Eric B. & Rakim

Eric B. & Rakim are an American hip hop duo from Long Island, New York. They are considered to be one of the greatest rap duos in hip hop history.

The duo is composed of Eric B. (born Eric Barrier on November 8, 1965) and Rakim (born William Michael Griffin Jr. on January 28, 1968). They formed in 1986 and released their debut album Paid in Full the following year.

Paid in Full is widely considered one of the greatest hip hop albums of all time. It featured their breakout single, “Eric B. Is President” and their most popular song, “I Ain't No Joke”. The album is renowned for Rakim's lyrical complexity and technical proficiency.

Their follow-up albums, 1988's Follow the Leader and 1990's Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em, are also considered classics. Follow the Leader features the singles “Microphone Fiend” and “The R”, while Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em contains the singles “In the Ghetto” and “Mahogany”.

Eric B. & Rakim disbanded in 1993, but they reunited in 2017 for a series of live shows. They have also released a compilation album in 2017 titled Don't Sweat the Technique.

An interesting fact about Eric B. & Rakim is that they are credited with pioneering the use of sampling in hip hop music. Sampling is a technique in which a producer takes a portion of an existing recording and uses it in a new song. This technique is now used by many hip hop producers and is one of the defining elements of the genre.