If you can compare the first Public Enemy album vs their second album, you can hear the influence Eric B and Rakim had on the style of hip-hop at the time.
When Rakim came out he was head of his time his song I ain’t No Joke let others Rapper know what type of Mc he was no a Rapper an MC with Bars that no one could go against …Every Song He Wrote The Getto - Follow the leader- Let the Rythem hit ‘em -Microphone fin - juice -My Melody I can keep going this Artist set his legacy as the KING OF MC the Great Rakim
Nice. I don’t remember seeing you grin through a whole song like that. When these guys reunited for a 30th anniversary tour I was so stoked that I’d actually be able to go see them. Went down to Seattle from Vancouver Island and saw a great show. Even met the guys. Was pretty cool. Glad you enjoyed that. Great tune.
This was definitely a statement record. After Rakim came out in '86, every MC started imitating his style. By '88 there was the sense that a few were catching up to him. This was him taking it up another level to remind everyone he was still the leader and challenging them to follow. Funny you mention the spy movie feel... the video is more gangster movie (think The Untouchables) than spy movie, but I think it kind captures the feel you were noting.
Yes, I get what you're saying. I looked up the samples used in the song and none of them sound like the Mission Impossible theme I was hearing. Do you know the part I'm talking about? It's right at the start of the song after the scratching and then you hear it throughout the song.
Yes. That was the part that locked me in as a kid precisely because it felt like something from a movie. Then when the video matched vibe that it just made it even better.@@ABoomerReacts
MASTERCLASS! GOAT! Ungodly poetic lyrics with the sickest flow ever! In my book, the best Rap/Hip Hop song ever, and NO expletives, bitches, or hoes! PURE TALENT!
That first verse was described as The Greatest Verse in Hip Hop History…..back then I didn’t agree but as I grew older and really understood what he was saying?!?…and some say this was aimed at Big Daddy Kane….crazy
@@ABoomerReacts All about who was the best. When Kane dropped a year after Ra the comparisons began. Thus the title, “Follow The Leader”….. because when Rakim premiered in ‘86 he changed hip hop and was considered the “leader of the new school” so to speak.
The EPMD diss was a classic case of misinterpretated lyrics, a common cause for beefs back in those days. On I Ain't No Joke, Rakim raps "You could get a smack for this, I ain't no joke". A year later, EPMD released You're A Customer which included the lines "It’s like a Dig'em Smack / Smack me and I’ll smack you back" which was a reference to the Sugar Smacks cereals. However with both acts being from Long Island it didn't take long for certain people to believe this was a dig at Rakim. This is why Follow The Leader has the lines "Stop buggin', a brother said dig him, I never dug him. / He couldn't follow the leader long enough, so I drugged him." EPMD were actually big fans of Rakim.
@@ABoomerReacts Easier said than done in the days before the internet. There was a second incident where EPMD's Erick Sermon privately told a friend he didn't like Rakim's third album and somehow word got back to Rakim. According to Erick, one day he got called to a room at his accountant's office and was suddenly face to face with Rakim and his entourage (which included the kind of people you didn't want problems with). Thankfully Rakim only let him know verbally how he felt.
@@ABoomerReacts Conversation stopped the problems with Kane and EPMD. Even Kane backed off. Prime Rakim seemed eager for challengers. Another problem was the fans pressure.
