Eric B. & Rakim were an American hip hop duo, composed of DJ Eric B. (born Eric Barrier, November 8, 1965) and MC Rakim(born William Michael Griffin Jr., January 28, 1968).
Hailing from Long Island, New York, the duo were referred to by the journalist Tom Terrell of NPR as “the most influential DJ/MC combo in contemporary pop music period,” while the editors of About.com ranked them as No. 3 on their list of the 10 Greatest Hip-Hop Duos of All-Time. They were nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011, although they did not make the final selection.
Paid in Full
I Ain’t No Joke
Follow the Leader
Mahogany
Rakim’s rhyming deviated from the simple rhyme patterns of early 1980s hip hop. His free-rhythm style ignored bar lines and had earned comparisons to Thelonious Monk. The New York Times‘ Ben Ratliff wrote that Rakim’s “unblustery rapping developed the form beyond the flat-footed rhythms of schoolyard rhymes”. While many rappers developed their technique through improvisation, Rakim was one of the first to demonstrate advantages of a writerly style, as with for instance his pioneering use of internal rhymes and multisyllabic rhymes Unlike previous rappers such as LL Cool J, KRS-One, and Run-D.M.C., who delivered their vocals with high energy, Rakim employed a relaxed, stoic delivery. According to MTV, “We’d been used to MCs like Run and DMC, Chuck D and KRS-One leaping on the mic shouting with energy and irreverence, but Rakim took a methodical approach to his microphone fiending. He had a slow flow, and every line was blunt, mesmeric.” Rakim’s relaxed delivery resulted from his jazz influences; he had played the saxophone and was a John Coltrane fan.
Rakim’s subject matter often covered his own rapping skills and lyrical superiority over other rappers. AllMusic editor Steve Huey comments that “the majority of his lyrics concern his own skills and his Islamic faith.” He also notes Rakim for his “complex internal rhymes, compounding, literate imagery, velvet-smooth flow, and unpredictable, off-the-beat rhythms.” Pitchfork writer Jess Harvell described his rapping as “authoritative, burnished, [and] possessing an unflappable sense of rhythm”.
Paid in Full, which contains gritty, heavy, and dark beats, marked the beginning of heavy sampling in hip hop records. Of the album’s ten tracks, three are instrumentals. As a disc jockey, Eric B. had reinstated the art of live turntable mixing. His soul-filled sampling became influential in future hip hop production. Music critic Robert Christgau noted that Eric B. had incorporated “touches of horn or whistle deep in the mix” of his sampled percussion and scratches.