Def Squad
Def Squad is an American rap supergroup consisting of Erick Sermon, Redman, Keith Murray, Hurricane G, and Jamal
Jamaal ( ''/'') is an Arabic given name and surname meaning "beauty."Strictly Business'', EPMD sought to
mentor
Mentorship is the patronage, influence, guidance, or direction given by a mentor. A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person. In an organizational setting, a mentor influences the perso ...
new artists. The first artist to make a guest appearance on an EPMD album was K-Solo. Solo was featured on their second album '' Unfinished Business'' on the song "Knick Knack Patty Wack". The first mention of "Hit Squad" appeared on EPMD's third album '' Business as Usual'' on the track "Hit Squad Heist". The lyrics mention Redman, K-Solo and Tom J of Knucklehedz. Redman is also featured on two tracks of that album.
In 1993, EPMD released the single "Headbanger" from their fourth album '' Business Never Personal''. The single featured K-Solo and Redman and the
music video
A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...
features appearances by most of the Hit Squad. The single reached #11 on ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
s
Hot Rap Tracks
Hot Rap Songs (formerly known as Hot Rap Tracks and Hot Rap Singles) is a chart released weekly by '' Billboard'' in the United States. It lists the 25 most popular hip-hop/rap songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio stat ...
chart. The single's success made "Headbanger" the Squad's "
signature song
A signature (; from , "to sign") is a depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and intent. Signatures are often, but not always, handwritten or styliz ...
". The album also features Das EFX on the track "Cummin' At Cha".
Breakup
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 invaded by armed intruders believed to have been hired by squad members. While 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 January 1993. Redman and Hurricane G continued to collaborate with Sermon, while Das EFX and DJ Scratch remained under Smith's management. K-Solo pursued separate endeavors. The debut album by Knucklehedz became lost in the shuffle in the midst of the breakup and was shelved.
The original Hit Squad splintered into two different groups. Sermon formed
Def Squad
Def Squad is an American rap supergroup consisting of Erick Sermon, Redman, Keith Murray, Hurricane G, and Jamal
Jamaal ( ''/'') is an Arabic given name and surname meaning "beauty."Jamal aka Mally G and another
protégé
Mentorship is the patronage, influence, guidance, or direction given by a mentor. A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person. In an organizational setting, a mentor influences the perso ...
Keith Murray while PMD retained the Hit Squad name with K-Solo, Das EFX, DJ Scratch and Top Quality. In this new incarnation, the PMD led Hit Squad would appear on PMD's solo albums and on the Das EFX albums '' Hold It Down'' and '' Generation EFX''. Hit Squad would also appear on the single and video for the song "Beef" from Chubb Rock's 1997 album ''The Mind''. On the album '' The Mix Tape, Vol. II'' by Funkmaster Flex, a freestyle by PMD, Nocturnal & Das EFX was featured on the album. Smith appeared alongside rap unknowns Blast, Poogi and L The Pro on the classic 1997 Tony Touch
mixtape
In the modern music industry, a mixtape is a musical project, typically with looser constraints than that of an album or extended play. Unlike the traditional album or extended play, mixtapes are labeled as laid-back projects that allow artists mo ...
''Power Cypha 2'', credited as "PMD & The Hit Squad".
On EPMD's 1997 reunion album '' Back in Business'', Smith's Hit Squad and Sermon's Def Squad came together and were billed as The Squadron. Both groups are featured in the video for the single " Da Joint".
In 2004, Smith released an album titled ''Hit Squad: Zero Tolerance'' using previously unreleased verses by the original members combined with his latest new artists.
As of the 2006 EPMD reunion, most of the former Hit Squad members also reunited, along with Def Squad rapper Keith Murray. A new album for the Hit Squad/Def Squad is planned.
Another reunion was staged in 2012.
On PMD's 2013 EP release ''New Business'', he introduced a group under the Hit Squad umbrella called Team Takeover made up of rappers Nymrod, Comatose, Nam Nitty, and Michael Nixx. The group is featured in the music video for the track "Symphony 2013".
Myspace
Myspace (formerly stylized as MySpace, currently myspace; and sometimes my␣, with an elongated Whitespace character#Substitute images, open box symbol) is a social networking service based in the United States. Launched on August 1, 2003, it w ...