They first received acclaim for their 1987 debut album Paid in Full, which featured versions of the popular singles "Eric B.

"[2] Tom Terrell of NPR called them "the most influential DJ/MC combo in contemporary pop music period.

[4][5] Griffin had begun writing rhymes as a teenager in Wyandanch and had taken the name "Rakim" as a result of his conversion to The Nation of Gods and Earths.

I just couldn't work the equipment because that's not what I did..."[4] The duo recorded their debut album, Paid in Full, at Power Play Studios in New York.

The album was named in part after the Paid in Full posse, a notorious New York collective of gangsters and rappers: including the original 50 Cent, Killer Ben, Kool G Rap and Freddie Foxxx.

I'd go into the studio, put the beat down, write the song in like an hour, and go into the booth and read it from the paper..."[7] Marley Marl stated that his cousin MC Shan was an assistant engineer on some tracks, including the single "My Melody," though Eric B. denies this.

[4] MTV listed the album as the greatest in hip hop history: When Paid in Full was released in 1987, Eric B. and Rakim left a mushroom cloud over the hip-hop community.

MCs like Run-DMC, Chuck D and KRS-One had been leaping on the mic shouting with energy and irreverence, but Rakim took a methodical approach to his microphone fiending.

And Eric B. had an ear for picking out loops and samples drenched with soul and turned out to be a trailblazer for producers in the coming years.

Follow the Leader, the duo's follow-up to Paid In Full; saw their production move away from the blunt minimalism of their debut.

The song would reach the Top Ten on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and was one of the first notable collaborations between hip hop and dance pop.

Rakim referenced his enigmatic reputation on the song "Set 'Em Straight": "Here's the inside scoop on the fiend/They want to know why I'm seldom seen/'Cause who needs the TV screens and magazines/Or shooting through the city in fly limousines/'Cause one thing I don't need is a spotlight/'Cause I already got light..." He later said about his relative lack of commercial success: "You could sell a couple records and keep your integrity or you could go pop and sell a bunch of records and be gone tomorrow.

Mark Coleman of Rolling Stone stated: "There's nothing trendy about this impassive duo, no Steely Dan bites or bits of Afrodelic rhetoric here.

Eric B. and Rakim are hip-hop formalists devoted to upholding the Seventies funk canon and advancing rap's original verbal mandate.

Almost every track on their third album is built on poetic boasts and wicked J.B. samples, but dismissing Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em as some sort of conservative reaction – a gold-chain throwback – completely misses the point.

They both can riff and improvise like jazzmen, spinning endless variations on basic themes and playing off each other's moves with chilly intuition.

The duo made an appearance on the soundtrack for the 1991 comedy House Party 2, ("What's On Your Mind") and also recorded the theme for the film, Juice.

Eric B. has clarified that the monetary problems stemmed from labels like Island and others claiming ownership of the masters — not from any financial disputes between him and Rakim: "The money got split 50/50 from the door, because I remember people would try to keep shit going.

Since then, Rakim has made guest appearances with numerous other artists such as Jay-Z ("The Watcher, Part 2"), Truth Hurts ("Addictive"), Nas, KRS-One and Kanye West ("Classic").

& Rakim were announced as one of fifteen finalists to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in September 2011 and are nominated for a second time in 2024.

[17][18] The New York Times' Ben Ratliff wrote that Rakim's "unblustery rapping developed the form beyond the flat-footed rhythms of schoolyard rhymes".

[20] Unlike previous rappers such as LL Cool J, KRS-One, and Run-D.M.C., who delivered their vocals with high energy, Rakim employed a relaxed, stoic delivery.

[21][22] According to MTV, "We'd been used to MCs like Run and DMC, Chuck D and KRS-One leaping on the mic shouting with energy and irreverence, but Rakim took a methodical approach to his microphone fiending.

[28][29] AllMusic editor Steve Huey comments that "the majority of his lyrics concern his own skills and his Islamic faith.

"[30] He also notes Rakim for his "complex internal rhymes, compounding, literate imagery, velvet-smooth flow, and unpredictable, off-the-beat rhythms.

"[31] Pitchfork writer Jess Harvell described his rapping as "authoritative, burnished, and possessing an unflappable sense of rhythm".

[23] Music critic Robert Christgau noted that Eric B. had incorporated "touches of horn or whistle deep in the mix" of his sampled percussion and scratches.