“I must stay focused and keep my mind open
The world’s mass confusion, there’s mad guns smoking
For punks trying to get respect and yearning
Mess around and catch a bad one from Erick Sermon”
—“Nobody’s Safe Chump” by EPMD
EPMD: Erick and Parrish Making Dollars was and still is one of my all-time favorite hip-hop duos. It is all about the business with these guys who actually have an album scheduled to release in 2012. However, being all about business often causes people to neglect other areas of their lives and may eventually present problems that “nobody’s safe” from: health issues. Last Saturday, November 12, it was reported that Erick Sermon, of EPMD suffered from a heart attack. Even though he is expected to recover, he is only in his early 40s and should not have to worry about having a heart attack. This news comes shortly after the untimely death of Heavy D.
With these two incidents so close together and with both of them being fully aware of the risk of being unhealthy, overweight or obese, I thought it would be good to reflect on how nobody’s safe from a heart attack, cancer, diabetes or any other ailment; however, there are so many steps that we can take to either lessen our chances of having a health problem or at least lessen the severity. I’m no doctor, but it should be obvious that if you eat junk food regularly, do not exercise, smoke and drink excessively and even have toxic relationships, then you are increasing your chances of dying young or experiencing a painful death at the hands of a heart attack due to the decisions you are making.
Of course, it is difficult for many to be health nuts, but “you must stay focused and keep your mind open.” I’ve never smoked, consumed alcohol or used drugs before; however, I have battled with junk food. For the past few years, I’ve been on a serious health kick but allow myself to have pizza, a slice of cake or any of my other vices in moderation. The issue for most is “out of sight out of mind.” If our skin was translucent and we could see the damage we were doing to our organs and how we were damaging our bodies, I think more people would be more conscientious when it comes to their eating habits and willingness to live sedentary lifestyles with little to no physical activity. I know it certainly does help me when I think in those terms.
Having a heart attack has to cause “mass confusion.” I do not know what Erick Sermon’s eating habits or lifestyle is, but he, as well as Parrish Smith are one of my favorite rap duos of all time. I hope he uses this brush with death to promote healthy living so that his loyal fans will be able to enjoy the upcoming album.
Please feel free to share your thoughts.
~Anonomz aka Tanya H. Franklin
Journey of Anonomz 
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