It was Eric B. who experimented with James Brown 's songs for the duo Eric B . & Rakim .
The record climbed into the Top Ten on the R & B LP charts ( as would all of their subsequent albums ) .  The album represented an artistic shift in hip hop ; the extensive sampling of James Brown would send the rest of hip hop rushing through the legendary performer 's catalog ; and Rakim 's wordplay represented a quantum leap forward as far as lyrical complexity and skill .
Eric B. & Rakim