Old School Education (4) - 'Follow The Leader'' by ERIC B & RAKIM

Taken from Eric B & Rakim's Classic LP 'Follow The Leader'.....This has to be the best example of Rakim's delivery......just rolls and rolls.....



Tracklisting:

A1 Follow The Leader (5:33)
A2 Microphone Fiend (5:14)
A3 Lyrics Of Fury (4:13)
A4 Eric B. Never Scared (5:19)
A5 Just A Beat (2:05)
B1 Put Your Hands Together (5:14)
B2 To The Listeners (4:30)
B3 No Competition (3:50)
B4 The R (3:53)
B5 Musical Massacre (4:28)
B6 Beats For The Listeners (4:08)

"Follow the Leader is the 1988 follow-up to Eric B. & Rakim's debut album Paid in Full. Like that LP, Follow the Leader spawned no major hits at the time of its release, but is now generally recognized as one of the most groundbreaking and influential hip hop albums of all time. In 1998, the album was selected as one of The Source's 100 Best Rap Albums., and in 2005, it was ranked twelfth on comedian Chris Rock's list of the "Top 25 Hip-Hop Albums".[1] The song, "Lyrics of Fury", was ranked number five in About.com's "Top 100 Rap Songs".[2]

In the track, "Microphone Fiend", Rakim raps a portrait about his growth and addiction to hip hop. In 2000, Rage Against the Machine covered the song for their cover album Renegades. The Fun Lovin' Criminals also did a cover of this track in their 2001 album Loco". (Wikipedia)

Biography

"Eric B. & Rakim began recording together in the middle of the 1980s with "Eric B. Is President" (1986 in music), originally released on Zakia Records in Harlem, New York City. The single, produced by Marley Marl, who incorporated the bassline from the R&B club hit "Over Like a Fat Rat" by Fonda Rae, quickly became a hip-hop anthem. Paid in Full and Follow the Leader were the duo’s first two full-length albums and were hits by hip hop's standards at the time. In 1989 the pair teamed up with singer Jody Watley for the Billboard pop chart top-ten hit "Friends," one of the first collaborations of pop and hip hop artists, featured on Watley's Larger Than Life album. Much of the duo’s initial impetus and influence can be attributed to its now deceased mentor and deejay, FLAME 3 of the TPA graffiti crew. The Coldcut "Seven Minutes of Madness" remix of "Paid in Full" is considered a milestone in hip-hop, remixes, and sample-based music and is arguably the duo’s most-recognized hit. Despite its world wide success which led to the track entering many overseas top ten music charts, the duo claimed not to like the remix during its release.[citation needed]

The duo's last album together was Don't Sweat the Technique (1992). Its single "Know the Ledge" was the theme song of the feature film Juice and was among its most popular hits. During the recording of that album, both members expressed an interest in recording solo albums. However, Eric B. refused to sign the label's release contract, fearful that Rakim would abandon him. This led to a long and messy court battle involving the two musicians and their former label MCA Records. Eric B. did release a solo album in the early 1990s on an independent label, but without much commercial succes. Rakim released two solo albums, and a third has been in the works for many years.

In 2004 "I Know You Got Soul" appeared on popular video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, playing on classic hip-hop radio station Playback FM." (Wikipedia)