So Nice You Doin All The Other Eric B & Rakim Songs Before You Get To Kiss Most Iconic Song Ever!!! "My Melody" is The Song That Changed Hip Hop FOREVER. To only Think He Was 17 😮🎉 But, Great Reaction 💥
This song was his first release after the first album. I have fond memories of them playing this all day on the rap station when it dropped. the imagery and rhyme flow was outstanding. After rakim came out his lines were sampled so much in other tracks this song makes sense. that one line when he takes you into space...so good
I remember this song stopping my in my tracks on my first listen as a kid and (without knowing the concept at the time) somehow already understanding it was way ahead of its time...My first favorite rap song
After listening to Rakim over and over I guess this is at least TOP3 pick. His flow is outstanding and combined with this beat is simply perfect. Absolute classic ❤️ Glad you also see it this way 😄
Rakim's lyricism on this record has never been eclipsed (or even approached) by other emcees. Period. When I put this tape in my Walkman in 1988, I thought I had been visited by a time traveler from the future. Hemingway-level writing. Sagan-esque imagery. There was NO ONE in Rakim's lane, lyrically or vocally. Production-wise, conventional wisdom points to Paul C. (RIP) making this beat. By the by, that eerie sound in the back is sampled from "Nautilus" by Bob James, one of the most heavily used pieces of source material in hip hop from one of the most beloved musicians among beatmakers. I mean this as the highest compliment when I say that I have always thought you resembled Bob James 😂🙏
@@ABoomerReacts That's awesome, Brian! Bob is the best :) He also wrote "Angela," which was the theme from the show Taxi...and you happened to post this Rakim vid on Andy Kaufman's birthday 💔
Rakim was so ahead of his time in lyricism, flow technique and depth. Rappers like Nas and many others took after his blueprint. He literally changed the standard of rhyming when he came out
Rakim coming out in the 80s was like Jordan shaking up the league, doing things that have never been seen before and still trying to catch up till this day
The music goes with the theme of a journey through space and time, listen to the lyrics. In this journey he's embedding his ideas and art on to you the listener as you try to keep up. Part of keeping up is noticing not just the theme or the surface word meaning in this journey, but the writing skills- alliteration, perfect alignment of stressing on syllables, perfect rhyming in the various rhyme schemes or patterns (and he switches to over a half dozen schemes which become more complex through the song which he makes note of). Metonymy, synecdoche... it's all there. He says something about his use of enjambment and line breaks while doing it- he's actually noting his use of devices so that the savvy listener can note what he's doing. You're hearing internal and end rhyme, with the beginning of words and sounds placed in repetition or scheme and not just for the sake of doing so but for the rhythm and to accentuate meaning or theme... Also, he took a few subliminal shots at competitors (exp. EPMD ""dig him I never dug him..." referencing lines from their songs, and he "shouts out" Big Daddy Kane with the line "word to Daddy, indeed". Then there are his references to the "5%ers" and Nation of Islam ideology which also intersects with the theme.. It's funny because a very small portion of listeners will fully appreciate his art- he's a student of poetry who in some ways writes for students of poetry but somehow was still commercially successful as a musician and writer.
Thanks for the detailed comment, John! I appreciate it. I wish I had more time to hear it several times before I talk about it but unfortunately, that's not what reaction channels do.
3:17 I love Rakim because he puts your mind in a space to consider things you would never think of otherwise. When he talks about floating away from the Earth, you think about what it would be like to be ALONE in outer space with no direction. You see a star and follow it because it is the only chance you will ever have any direction in this vast nothingness of space Thats an incredible thought to consider
That song is def on my list. It's funny - the reason I remember Audio Two and Top Billin' is because their publicist sent me an email saying that they enjoyed my reaction.
Nice, I thought this song was super cool when I first heard it. It sounded way different than most rap songs at the time. That time was turning point in rap, alot of different cool stuff was coming out. Cool C's I Gotta Habit or Glamorous Life would be a cool 80s reaction.
Crazy thing is with all he said, he rarely curse in his raps. Well he has said one bad word in 2 or 3 of his songs through out his career, but 99% of his songs he never curses. He just paints vivid pictures it never clicks that he never curse in his songs
YES YES YES..."FOLLOW" IS OF SUPREME ILK, HOWEVER.....LYRICS OF FURY REMAINS A VANGUARD OF LYRICAL DEMAND, CREATIVE CONTENT, SHIFTING RYHME SCHEMES, PATTERNS THAT LEAD TO A VISUALIZATION FOR THE LISTENER... I COULD GO ON. THE POINT IS "FURY " FORCED THE HANDS OF THOSE WHO ARE NOW CONSIDERED GREATS. THERE WILL NEVER BE ANOTHER COMPOSITION LIKE IT.
Textbook example of why imho Rakim is the GOAT.
Brother, I'm 51, white, and this is my altimeter favorite rap song. Paid in Full is high on my list also.
He changed the way emcees flowed forever
today no one flow like rakim and never be
If you can compare the first Public Enemy album vs their second album, you can hear the influence Eric B and Rakim had on the style of hip-hop at the time.
Facts he is the grandfather of today's Rap flow
In my 60s and my favorite song of this genre, thanks!
It's a great song!
Rakim... Sheez.... He literally took it to another galaxy. You see a star 💫, you better follow because, The R.
