| Gold | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Greatest hits album by | ||||
| Released | June 14, 2005 | |||
| Recorded | 1986-1992 | |||
| Length | 1:24:21 | |||
| Label | Hip-O Records, Universal 988 142 | |||
| Producer |
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| Eric B & Rakim chronology | ||||
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Gold is the third compilation album, by hip-hop duo Eric B. & Rakim. The album was released on June 14, 2005, on Hip-O Records and Universal Music Group.
The album contains remixes and extended mixes of Eric B. & Rakim's greatest hits as part of Universal Music Group’s Gold series.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    [1] |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Eric B. Is President" (from Paid in Full ) | 6:18 | ||
| 2. | "I Know You Got Soul" (from Paid in Full) |
|
| 4:44 |
| 3. | "I Ain't No Joke" (from Paid in Full) |
|
| 3:53 |
| 4. | "Paid in Full" (Seven Minutes of Madness—The Coldcut Remix) |
|
| 7:09 |
| 5. | "My Melody" (Clean Original Mix) |
|
| 5:56 |
| 6. | "Follow the Leader" (from Follow the Leader ) |
|
| 5:34 |
| 7. | "Microphone Fiend" (from Follow the Leader) |
|
| 5:14 |
| 8. | "Lyrics of Fury" (from Follow the Leader) |
|
| 4:12 |
| 9. | "Put Your Hands Together" (Fon Force Mix) |
|
| 5:28 |
| 10. | "The R" (Remix Edit) |
|
| 3:24 |
| Total length: | 51:52 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em" (Clean UPSO Mix) | 6:11 | ||
| 2. | "No Omega" (Extended Remix) |
|
| 5:22 |
| 3. | "In the Ghetto" (Extended Mix) |
|
| 6:13 |
| 4. | "Run for Cover" (from Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em ) |
|
| 4:49 |
| 5. | "Mahogany" (from Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em) |
|
| 4:37 |
| 6. | "What's on Your Mind (House Party II Rap Theme)" (from Don't Sweat the Technique ) |
|
| 5:21 |
| 7. | "Rest Assured" (from Don't Sweat the Technique) |
|
| 3:34 |
| 8. | "What's Going On" (from Don't Sweat the Technique) |
|
| 3:51 |
| 9. | "Juice (Know the Ledge)" (Main Mix) |
|
| 4:01 |
| 10. | "Casualties of War" (Radical Radio Edit) |
|
| 4:09 |
| 11. | "Don't Sweat the Technique" (from Don't Sweat the Technique) |
|
| 4:21 |
| Total length: | 52:29 | |||
The new school of hip hop was a movement in hip hop music, beginning in 1983–84 with the early records of Run–D.M.C., Whodini, and LL Cool J. Predominantly from Queens and Brooklyn, it was characterized by drum machine-led minimalism, often tinged with elements of rock; rapped taunts, boasts, and socio-political commentary; and aggressive, self-assertive delivery. In song and image, its artists projected a tough, cool, street b-boy attitude. These elements contrasted sharply with funk and disco, novelty hits, live bands, synthesizers, and party rhymes of artists prevalent in the early 1980s. Compared to their older hip hop counterparts, new school artists crafted more cohesive LPs and shorter songs more amenable to airplay. By 1986, their releases began to establish hip hop in the mainstream.
Eric B. & Rakim are an American hip hop duo formed on Long Island, New York, in 1986, composed of DJ Eric B. and MC Rakim. AllMusic wrote that "during rap's so-called golden age in the late '80s, Eric B. & Rakim were almost universally recognized as the premier DJ/MC team in all of hip-hop." Tom Terrell of NPR called them "the most influential DJ/MC combo in contemporary pop music period." The editors of About.com ranked them as No. 5 on their list of the 10 Greatest Hip-Hop Duos of All-Time, and Rolling Stone ranked them No. 5 on its list of the 20 Greatest Duos of All Time.
