i never let the mic magnetize me no more

87.

paid in full
eric b. & rakim [4th & broadway, 1987]

the sweet, tender haze of nostalgia has romanticized "old-school" hip-hop culture into a good-natured, violence free utopia of breakdancers, graffiti artists, DJs, and b-boys makin' with the freak-freak. but, rap in its infancy bears little resemblance to what dominates the charts today, especially in terms of the cadences of the MCs and their lyrical content. the rhyming was generally unsophisticated and unwavering braggadocio rivaled party-starting hype as the supreme subject matter. enter one Rakim Allah, flanked by his scrit-scratchin', bass droppin' DJ Eric B. On Paid in Full, Rakim introduces poetic devices heretofore underutilized or unseen in rap - internal rhyme, alliteration, complex metaphors, enjambment - while Eric B. generates a vibrant wall of sound using soul and funk samples. the unfaltering boasting and excessive use of echo on the vocals - see "my melody" - are retained from the old-school aesthetic, but this record represents a watershed moment, a marked shift in focus for hip-hop. Rakim doesn't shout or Mickey Mouse to the beat, he flows, he simmers, he sputter-mutters, he spins, bodyslamming the rhythm the ground for the one-two-three count. "pump up the volume!" he exclaims on "i know you got soul" before casually droppin' intricate rhymes like a modern-day Lorenz Hart. ignore the Eric B. solo DJ cuts, they've dated terribly, and instead, nod and sway while Rakim grinds with sloppy, frothy big-booty bass on "move the crowd" and decimates all challengers on "Eric B. is president." Rakim is commonly regarded as the greatest rapper of all time, and this record pops at the seam with brilliance while establishing a new paradigm; long live lyrical complexity!

non-sequitur moment: contemporary rap is full of allusions to Rakim and his songs, but the best reference certainly is found on 50 Cent's verse on "hate it or love it:" "daddy ain't around, probably out committin' felonies/my favorite rapper used to say 'ch-ch-check out my melodies.'"