Eric B. & Rakim

Eric B. & Rakim are a hip-hop duo formed in New York in the mid-1980s, pairing DJ Eric B. with MC Rakim. Widely regarded as one of the most influential acts in rap history, they helped redefine what a rapper could sound like, moving away from the more sing-song, party-oriented flows of earlier hip-hop toward Rakim's dense, internally rhymed, jazz-inflected delivery.

Their 1987 debut album «Paid in Full» is considered a landmark of the genre, anchored by tracks like the title song, «Eric B. Is President», «My Melody» and «I Ain't No Joke», which showcased Eric B.'s sample-driven, funk- and soul-rooted production alongside Rakim's technically intricate, laid-back rhyming style. The duo followed with «Follow the Leader», featuring the title track and «Microphone Fiend», before releasing «Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em», which included «Juice (Know the Ledge)» and «I Know You Got Soul».

After a fourth album, «Don't Sweat the Technique», the duo disbanded, but their catalog remained foundational listening for generations of MCs. Rakim's rhyme schemes and Eric B.'s production choices are widely cited as having shaped the direction of golden-age hip-hop and beyond.