Da Chief

Biggie Smalls‘ son, Christopher ‘CJ’ Wallace, has filed a defamation lawsuit against music producer Jonathan Hay after he was accused of luring him to be sexually assaulted by Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs.

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“We did a show about four months ago in Milwaukee that we brought DJ Scratch out for after 11 years,” Sermon says. “It just so happened that we only did four songs because a storm came in. At the end of the day, EPMD got things to work out. We’ve been in the game so long. I love it, but it’s not worth the headache sometimes as far as my mind state in that type of atmosphere.”

Whatever EPMD decides to do in the future isn’t really his concern at the present moment. Sermon is laser focused on Dynamic Duos Vol. 1 and the two additional volumes to follow as well as smashing the notion that hip-hop artists over 40 are “too old” to keep making music.

“I remember Queen Latifah insisting that ‘old school’ be taken out from the start of her name at an awards show,” he says. “Chuck D feels the same. Nas is the only one I know who really embraces ‘old school’—he doesn’t mind it. But I’m glad that the terms ‘legend’ and ‘iconic’ came into use. Now, we can put those names on a list and celebrate our legends, not just call them ‘old school.’

“Our genre isn’t like others; look at Barbra Streisand, dropping seven different colored vinyls. It’s only hip-hop that gets labeled as ‘old school.’ Why do we have to stop when others don’t? It doesn’t make sense.”

1996 — One of the Greatest Years in Hip-Hop History

1996 was a monumental year for hip hop, a rare moment when every region delivered heat and every lane — lyrical, hardcore, conscious, mainstream, underground — was firing at once. The Source Magazine’s “Best Albums of the Year” list from January 1997 captures how stacked the culture was:
2Pac reshaped the entire game with All Eyez On Me, Nas elevated storytelling with It Was Written, Jay-Z debuted with the now-legendary Reasonable Doubt, and Outkast pushed Southern rap forward with ATLiens. The roots of hardcore lyricism stayed strong through Liquid Swords, The Resurrection, and Soul Food, while Busta Rhymes, The Roots, De La Soul, The Pharcyde, and A Tribe Called Quest expanded the boundaries of creativity and sound.

From West Coast dominance, East Coast renaissance, and Southern elevation — 1996 stands as one of the most diverse, groundbreaking, and influential years the culture has ever seen.