| Hit Squad | |
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 Redman, K-Solo, EPMD and Das EFX | |
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Origin |
New York City, New York, United States |
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Genre |
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Years active |
1990-1993 |
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Associated acts |
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Past members |
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Hit Squad was an American hip hop collective of East Coast hip hop artists, formed by Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith of EPMD. The collective was formed when EPMD sought to mentor new artists after the release of their album Strictly Business. The first artist to make a guest appearance on an EPMD album was K-Solo, on the song "Knick Knack Patty Wack" from the album Unfinished Business. The first mention of the Hit Squad was on the song "Hit Squad Heist" from EPMD's third album Business as Usual, where the lyrics mention members K-Solo, Redman and Knucklehedz. Redman is also featured on two songs from the album. In 1993, EPMD released the single "Headbanger" from their fourth album Business Never Personal, which featured K-Solo and Redman and was released with a music video that featured appearances by most of the Hit Squad.
In late-1992, tensions grew within the Hit Squad. According to an article in The Source, Squad members alleged financial impropriety by Smith, who owned their management company. Smith's home was raided by armed intruders believed to have been hired by members of the collective. Smith declined to publicly give details on who was behind the invasion, Sermon was arrested and briefly detained for questioning, but no charges were filed. EPMD officially broke up in 1993. Redman and Hurricane G continued to collaborate with Sermon, while Das EFX and DJ Scratch remained under Smith's management. The debut album by Knucklehedz became lost in the shuffle in the midst of the breakup and was shelfed.
Sermon went on to create the group Def Squad with Redman and Keith Murray. Smith continued to mention the name "Hit Squad" on his subsequent solo albums and EPMD's reunion albums, but it remained unclear as to who the members of the new Squad were. In 2004, Smith released an album titled Zero Tolerance using previously unreleased verses by the original members combined with his latest new artists. Hit Squad reunions took place in 2006 and 2012.
Discography
- 2004: Zero Tolerance