William Michael Griffin Jr., better known by his stage name Rakim, is an American rapper and record producer. One half of golden age hip hop duo Eric B. & Rakim, he is widely regarded as one of the most influential and skilled rappers of all time.
Follow the Leader is the second studio album by American hip hop duo Eric B. & Rakim. Following their debut album Paid in Full (1987), Eric B. & Rakim left 4th & B'way Records and signed with Uni Records, a subsidiary label of major label MCA Records. They recorded Follow the Leader at Power Play Studios in New York City. The duo produced, composed, and arranged the album with additional contributions from Rakim's brother Stevie Blass Griffin, who contributed with various instruments. Eric B. & Rakim worked with audio engineers Carlton Batts and Patrick Adams on the album. In a similar manner to their first album, a "ghost producer" was brought in for two songs. In a 2007 interview with Unkut.com, The 45 King said he produced both "Microphone Fiend" and "The R". "Microphone Fiend" was originally made for Fab 5 Freddy, until 45 King gave it over to Eric B., the group's "DJ".
4th & B'way Records is a US-based subsidiary of Island Records that specialised in street-oriented music such as hip hop. Established in 1984, it was the flagship label of the Island Trading Company, the independent-distribution parent company of Island's other record labels that operated in the US. However, 4th & B'way was not distributed through major-label channels—the flagship Island label was distributed by Atlantic Records at that time—until the label and distribution company were acquired by PolyGram Records in 1989, when Island Trading became a unit of PolyGram Group Distribution and was renamed Independent Label Sales (ILS). It was also one of several US-based Island labels that were named after nearby New York City streets when Island's US headquarters were located at 14 East 4th Street in Manhattan, the same building that held the legendary East Village branch of Tower Records, and also nearby at 400 Lafayette Street. When Island moved its headquarters to the Worldwide Plaza Building at 825 8th Avenue in 1995, where PolyGram's US headquarters were also located, the empty 4th Street offices became the headquarters of V2 Records.
Louis Eric Barrier is an American rapper, producer and DJ for the golden age hip hop duo Eric B. & Rakim.
Ugly Duckling is an American hip hop group that formed around 1993 in Long Beach, California. Ugly Duckling's members include Dizzy Dustin, Young Einstein and Andy Cooper. The band decided to take the name Ugly Duckling because they felt like outcasts on the Southern California hip hop scene of the mid-1990s. According to the book How to Rap: the Art & Science of the Hip-Hop MC, it is one of the most prominent underground hip hop groups.
Paid in Full is the debut studio album by American hip hop duo Eric B. & Rakim, released on July 7, 1987, by Island-subsidiary label 4th & B'way Records. The duo recorded the album at hip hop producer Marley Marl's home studio and Power Play Studios in New York City, following Rakim's response to Eric B.'s search for a rapper to complement his disc jockey work in 1985. The album peaked at number fifty-eight on the Billboard 200 chart, number eight on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, and produced five singles: "Eric B. Is President", "I Ain't No Joke", "I Know You Got Soul", "Move the Crowd", and "Paid in Full".
Let the Rhythm Hit ’Em is the third studio album by hip hop duo Eric B. & Rakim, released on June 19, 1990. The group's sound develops further, with Rakim adopting a deeper, more aggressive tone of voice, and more mature and serious subject matter. Musically, the production ranges from smoother soulful tracks such as "In the Ghetto" to the hard-edged assault of the title track "Let the Rhythm Hit ’Em."
Don't Sweat the Technique is the fourth and final studio album by American hip hop duo Eric B. & Rakim, released on June 23, 1992, by MCA Records. It was recorded and produced by Eric B. & Rakim at The Hit Factory in New York City. The album builds on the sounds of 1990's Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em, with Rakim sounding more aggressive on Eric B.'s jazzy, soulful production.
