Erick Sermon Talks Turning Down Nas's "Illmatic" & Rejecting Biggie Feature

BY Erika Marie 5.6K Views
Link Copied to Clipboard!
Jason Kempin / Staff / Getty Images,  Rachel Murray / Stringer / Getty Images
Erick Sermon, Nas
He still beats himself up about both.

If you ever sit down with hip hop legends, you'll hear them share stories of what they consider to be their biggest L's. Missed opportunities seem to be what can plague an artist, and in a recent chat with the No Filter Podcast, Erick Sermon had no problem sharing two regrettable decisions that he lives with until this day. 

Christopher Polk / Staff / Getty Images

Christopher "Notorious B.I.G." Wallace is hailed as one of the best rappers to have ever picked up a mic, although his career was short-lived. The 24-year-old rapper was gunned down in Los Angeles during a drive-by in 1997, and by that time he was already a hitmaking, award-winning star. However, before he became the big-name rapper that we know today, he was just Biggie from Brooklyn trying to make it in the industry.

Erick shared that he had run into Biggie around New York and expressed interest in working with the rising rapper. When Biggie heard that Erick was working on a record, he sent word to the hip hop icon that he wanted to a spot on the album. Erick now shares that he turned Biggie down and told him no because he had his own crew including the likes of Redman and Keith Murray, and admitted that he didn't think featuring B.I.G. would be a good fit.

Sermon also shared that he turned down an opportunity to work with Nas a producer on his critically-acclaimed classic album Illmatic. “So he comes and sits down, I give him C-list beats Doggy. Because don’t forget all my rappers is ‘Wiggity Wow’ and when I ‘S-P-E-L-L’ and I got Redman, I have these others. So that street content, I couldn’t really get with that. I know it sounds crazy, though, man." He added, "I didn't hear Illmatic, he was making Illmatic. When he left me, he went to Pete Rock... I’m sitting here thinking that this is a kid from Queens that is just rhymin' again, but I don’t understand."

Nas and Sermon did end up working together and according to Sermon, they completed three songs. However, the studio that housed the tracks burned down. Meanwhile, after Illmatic came out, Erick said he wasn't immediately regretful. “I’m ain't gon' lie to you, I didn’t look at it like that at that time then. I was a star,” he said. “Business As Usual was out and now we getting ready to drop ‘Crossover’ and ‘Headbanger’ and I got Redman coming out. Don’t forget, that wasn’t my style of rap." Check out Erick Sermon share his stories below.


About The Author
Since 2019, Erika Marie has worked as a journalist for HotNewHipHop, covering music, film, television, art, fashion, politics, and all things regarding entertainment. With 20 years in the industry under her belt, Erika Marie moved from a writer on the graveyard shift at HNHH to becoming a Features Editor, highlighting long-form content and interviews with some of Hip Hop’s biggest stars. She has had the pleasure of sitting down with artists and personalities like DJ Jazzy Jeff, Salt ’N Pepa, Nick Cannon, Rah Digga, Rakim, Rapsody, Ari Lennox, Jacquees, Roxanne Shante, Yo-Yo, Sean Paul, Raven Symoné, Queen Naija, Ryan Destiny, DreamDoll, DaniLeigh, Sean Kingston, Reginae Carter, Jason Lee, Kamaiyah, Rome Flynn, Zonnique, Fantasia, and Just Blaze—just to name a few. In addition to one-on-one chats with influential public figures, Erika Marie also covers content connected to the culture. She’s attended and covered the BET Awards as well as private listening parties, the Rolling Loud festival, and other events that emphasize established and rising talents. Detroit-born and Long Beach (CA)-raised, Erika Marie has eclectic music taste that often helps direct the interests she focuses on here at HNHH. She finds it necessary to report on cultural conversations with respect and honor those on the mic and the hardworking teams that help get them there. Moreover, as an advocate for women, Erika Marie pays particular attention to the impact of femcees. She sits down with rising rappers for HNHH—like Big Jade, Kali, Rubi Rose, Armani Caesar, Amy Luciani, and Omerettà—to gain their perspectives on a fast-paced industry.

Comments 4
Page was generated in 3.5279629230499