If you walked into a party in 1986, rap sounded like shouting. It was high-energy, percussive, and mostly built on "Yes, yes, y'all" energy. Then came a teenager from Wyandanch named William Griffin Jr.
He didn't shout. He whispered.
Honestly, it’s hard to overstate how much Eric B. & Rakim broke the brain of every living rapper when "Eric B. Is President" first hit the airwaves. While everyone else was playing checkers with simple A-B-A-B rhyme schemes, Rakim was playing 4D chess. He brought a jazz sensibility to the microphone, treating his voice like a John Coltrane saxophone solo rather than a drum stick.
The Week That Changed Everything
Most people don't realize that Paid in Full, arguably the most influential hip-hop album of all time, was recorded in basically seven days. That’s it. One week at Power Play Studios and Marley Marl’s home setup.
The duo worked 48-hour shifts. They weren't trying to make history; they were just trying to stay under budget. Eric B. was the strategist, the man who knew how to pull the business together and hunt down the right samples. He had this ear for James Brown loops that eventually triggered a massive wave of soul-sampling in the industry.
👉 See also: Ted Nugent State of Shock: Why This 1979 Album Divides Fans Today
There’s always been a bit of drama about who actually produced those tracks. Marley Marl says he did the heavy lifting; Eric B. says he brought the ideas and Marley was just the engineer. You’ve probably heard both sides if you’ve been following the culture long enough. Regardless of who pushed the buttons, the result was a sonic "mushroom cloud" over the rap scene.
Why Rakim is the "God MC"
Before Rakim, most rappers ended their rhymes at the end of the line.
"I'm the best / I beat the rest."
Boring.
Rakim introduced internal rhymes. He’d hide rhymes inside the sentences, creating a dense, multisyllabic flow that felt like a secret code.
"I start to think and then I sink / Into the paper like I was ink / When I'm writing I'm trapped in between the lines / I escape when I finish the line."
✨ Don't miss: Mike Judge Presents: Tales from the Tour Bus Explained (Simply)
He’s basically describing a flow state. It’s poetic. It’s also kinda terrifying if you were a rival MC in 1987. You couldn't compete with that level of technical precision. He was the first one to really show that you could be a "writer" in hip-hop.
The Dapper Dan Connection
It wasn't just the music. Look at the cover of Paid in Full. Those Gucci-printed leather jackets? Pure Dapper Dan.
The duo helped define the "hustler" aesthetic of the late 80s. They looked like they had money because, well, they were "Paid in Full." That image of them standing in front of a wall of money became the blueprint for the next thirty years of rap stardom. It was aspirational. It was Harlem. It was perfect.
What People Get Wrong About the Breakup
The split in 1992 after Don't Sweat the Technique wasn't just some ego trip. It was messy legal stuff. Contractual disputes with MCA Records and tension over solo aspirations basically froze them in place.
🔗 Read more: Big Brother 27 Morgan: What Really Happened Behind the Scenes
For years, we didn't get new music because of the red tape. When Rakim finally returned with The 18th Letter in 1997, the world had changed. Biggie and Tupac were gone. The "Shiny Suit" era was starting. But Rakim? He just went back to the bars. He debuted at #4 on the Billboard 200 without changing his style for the radio. That's real power.
Eric B. & Rakim in 2026
Even now, you can hear their DNA in everyone from Nas to Kendrick Lamar. If you use a complex rhyme scheme today, you’re basically paying rent to Rakim.
In a world where AI can mimic voices and generate "bars" in seconds, the human element of Rakim’s pen feels more vital than ever. Recently, in 2025, Rakim even became the first rap artist to receive the Peabody Medal for his contributions to American music. It’s about time the "God MC" got those flowers on a global scale.
What you should do next:
If you want to understand the "science" of rap, don't just stream the hits. Dig into the B-sides.
- Listen to "My Melody" (the full version): Notice how he never loses the beat even when he’s slowing down.
- Study the transitions on Follow the Leader: This is where the production caught up to the lyricism.
- Check out "Juice (Know the Ledge)": It’s one of the few times Rakim increased his tempo, proving he could out-rap anyone at any speed.
The best way to respect the legacy is to actually listen to the technique. Put on some high-quality headphones, forget the 2026 noise, and let the rhythm hit 'em.