When Rakim came out he was head of his time his song I ain’t No Joke let others Rapper know what type of Mc he was no a Rapper an MC with Bars that no one could go against …Every Song He Wrote The Getto - Follow the leader- Let the Rythem hit ‘em -Microphone fin - juice -My Melody I can keep going this Artist set his legacy as the KING OF MC the Great Rakim
More Rakim to come....
"I can take a phrase that's rarely heard, flip it - now it's a daily word"
That line is cold as ice
it was true.
Rakim is a musician. He could also play a few musical instruments .
19 years old when he done that,the master
It seems to me that hip hop is the genre where artists find success much younger than in any other genre.
Nice. I don’t remember seeing you grin through a whole song like that. When these guys reunited for a 30th anniversary tour I was so stoked that I’d actually be able to go see them. Went down to Seattle from Vancouver Island and saw a great show. Even met the guys. Was pretty cool. Glad you enjoyed that. Great tune.
That sounds like a blast!
I wasn’t even 10 when this was made. Classic
One of the many reasons why he THE GOD MC!
This was definitely a statement record. After Rakim came out in '86, every MC started imitating his style. By '88 there was the sense that a few were catching up to him. This was him taking it up another level to remind everyone he was still the leader and challenging them to follow. Funny you mention the spy movie feel... the video is more gangster movie (think The Untouchables) than spy movie, but I think it kind captures the feel you were noting.
Yes, I get what you're saying. I looked up the samples used in the song and none of them sound like the Mission Impossible theme I was hearing. Do you know the part I'm talking about? It's right at the start of the song after the scratching and then you hear it throughout the song.
Yes. That was the part that locked me in as a kid precisely because it felt like something from a movie. Then when the video matched vibe that it just made it even better.@@ABoomerReacts
MASTERCLASS! GOAT! Ungodly poetic lyrics with the sickest flow ever! In my book, the best Rap/Hip Hop song ever, and NO expletives, bitches, or hoes! PURE TALENT!
I'm happy that I got to react to your fav song!
That first verse was described as The Greatest Verse in Hip Hop History…..back then I didn’t agree but as I grew older and really understood what he was saying?!?…and some say this was aimed at Big Daddy Kane….crazy
And he went at EPMD in the third verse.
What was his beef with Big Daddy Kane?
Someone just told me. I had no idea.@@slappyslapstick4045
@@ABoomerReacts All about who was the best. When Kane dropped a year after Ra the comparisons began. Thus the title, “Follow The Leader”….. because when Rakim premiered in ‘86 he changed hip hop and was considered the “leader of the new school” so to speak.
So Kane started it?@@xandermarley8552
The EPMD diss was a classic case of misinterpretated lyrics, a common cause for beefs back in those days.
On I Ain't No Joke, Rakim raps "You could get a smack for this, I ain't no joke".
A year later, EPMD released You're A Customer which included the lines "It’s like a Dig'em Smack / Smack me and I’ll smack you back" which was a reference to the Sugar Smacks cereals.
However with both acts being from Long Island it didn't take long for certain people to believe this was a dig at Rakim.
This is why Follow The Leader has the lines "Stop buggin', a brother said dig him, I never dug him. / He couldn't follow the leader long enough, so I drugged him."
EPMD were actually big fans of Rakim.
Couldn't they have had a conversation amongst themselves about the misconstrued lyrics?
@@ABoomerReacts Easier said than done in the days before the internet.
There was a second incident where EPMD's Erick Sermon privately told a friend he didn't like Rakim's third album and somehow word got back to Rakim. According to Erick, one day he got called to a room at his accountant's office and was suddenly face to face with Rakim and his entourage (which included the kind of people you didn't want problems with). Thankfully Rakim only let him know verbally how he felt.
Erick could have denied it. That's what I would have done.@@uamini
@@ABoomerReacts Conversation stopped the problems with Kane and EPMD. Even Kane backed off. Prime Rakim seemed eager for challengers. Another problem was the fans pressure.
So Nice You Doin All The Other Eric B & Rakim Songs Before You Get To Kiss Most Iconic Song Ever!!!
"My Melody" is The Song That Changed Hip Hop FOREVER. To only Think He Was 17 😮🎉
But, Great Reaction 💥
Thanks! My Melody is def on my list.
@@ABoomerReacts Happy To Hear it 😁..
No Big Rush ik you will like it whenever you do 💥 🤣
Ahead of his time. Definitely!
rap is rhythm and poetry R. A. P
Ah. I never heard that before.
