Eric B. & Rakim - Follow the Leader

Who Is Number One if Not Best Then Better; Here's A Hint: The 18th Letter

Coming off the heels of "Paid In Full", Eric B. and Rakim already cemented themselves as trailblazers. Many people questioned how they would follow up, after dropping what has been proclaimed in many circles as the greatest hip hop album of all-time. Eric B. and Rakim answered with a record just as devastating mixing superb production with mind blowing lyricism. In fact, if you are just getting into this record, you may be amazed at how many rhymes and ideas have been jacked from this offering. Rakim was so far ahead of the competition that he left them in the dust and forced to bite it thus dubbing the album, "Follow The Leader". To do this review justice you have to tackle the first three opening songs which is the stuff legends are made of. Sure, you may reference "Straight Outta Compton" or "Liquid Swords" but no album like this has had a greater one-two-three knockout punch.

The album starts with the title track. It's over five minutes of rapperfection. It has this hypnotic 'spacey production' with some menacing riffs that disappears and reappears at different intervals. Production is stellar and Rakims lyrics and breath control are impeccable. Every line is a quotable and a shining example of this is "I can take a phrase that's rarely heard/ flip it; now it's a daily word". After a killer opening, "Microphone Fiend" pops up. This is one of my all-time favorite rap songs. A true benchmark in emceeing. Once again the production sports a lethal beat with what sounds like sleigh bells in the background, giving it a dark but soulful feel. One of the few records I know word for word. Next up is "Lyrics of Fury" which may be the greatest display of lyricism put on wax. The crashing drums and guitars sounds chaotic and matches the intensity of the mic fiend who rips this track to shreds. HipHopDX has listed the second verse on their top 20 greatest verses ever list. In spite of these songs rightful place on the greatest hits release, the rest of the album is great to and it would be downright idiotic to stop here.

"Put Your hands Together" is excellent with a jazzy melody that boasts great jeep pumping production. Another favorite is "To The Listenters" with its signature 1980s groove as 'The R' tears into bitin' emcees. Lines like "Potholes are left in my path then I crash and bruise/Whoever refuse and cruise right past em" will have you breaking the rewind button. Another lyrical standout is "No Competition". Quotes won't do this record justice but pay attention to the second verse.

Competition is none, I'm the soul survivor
MC's get live but I get liver
It ain't a Memorex, live in concert
At every network, the R the expert
Whoever goes against causes friction
Introduction music where's the mixing
Ra will never die, tools they never try
To beat or defeat me, because whenever I
Put poetry in motion
>From the Nile, then out into the ocean
Three-fourths of water makes seven seas
A third of land three-sixty degrees
I circulate and remain to rotate
Seven days a week at a quake or a slow rate
Be prepared whenever I come
Competition is none

Overall, "Follow The Leader" is a stone cold classic. In my humble opinion, it is the best in the storybook career of Eric B. and Rakim. Even the videos that were made for the singles are groundbreaking and attribute to their legacy. Purchase this album and witness a dangerous display of emceeing that may never be reached again.
December 23, 2007

THE BEST IN A LEGENDARY HIP HOP CLASS

When Eric B.& Rakim came along I was already a hip hop fanatic, mainly p after RUNDMC's sucker mc which was and still is hip hop in it's purist form.I thought I could not love hip hop anymore than I did but when I heared EricB.& Rakim it was hip hop at another level.I witnessed hip hop mature and challenge mind's.I was blown away by the superior word play which was complimented by a smooth flawless flow.The album follow the leader is a play all the way through album but one song that stand's out for me is LYRIC'S OF FURY in wich I dare any song by any artist before it or after it to try and touch it!!!.The era that is oldshool hip hop is a time with so many superior artist, so many diferent style's and flavor's I thought behind Eric B.'s dope production and Rakim's razor sharp ryhme's were the best. October 16, 2007

Wow

You find someone with better flow than Rakim and I'll kill myself. Follow the Leader is a classic album with lyrics from the greatest MC of all time. September 27, 2007

No Sophomore Slump Here!

Simply one of the shining moments in the "Golden Age" of hip-hop, 1989's Follow The Leader is a phenomenal follow-up to Paid In Full. Words cannot express what a solid, inspired album this is. Where the ground-breaking classic Paid In Full had more simple and gritty beats, this album is much more complex in the area of beats. Its lyrical content is very similar to its predecessor in the constant description of Rakim's superior microphone skills. This, however, is remarkably fresh if you're tired of the predictable braggadaccio of bitches and ho's. Hip-hop rarely gets better than this. In fact, music rarely does. April 3, 2007

Follow the Leader

This is a pretty sweet album. The beats are awesome, but not as dense or elaborate as modern ears have come to expect, eighteen years after its original release. Rakim can ride a beat all day, though. Definitely a worthy purchase, especially for less than $10. January 3, 2007

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