Eric B. & Rakim

When Eric B. & Rakim joined forces in 1986 in Long Island, New York, they were laying the groundwork for something that would resonate far beyond their time. It wasn’t just a matter of a DJ and rapper pairing up; it was a fusion of talents that redefined what was possible in hip-hop. Eric B., born Eric Barrier in East Elmhurst, Queens, had already been exploring turntable sounds while playing trumpet and drums in high school. His path led him to work as a mobile DJ for the radio station WBLS in New York, where he met Alvin Toney, a promoter who connected him with the rapper William Griffin Jr., known as Rakim. Rakim, who had adopted that name after converting to The Nation of Gods and Earths, had been writing rhymes since his teenage years. The creative spark ignited when Eric B. took the bassline from "Over Like A Fat Rat" by Fonda Rae and used it for a new track—an idea that left Rakim so stunned he spat out his beer.

Their first single, "Eric B. Is President" from 1986, became a sensation on the streets of Harlem, propelling the duo to sign with the label 4th & Broadway. This track, along with "I Ain't No Joke" and "I Know You Got Soul"—which sampled James Brown and Bobby Byrd—began shaping the sound of hip-hop with a relentless rhythmic foundation and Rakim’s lyrical fluidity. Their debut album, Paid in Full, released in 1987, became a cornerstone of the genre. Recorded at Power Play Studios, the creative process was intense; Rakim often wrote his rhymes in the studio itself and recorded them immediately, resulting in an album that, though brief, captured raw and direct energy. The influence of this record was so profound that the drum track from "Paid in Full" became one of the most sampled beats, serving as the backbone for hits by other artists.