This song was his first release after the first album. I have fond memories of them playing this all day on the rap station when it dropped. the imagery and rhyme flow was outstanding. After rakim came out his lines were sampled so much in other tracks this song makes sense. that one line when he takes you into space...so good
Yep. I remember it being released in the summer of 88 and it was mind blowing hearing it on college radio.
I remember this song stopping my in my tracks on my first listen as a kid and (without knowing the concept at the time) somehow already understanding it was way ahead of its time...My first favorite rap song
After listening to Rakim over and over I guess this is at least TOP3 pick. His flow is outstanding and combined with this beat is simply perfect. Absolute classic ❤️ Glad you also see it this way 😄
for me its #1
Classic! One of my favorite flips of the Bob James - Nautilus sample ever composed!
Is that the sample I think sounds like the beginning of the Mission Impossible theme?
@@ABoomerReacts there’s a whole mini documentary on RUclips about that nautilus sample and it’s unassuming yet HUGE impact on the genre
@@xandermarley8552 Wow, thanks for the tip!
Rakim has an IQ of a 1000!
That "James Bond sound" was sampled from Nautilus by Bob James.
Thanks! People have told me so I listened to it.
Rakim's lyricism on this record has never been eclipsed (or even approached) by other emcees. Period. When I put this tape in my Walkman in 1988, I thought I had been visited by a time traveler from the future. Hemingway-level writing. Sagan-esque imagery. There was NO ONE in Rakim's lane, lyrically or vocally. Production-wise, conventional wisdom points to Paul C. (RIP) making this beat. By the by, that eerie sound in the back is sampled from "Nautilus" by Bob James, one of the most heavily used pieces of source material in hip hop from one of the most beloved musicians among beatmakers. I mean this as the highest compliment when I say that I have always thought you resembled Bob James 😂🙏
Thanks for the info! I listened to Nautilus and looked at Bob James. I can see the resemblance.
@@ABoomerReacts That's awesome, Brian! Bob is the best :) He also wrote "Angela," which was the theme from the show Taxi...and you happened to post this Rakim vid on Andy Kaufman's birthday 💔
@@strictlycasuals2260 That was my plan all along. 😜
YES! Agreed, GOAT! Pure lyrical talent, with an ungodly 'flow'! MASTERCLASS!
Rakim was so ahead of his time in lyricism, flow technique and depth. Rappers like Nas and many others took after his blueprint. He literally changed the standard of rhyming when he came out
Rakim coming out in the 80s was like Jordan shaking up the league, doing things that have never been seen before and still trying to catch up till this day
The title of the song is good advice.
The God ❤
Classic
"Eric B. Is President" , by
Eric B & Rakim
🔥
Peace to the God!Rakim
L7
Thanks, Damon! That song is def on my list.
The Intro is STILL 🔥.
Shakes your Soul.
That last verse goes at EPMD who were being compared to Rakim at the time.
EPMD were not making the comparison? Other people were and they still got dissed?
@@ABoomerReacts yup! The 80s were brutal. 🤣
The music goes with the theme of a journey through space and time, listen to the lyrics. In this journey he's embedding his ideas and art on to you the listener as you try to keep up. Part of keeping up is noticing not just the theme or the surface word meaning in this journey, but the writing skills- alliteration, perfect alignment of stressing on syllables, perfect rhyming in the various rhyme schemes or patterns (and he switches to over a half dozen schemes which become more complex through the song which he makes note of). Metonymy, synecdoche... it's all there. He says something about his use of enjambment and line breaks while doing it- he's actually noting his use of devices so that the savvy listener can note what he's doing. You're hearing internal and end rhyme, with the beginning of words and sounds placed in repetition or scheme and not just for the sake of doing so but for the rhythm and to accentuate meaning or theme... Also, he took a few subliminal shots at competitors (exp. EPMD ""dig him I never dug him..." referencing lines from their songs, and he "shouts out" Big Daddy Kane with the line "word to Daddy, indeed". Then there are his references to the "5%ers" and Nation of Islam ideology which also intersects with the theme.. It's funny because a very small portion of listeners will fully appreciate his art- he's a student of poetry who in some ways writes for students of poetry but somehow was still commercially successful as a musician and writer.
Thanks for the detailed comment, John! I appreciate it. I wish I had more time to hear it several times before I talk about it but unfortunately, that's not what reaction channels do.
