Eric B & Rakim: Follow the Leader

Rating: 10
Best Songs: Follow the leader, Lyrics of Fury, Put your hands together, The R

With the transcendental brilliance of Paid in Full, Eric B and Rakim raised the bar, courtesy both, Rakim's peerless technique and Eric B's then-revolutionary production. It is astounding then that Follow the Leader pushes that bar even further and is a definite notch above PiF. Everything that was great about Paid in Full is evident on Follow the Leader and if anything, the duo sound even more assured and at the absolute peak of their game. This is especially true for Eric B(lets face it, Rakim was already perfect to begin with!), whose beats and production sound a lot thicker, more sophisticated and a lot more diverse as compared to the bare-bones funk of the debut. In terms of consistency too, this album scores as there is simply not a bad cut in sight.

Barring a few "merely good" tracks, almost every other track is as close to perfection as hip hop ever got. The stone cold classic of the album is almost certainly 'Put your hands together', which actually starts off with a piano intro(stroke of genius!) and features easily the most diverse production on the album. It doesn't hurt for sure that the lyrics, with Rakim further acknowledging his own greatness('Then somethin happens, feet start tappin, You can't hold back when Rakim's rappin'), are among the coolest. Probably the greatest hip hop song ever, although there is probably a lot of stiff competition for that. Quite a bit of it on this album itself. Like the opener 'Follow the leader', which immediately showcases the thicker production, in stark contrast to the best cuts from PiF as well as the usual, Rakim at the top of his game. In terms of inventive production married to yet more overwhelming stream of rhymes from Rakim, it is 'Lyrics of Fury' that comes closest to the calibre of 'Put your hands together'. 'The R' is relatively relaxed, but not any less impressive, in fact serving as a desirable change after the exhilarating pace of some of the earlier tracks. It is indeed a testament to the amazing consistency of the album that 'Microphone Fiend', one of their signature songs, could not find a place on the 'Best Songs' list(i restrict that to 4 songs). It is probably the one most similar to the classics on PiF and while that is DEFINITELY not a bad thing by any stretch, it means its probably only the fifth best track on here. Maybe even the sixth best song, since 'Musical Massacre' is also a searing masterpiece.

The solo showcases for Eric B are even better than on PiF, especially 'Eric B never scared'. And why should he be? You cant go wrong with so much talent. Good for him. Good for both of them, they've made what I regard(among my limited, but steadily increasing collection) the greatest hip hop album ever made. What are you waiting for, then? Follow the Leader, buy this thing.