16/05/2025
Eric B. and Rakim, pioneers of golden-era hip-hop, reshaped rap with their groundbreaking DJ-MC collaboration and innovative lyrical delivery and production style. Eric B., born Eric Barrier in Queens, New York, in 1965, was a skilled DJ influenced by jazz and soul, while Rakim, born William Griffin Jr. in 1968 in Long Island, emerged as a poetically gifted MC with an introspective, complex flow that revolutionized lyricism. They met in the mid-1980s and released Paid in Full in 1987, hailed as one of the most influential hip-hop albums ever. Rakim’s metaphors and internal rhymes raised the bar for rappers, and Eric B.’s beats blended funk with turntablism mastery. Both faced early struggles in urban New York environments, focusing on music over formal higher education. Their partnership ended in the early '90s due to legal and creative differences, but their legacy shaped the genre.
