Erick Sermon on Making Rapping With a Lisp Popular

"When EPMD was coming, I think that me and Parrish was listening to the radio and [DJ] Red Alert was playing some records, and some of the records that Red Alert was playing we thought wasn't as dope. So, we figured that if those records were being played, you know, we figured that we could do something better," says Erick Sermon on his motivation to start EPMD along with fellow wordsmith Parrish Smith.

Within this VladTV exclusive he explains that while working on his group's demo, a creative renaissance was taking place in Hip-Hop. From witnessing MC Lyte drop "I Cram to Understand U" which was followed by Eric B. & Rakim dropping the classic "Eric B. Is President," and soon thereafter Biz Markie's "Nobody Beats the Biz," all of this served to invigorate his creative process.

"If Rakim didn't come out with that, maybe I would have stalled, but when I heard 'Eric B. [Is] President,' I knew that I could do that, because he had a slow flow and I had to rhyme slow because I had a lisp. So, that's what really catapulted EPMD to making that type of record."

Check out the full clip to hear Erick speak on his group's start and his ability to deliver effortless lines while working with a lisp.