Eric B. & Rakim
A Queens, New York rap duo consisting of Eric Barrier (b. Elmhurst, New York, USA) and William Rakim Griffin (b. William Griffin Jr, Long Island, New York, USA) who use additional musicians such as Sefton the Terminator and Chad Jackson as required; Rakim is the lyricist, Eric B the DJ. Or, as Rakim himself put it in I Ain't No Joke: ‘I hold the microphone like a grudge, Eric B hold the record so the needle don't budge’. They met in 1985 when Eric was working for the New York radio station WBLS and was looking for NY's top MC. They started working together before emerging with the demo, Eric B Is President. Released as a 45 on an obscure Harlem independent Zakia Records in the summer of 1986, it eventually led to a deal with 4th and Broadway. Their long playing debut was preceded by a standout single of the same name, Paid In Full, which inspired over 30 remixes. When the album arrived it caused immediate waves. Representatives of James Brown and Bobby Byrd took legal action over the sampling of those artists’ works. Conversely, they helped to galvanise Brown's career as a legion of rap imitators cut in on his back catalogue in search of samples. They also originated the similarly coveted Pump Up The Volume sample. As well as Eric B. putting the funk back into rap music, Rakim was responsible for introducing a more relaxed, intuitive delivery which was distinctly separate from the machismo of Run D.M.C. and L.L. Cool J. That influence can still be detected in present day records by big name West Coast stars. The duo hit the UK charts in 1987 with Paid In Full (The Coldcut Remix), though the duo themselves hated the version. Later hits included Move The Crowd, I Know You Got Soul, Follow The Leader and The Microphone. Label moves may have diminished their probable impact, though the band themselves have never gone out of their way to cross over into the mainstream. Instead, each of their albums to date have offered a significant musical development on the last, Rakim's raps growing in maturity without sacrificing impact. The split came in the early '90s, with Rakim staying with MCA to deliver solo material like Heat It Up, produced by new co-conspirator Madness 4 Real, included on the soundtrack to Mario van Peebles vehicle, GUNMEN.