Eric B. & Rakim
Eric B. & Rakim were a pair of East Coast rappers that popularized the
James Brown-sampled funky
hip hop of the late
1980s. Eric Barrier and William Griffin began recording together in the middle of the decade with "Eric B. Is President" (
1986 in music) from Zakia records in
Harlem.
Paid in Full and
Follow the Leader were their full-length debuts and were hits by hip hop's standards at the time. Their last album together was
Don't Sweat the Technique (
1992 in music). Eric B. has begun a solo career on his own 95th Street Records label.
In the late '90's, Rakim released two solo albums which were deemed mediocre by critics and nearly ignored commercially. He signed with Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment, and the two began work on an album that was to be titled Oh My God. However, in July, 2003, the Aftermath website announced that Rakim was dropped from the label.
Discography
Eric B. & Rakim:
- Paid in Full (1987)
- Follow the Leader (1988)
- Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em (1990)
- Don't Sweat the Technique (1992)
Rakim (solo albums):
- The 18th Letter (1997)
- The Master (1999)