If you listened to hip-hop in the late 1980s and early 1990s, it was all about Eric B. & Rakim. The New York-based duo was known for their unique sound, which was the perfect blend of DJ Eric B.’s crisp cuts and unique sampling skills and Rakim’s smooth cadence and undeniable knack for wordplay. But a dispute that was part business and part personal would ultimately mean the end of the group as fans knew it – until they made a surprise appearance together to celebrate one of their greatest collabs.
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This is the story of the highs and lows of Eric B. & Rakim.
Eric B.’s Musical Background
Eric Barrier — a.k.a. Eric B. — has always loved music…something he says comes from the music classes he took as a child.
Barrier got his first exposure to DJing as an equipment handler for local DJ named Vernon. Eric B. got his break when he was asked to fill for Vernon during a show at a local school. Barrier says he wanted to seize the moment, so he put on a record that made the crowd go crazy.
“The next day at school, everyone was whispering about me, pointing at me, and talking to me—even people who hadn’t spoken to me all year, not even my closest friends,” he told Uptown in an interview.
Meeting Rakim
In the late 80s, rapping was just a hobby for Wyandanch, Long Island native Rakim (born William Michael Griffin Jr.), who had dreams of going to college to play football. He made a tape of his rhymes that he planned to take with him – that is, until a friend came to his house with DJ Eric B., who thought he had something special and wanted to introduce him to DJ Marley Marl. Rakim said Eric convinced him to appear on a track as a guest so he wouldn’t have to sign a recording contract – an idea Rakim said he thought would give him the best of both worlds.
“That’s why the first single in 1985, came out in ‘86. It was Eric B. featuring Rakim,” he said in an interview. “And you know, featuring mean is just a guest to a record.”
But once he got a taste of success in hip-hop, there was no turning back.
Making the Deal
Eric B. & Rakim released their first album “Paid in Full” in 1987 on 4th & B’way Records, a subsidiary of Island Records that was dedicated to hip-hop. Although the teens had no prior experience as recording artists, it wouldn’t take long for them to gel and become a hit-making force to be reckoned with in the music industry.
“Everything was kind of organic, man, for me and Eric B. to do what we did,” said Rakim told Stretch and Bobbito in a 2018 interview for their “What’s Good” podcast. “I was 17 … I was so young it took me a while to figure out how I wanted to approach hip-hop and let the people know how I wanted to get down.”
“Eric B. is President”
Eric B. & Rakim’s first album, “Paid in Full” is one you can listen to from front to back, with lots of great tracks, including “Eric B. is President,” a tribute to the group’s DJ Eric B’s skills. Rakim raps:
“Say indeed and I’ll proceed ‘cause my man made a mix, If he bleed, he won’t need no Band-Aid to fix, His fingertips, so I rhyme until there’s no rhymes left, I hurry up, because the cut will make ‘em bleed to death.”
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The song samples the 1982 dance single “Over Like a Fat Rat” by Fonda Rae.
“Microphone Fiend”
Eric B. & Rakim dropped their second album, “Follow the Leader” in 1998. The album had plenty of hits, but one of hip-hop lovers’ undisputed favorites is “Microphone Fiend.” The second release from the album, which samples Average White Band’s 1975 funk hit “Schoolboy Crush” lets Rakim really show off his skills as he seems to flow non-stop for the entire four minutes of the song.
“Paid in Full”
One of the best displays of Rakim’s smooth lyrical flow is featured on the group’s 1987 hit “Paid in Full.” In the bass-heavy track, Rakim tells the story of how he Eric B. used their musical talent to make money.
“‘Cause I don’t like to dream about gettin paid, So I dig into the books of the rhymes that I made. Tonight is the test to see if I got pull. Hit the studio, cause I’m paid in full.”
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The only thing about this song that’s better than the hard-hitting bass, which is sampled from Dennis Edwards’ 1984 single “Don’t Look and Further,” are Eric B’s cuts, which should be studied in a master class on DJing.
“Don’t Sweat the Technique”
It’s hard to make a list of Eric B. and Rakim’s greatest hits that doesn’t include the title single from their final studio album, 1992’s “Don’t Sweat the Technique.” By this time, Rakim had established himself as one of the GOATS and he issued a warning to other MCs who were trying to imitate his flow. He raps:
“MC’s wanna beef then I play for keeps, When they sweat the technique.”
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The perfect blend of hip-hop and jazz, the song samples Kool & The Gang’s 1969 single “Give it Up.”
“Juice (Know the Ledge)“
In 1992, Eric B. Rakim scored another huge hit with “Juice (Know the Ledge),“ which was written for the soundtrack of “Godfather of Harlem” director Ernest J. Dickerson’s directorial debut “Juice,” starring Tupac Shakur, Omar Epps, Khalil Kain and Jermaine Hopkins. The classic hip-hop track which puts a hard edge on its smooth jazz sample (Nat Adderley’s 1968 “Rise, Sally Rise”), spent four weeks on the Billboard Hot 100.
The End of An Era
In 1992, the hit-making duo made the decision to go their separate ways. According to Rakim, the crack in the foundation of the group occurred when their record label approached the pair about recording individual solo albums.
“We had a different understanding as far as how we wanted things to go at that time,” Rakim said in a 1997 interview. “To make a long story short, we just departed so it wouldn’t be hectic. It was a lot of contract problems that I had to go through.”
Eric B.’s. Side of the Story
If you ask Barrier what caused the end of Eric B. & Rakim, he’ll tell you a different story.
“To me, it wasn’t business. It’s like any relationship. Before we’re musicians and a group, we’re family. Sometimes family just gets tired of each other and you just need a mental break to do whatever you want,” he told the Chicago Tribune in an interview.
Going Solo
Rakim officially went solo in 1997, releasing his debut solo album “The 18th Letter” on Universal Records. He teamed up with legendary DJ Clark Kent who produced of the album’s hottest tracks, the aptly-titled “Guess Who’s Back.”
He would go on to two more solo albums,“The Master” and “The Seventh Seal.”
Reunited
Eric B. and Rakim reunited at the Apollo Theater in 2017 for a “Paid In Full” 30th-anniversary show. The first time the group had performed together in two decades, the historic show was like a who’s who of 90s hip-hop featuring an all-star lineup of special guests, including EPMD, Main Source, Flavor Flav, Ma$e and Ice-T.
Eric B. told The Chicago Tribune in 2019 that even though he hadn’t performed with Rakim in a while, he considered him family.
“Time has escaped you so long, and you looked up and said, ‘Man, I ain’t seen my brothers in a while,’” he said. “We’re family for real. You can have an internal argument but we’re still family. Nothing changes.”
Lasting Influence
Rakim has solidified his spot among the GOATS and has earned respect that goes far beyond the rap game. On a 2024 episode of “Club Shay Shay,” actor and professional wrestler John Cena told Shannon Sharpe that Rakim rounded out his list of favorite rappers, which also includes, Jay-Z. Eminem and Nas. Cena explained that Rakim’s voice and his flow make him stand out from the rest.
“I love wordplay. I love poetry,” Cena said.
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