The latter album spawned EPMD's biggest hit single, "Crossover." Despite their success, the duo broke up in 1993 amid financial troubles and personal tensions.

In 1997, EPMD got back together to record the album "Back in Business." Reaching number four on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and number 16 on the Billboard 200, it also became the duo's fifth consecutive album to be certified gold by the RIAA. EPMD went on to release "Out of Business" in the summer of 1999; it peaked at number two on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and number 13 on the Billboard 200. Notably, it was the first official album released under the newly created Island Def Jam Music Group imprint. Not long after the release, however, EPMD left the imprint, and eventually broke up for the second time. Along with DJ Scratch, the duo got back together again in 2006 for a live show in New York City. EPMD continued performing live in the years after that, and in late 2008 released its seventh studio album, "We Mean Business." A live album, entitled "Live Business," was released in early 2019. In 2021, EPMD was featured alongside Eminem on the song "EPMD 2" from Nas's album "King's Disease II."

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Solo Career

Following the first breakup of EPMD in 1993, Sermon embarked on his solo career with his debut solo album, "No Pressure." Supported by the singles "Hittin' Switches" and "Stay Real," it reached number two on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and number 16 on the Billboard 200. Sermon's next solo album was "Double or Nothing," which came out in late 1995. He didn't release his third solo album, "Def Squad Presents Erick Onasis," until 2000. After that, Sermon joined J Records and released the album "Music" in 2001. The title track became Sermon's highest-charting solo single, reaching number 22 on the Billboard Hot 100. He had another solid hit with the single "React," the title track from his fifth solo album, released in 2002. However, the album had disappointing sales, and Sermon was soon dropped from J Records.

After his release from J Records, Sermon established his Def Squad imprint at Universal Records. He subsequently released his sixth solo album, "Chilltown, New York," in 2004. Over a decade later, in 2015, Sermon released his seventh solo album, "E.S.P. (Erick Sermon's Perception)." His next album was "Vernia," which came out in the spring of 2019.

Def Squad

With rappers Redman, Keith Murray, Jamal, and Reginald Noble, Sermon formed the hip hop supergroup Def Squad in 1998. The group released one studio album, "El Niño"; it reached number one on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and number two on the Billboard 200, and was certified gold by the RIAA.

Health Problems

In 2001, Sermon was injured after falling from the third floor of an apartment building. Although police claimed he had tried to kill himself, Sermon denied it. Later, in 2011, he suffered a heart attack.

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