The 18th Letter is the debut solo album of American emcee Rakim, released November 4, 1997, on Universal Records in the United States. The album features production by DJ Clark Kent, Pete Rock, Father Shaheed, Nick Wiz and DJ Premier. It contains lyrical themes that concern hip hop's golden age, Rakim's rapping prowess, and the state of hip hop.
The Master is the second solo album by American rapper Rakim, released November 30, 1999, on Universal Records. It serves as the follow-up to Rakim's debut solo album, The 18th Letter (1997), and would be Rakim's last studio album for nearly a decade, until 2009's The Seventh Seal.
Golden age hip hop is mainstream hip hop music created from the mid-1980s to the early 1990s, particularly by artists and musicians originating from the New York metropolitan area. A precursor to the new school hip hop movement, it is characterized by its diversity, quality, innovation and influence on hip hop after the genre's emergence and establishment in the old-school era, and is associated with the development and eventual mainstream success of hip hop. There were various types of subject matter, while the music was experimental and the sampling from old records was eclectic.
Neighborhood Watch is the third album from West Coast hip hop group Dilated Peoples and was released in 2004. The album was not as acclaimed as their past releases, The Platform and Expansion Team, and was not able to push a significant number of units, despite having the group's first Billboard Hot 100 hit in the Kanye West-assisted "This Way". The album also features the singles "Marathon" and "Poisonous", as well as the DJ showcase "DJ Babu in Deep Concentration", an ode to Gang Starr's 1989 track "DJ Premier in Deep Concentration". "Who's Who" was used in two video games SSX 3 and Need for Speed: Underground.
Classic is the second compilation and sixth album overall by hip hop duo Eric B. & Rakim, one of the titles of the European version of Universal Music Group’s Millennium Masters series. Despite being an Eric B. & Rakim album, the back cover featured Eric B. with Chuck D. because of an editing error.
"Follow the Leader" is a song by American hip-hop duo Eric B. & Rakim. It was written by group members Eric Barrier and Rakim Allah and released as the first single from their second studio album of the same name.
"Microphone Fiend" is the second single released from the hip hop duo Eric B. & Rakim's second album Follow the Leader. The song became something of a signature song for rapper Rakim, and AllMusic's Steve Huey says the song "weaves references to substance addiction throughout in explaining why Rakim can't keep away from the mic." Featuring a prominent sample of Average White Band's 1975 hit "School Boy Crush", the song was further evidence of Eric B.'s fondness for soul samples and became one of the most quoted songs in hip hop.
"I Ain't No Joke" is a song by rap duo Eric B. & Rakim, released as the second single from their debut studio album Paid in Full. It peaked at number thirty-eight on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks. Described as one of the album's "monumental singles", Michael Di Bella wrote in the All Music Guide to Rock that "Rakim grabs the listener by the throat and illustrates his mastery of the rhyming craft". A music video was made for it, featuring dancing from Flavor Flav of the group Public Enemy. The song was selected by Jay-Z for the NBA 2K13 soundtrack. It was also featured in the video game Saints Row.
"Paid in Full" is a 1987 song by American hip hop duo Eric B. & Rakim. Written and produced by group members Eric Barrier and Rakim Allah, the song was released as the fifth single from the duo's debut studio album, Paid in Full (1987). It became one of the group's most successful singles, owing heavily to a popular remix of the song by English electronic dance music duo Coldcut.
The discography of Eric B. & Rakim, an American hip hop duo, consists of four studio albums, five compilation albums, 15 singles, and nine music videos. Eric B. & Rakim formed and signed a record deal with Zakia Records in 1985. The following year, the duo signed a deal with 4th & B'way Records. Their debut album Paid in Full was released in 1987. In the United States, it peaked at number 58 on the Billboard 200, number 8 on R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It appeared on the Dutch, New Zealand, and UK Albums Chart. Paid in Full produced five singles, four of which appeared on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. The fifth single "Paid in Full" (1988) peaked in the top five of the Dutch and New Zealand Singles Chart.
