Eric B. and Rakim

Eric B. & Rakim were a hip hop duo from Long Island, New York, composed of Eric B. (born Eric Barrier, November 8, 1965) and MC Rakim (born William Michael Griffin Jr., January 28, 1968).
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."[2] Tom Terrell ofNPR called them "the most influential DJ/MC combo in contemporary pop music period,"[3] while the editors of About.com ranked them as No. 3 on their list of the 10 Greatest Hip-Hop Duos of All-Time.[4] They were nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011, although they did not make the final selection.[5]
Eric B. released a self-titled solo album in 1995 on the independent label 95th Street Recordings. Legal issues continued to delay Rakim's solo career, but he finally released The 18th Letter in 1997. In 1999, Rakim's second solo album The Master was released to less favorable reviews. By the turn of the millennium, Eric B. was pursuing other business interests outside of music. Rakim signed with Dr. Dre's Aftermath label in 2000, but the expected album never materialized. 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"). In 2002, "Don't Sweat The Technique" appeared in the video game Aggressive Inline. In 2004 "I Know You Got Soul" appeared on the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, playing on Playback FM. In November 2009, Rakim released The Seventh Seal.
Ownership of the duo's catalog consolidated in 1999, when PolyGram (which owned Island Records, which released Paid in Full) merged with Universal Music Group, an outgrowth of MCA Records, which owned the rest of the duo's albums.
Eric B. & Rakim were announced as one of fifteen finalists to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in September 2011.[5]
Eric B. is represented by entertainment impresario Louis Gregory, publicly known as Uncle Louie.[14]
Their debut album Paid in Full went platinum. Follow the Leader went gold. Let the Rhythm Hit 'em went gold. Don't Sweat the Technique was also a hit. Numerous hit singles.
== Genres ==
Hip Hop
Category:Rap
Category:Eighties
Category:Hall of Fame snubs