The complete 148-track playlist chronicling Eric B and Rakim’s career
(Credit: Eric B & Rakim)

Artist

The complete 148-track playlist chronicling Eric B and Rakim's career

There’s something incredibly pleasing about a hip hop duo. whether it is the beats and lyrics combo of Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick or the duelling creativity of Outkast, the synergy of a high-functioning hip hop twosome is hard to ignore. That was certainly the case for one of hip hop’s undoubted pioneers: Eric B and Rakim.

The reality is, there has never been a more perfect partnership than Eric B and Rakim. The rapping duo were the perfect meeting of man and machine as MC Rakim’s innate talent for rhyming met its match in Eric B’s dizzying DJ skills. It not only made for some killer records like Paid in Full and Follow The Leader but offered some inspiration for the finest rappers of the modern-day.

Often regarded as the crown jewels of the golden generation, the group wouldn’t last long but their mark on hip-hop will be burned on the genre forever. If some duos rely on one half more than the other, Eric B and Rakim is certainly the most balanced act in hip hop history. Smooth as butter and twice as rich, Eric B and Rakim should offer every listener, either first time or seasoned, the kind of emulsifying hip hop fats that only make speakers smile.

Luckily, then, we’re bringing you a huge dose of the dynamic duo as we’ve collated a perfect playlist for all those hip hop aficionados who can’t get enough of this pair. A chronological playlist that spans their entire career, is home to some of the group’s best-known songs including ‘Eric B Is President’, ‘Paid In Full’ and ‘Know The Ledge’ which all worked to mark out Eric B and Rakim as two of the fiercest lyricists around.

Starting out in 1987 with the truly inspirational Paid in Full, the duo went on to release three more records as a star-studded act before sharing some more rarified cuts in following compilations and releases. Below, we’ve got them all, starting with their debut mentioned above and then the fantastic 30th-anniversary release The Remixes.

The 148-track playlist spans 12 hours and the duo’s entire career. It captures their burning beginnings, as well as a few platinum editions, before showcasing the talent they held on follow-up records such as Follow The Leader and 1990’s Let The Rhythm Hit ‘Em before closing much of their initial run of releases with 1992’s landmark LP Don’t Sweat The Technique.

Below, we’ve got the complete Eric B and Rakim playlist, spanning 148 songs and a legacy like no other.