3:17 I love Rakim because he puts your mind in a space to consider things you would never think of otherwise. When he talks about floating away from the Earth, you think about what it would be like to be ALONE in outer space with no direction. You see a star and follow it because it is the only chance you will ever have any direction in this vast nothingness of space
Thats an incredible thought to consider
Now I'm thinking about it.
Thee G.O.A.T … the godEmcee
Rakim, Big daddy kane and KRS one the gods of hip hop, imo
👍👍👍👍❤️👍👍👍👍
You actually retain the info that’s cool on my channel I’ve done over 500 reaction other than Black Sabbath idk remember many of the songs 😢🤷♂️✌️
Are you referencing the Audio Two comment?
@@ABoomerReacts that’s among many other times you made a call back to other artist. Great memory 👍✌️
@@themightyfp Thanks! Audio Two was really memorable because their publicist emailed me to say that they liked my reaction to Top Billin'.
@@ABoomerReacts oh wow ok that’s cool. You have a good energy thanks for the company on my ride to work 😆 ✌️
I'm honored!@@themightyfp
A good follow up to this would be Lyrics of Fury. Another menacing beat. Rakim is one of the best to ever do it
Thanks, Jay. That song is def a contender to be my next Eric B & Rakim reaction.
Great review as usual! Check out "What's on your mind" by them as well. It's a smooth, laid back hood classic with more a story telling aspect to it.
Thanks, Gary! I'll add it to my list.
The Masterpiece by the 🐐 Rakim
Thanks, Brian! Are you saying that Follow the Leader is a masterpiece? Or are you requesting a song by Rakim called The Masterpiece?
@@ABoomerReacts I meant this song Sir
Happy New Year Booms! If you like this you neeeeeeeed to listen to ‘Lyrics of Fury’ - it’s even more intense. Have a great day
Thanks, Jamie! Happy 2024! That song is def high on my list.
in my opinion this is the best HipHop track in HipHop history!
It was awesome. And it only took me 3 years to get to it. 😉😉
Love how you’re just nonchalantly throwing out Audio Two references 😂
Hopefully you get to Don’t Sweat The Technique. One of their best songs/beats.
That song is def on my list. It's funny - the reason I remember Audio Two and Top Billin' is because their publicist sent me an email saying that they enjoyed my reaction.
@@ABoomerReacts Ohh yeah I think I remember you saying that. That’s awesome haha.
Straight classic! The God MC!
Nice, I thought this song was super cool when I first heard it. It sounded way different than most rap songs at the time. That time was turning point in rap, alot of different cool stuff was coming out. Cool C's I Gotta Habit or Glamorous Life would be a cool 80s reaction.
Thanks! Those are my first Cool C requests.
Bob James Nautilus is the sample
Would be perfect to follow this up with "Lyrics of Fury" by eric b and Rakim, that would be the perfect follow up after this song
Lyrics of Fury is definitely going to be my next Eric B & Rakim reaction but I have to space them out a little bit.
Crazy thing is with all he said, he rarely curse in his raps. Well he has said one bad word in 2 or 3 of his songs through out his career, but 99% of his songs he never curses. He just paints vivid pictures it never clicks that he never curse in his songs
Thanks! I'll have to pay more attention next time.
next time do eric b and rakim lyrics of fury 🎉❤
Thanks! That song is def on my list. Competition is fierce on what my next reaction to them should be.
You should do a reaction to The Mystery by Rakim
Thanks, Jonathan! It's def on my list.
The music was Baby Huey Listen to me.
That's another song that was sampled?
yes@@ABoomerReacts
please listen to the song no competition from the same album.
Thanks, Roger! That song is def on my list.
YES YES YES..."FOLLOW" IS OF SUPREME ILK, HOWEVER.....LYRICS OF FURY REMAINS A VANGUARD OF LYRICAL DEMAND, CREATIVE CONTENT, SHIFTING RYHME SCHEMES, PATTERNS THAT LEAD TO A VISUALIZATION FOR THE LISTENER... I COULD GO ON.
THE POINT IS "FURY " FORCED THE HANDS OF THOSE WHO ARE NOW CONSIDERED GREATS. THERE WILL NEVER BE ANOTHER COMPOSITION LIKE IT.
You're in luck! Lyrics of Fury is going to be my next Eric B & Rakim reaction.
It RAH Kim
Boomer I notice you really like when artist “cross the bar”.. Do you think that’s premeditated / a skill or do you just like the outcome of it?
I think it's all of the above.