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Paid in Full (album)

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This article is about an album. For the movie, see Paid in Full (film)
Untitled

Paid In Full is the debut album by rap duo Eric B. & Rakim, released in 1987 on Zakia/4th & Broadway records. The album is entirely produced by Eric B. & Rakim, except the tracks "My Melody" and "Eric B. Is President" which are produced by Marley Marl. Paid In Full features no guest rapping or singing. The album was very well received upon release and has since been considered a classic album. According to Steve Huey of All Music Guide, it is "One of the most influential rap albums of all time".[1]

According to Vibe Magazine: "...[When Rakim] took to the mike in 1987, and served up Paid in Full with DJ Eric B., he set hip hop's new course....[Rakim was] a street-wise mystic with eminently clear and dexterous rhymes that sounded like they might never end..." . Furthermore, Eric B.'s innovative distillation of a James Brown sample in "I Know You Got Soul" introduced the "godfather rap" period that witnessed the extensive sampling of R&B and soul music as instrumentals for hip hop songs. Eric B. is President, the first single off the album and by the duo, was somewhat revolutionary at the time of its release in that it showcased a different style of rapping that would soon be adapted by numerous MC's of the past and present. The song was also produced mostly by Marley Marl, contrary to the popular belief that Eric B. had produced it singlehandedly.

While certainly not a genre-creator in its own right, the album, nevertheless, introduced new conventions that redefined hip hop music while the genre was still in its infancy. The album Ranked #19 in Rolling Stone's "50 Coolest Records", was included in Vibe's "100 Essential Albums of the 20th Century", and was ranked as the greatest hip hop album of all time by MTV.[2] In 1998, the album was selected as one of The Source Magazine's 100 Best Rap Albums. Template:RS500

Influence and Aftermath

Paid in Full has become a benchmark hip-hop record and definitive piece originating the late 1980s' Golden Age period[citation needed]. It has been acknowledged by numerous fans, hip hop recording artists, and published music critics as unsurpassed in quality[citation needed]. Its lyrical content and delivery is looked upon as legendary and untouchable; Rakim's ability to flow smoothly and powerfully at the same time was supplemented by Eric B.'s revolutionary sampling, as well as his jazz and soul oriented beats. Rakim's use of elaborate metaphors, double puns, paradoxes, etc. embedded in his rhymes have been copied and used by a vast number of MC's since the release of this album. Steve Huey of All Music Guide said that "Rakim basically invents modern lyrical technique over the course of Paid in Full, with his complex internal rhymes, literate imagery, velvet-smooth flow, and unpredictable, off-the-beat rhythms".[3] Prior to Paid in Full, most hip-hop records consisted of stereotypical plain beats with little or no focus on the lyrics, as most were to assist beats meant for clubs. In 1987 many albums were released which were vital for the revolution that rap faced and continued with through until around the end of the decade. Rakim and Eric B. are possibly at the top of the list for the most important and fundamental artists to garner this change, and rightly so due to the impeccable and nearly flawless content and quality of the album. The many directions that 1987 hip hop had taken include the association of gangsta rap into mainstream music, change in the beats used by rappers in sampling or inclusion of more jazzy and even reggae beats in the record, more focus on the lyrical ability and skills possessed by the MC which distinguished him from others, the socio-political commentary incorporated in many records and other messages coated within the song, amongst others. Rakim could incorporate most of these into just one album, and was very effective in carrying it out in a skillful manner leaving many listeners in awe. Even today, Rakim is referenced by countless other rappers and critics as being the driving force behind the turning point in rap music, constantly associating him with the leader of the old school.

Additional Accolades

  • Ego Trip (U.S.) - Hip Hop's 25 Greatest Albums by Year 1980-98 (1999) 4#
  • 'Pitchfork Media' (U.S.) - Top 100 Favorite Records of the 1980s (2002) 52#
  • Rolling Stone (U.S.) - The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time (2003) 227#
  • Spin Magazine (U.S.) - Top 100 Albums of the Last 20 Years (2005) 47#
  • Pop (Sweden) - The World's 100 Best Albums + 300 Complements (1994) 28#
  • Tempo (Germany) - The 100 Best Albums from the 80's (1989) 25#
  • Rock de Lux (Spain) - The 200 Best Albums of All Time (2002) 172#
  • The Source (U.S.) - The 100 Best Rap Albums of All Time (1998)
  • Vibe (U.S.) - 100 Essential Albums of the 20th Century (1999)
  • Vibe (U.S.) - 51 Albums representing a Generation, a Sound and a Movement (2004)
  • Paul Morley (UK) - Words and Music, 5 x 100 Greatest Albums of All Time (2003)
  • Q Magazine (UK) - The Ultimate Music Collection (2005)

Track listing

# Title Songwriters Producer(s) Performer (s)
1 "I Ain't No Joke" Eric Barrier, William Griffin Eric B. & Rakim Rakim
2 "Eric B. Is on the Cut" Eric Barrier, William Griffin Eric B. & Rakim *Instrumental*
3 "My Melody" Eric Barrier, William Griffin Marley Marl Rakim
4 "I Know You Got Soul" Eric Barrier, William Griffin, Bobby Byrd, James Brown, Charles Bobbitt Eric B. & Rakim Rakim
5 "Move the Crowd" Eric Barrier, Steve Griffin, William Griffin Eric B. & Rakim Rakim
6 "Paid in Full" Eric Barrier, William Griffin Eric B. & Rakim Rakim
7 "As the Rhyme Goes On" Eric Barrier, William Griffin Eric B. & Rakim Rakim
8 "Chinese Arithmetic" Eric Barrier, William Griffin Eric B. & Rakim *Instrumental*
9 "Eric B. Is President" Eric Barrier, William Griffin Eric B. & Rakim Rakim
10 "Extended Beat" Eric Barrier, William Griffin Eric B. & Rakim *Instrumental*

Samples Used

I Ain't No Joke


Eric B Is On The Cut

I Know You Got Soul

Move The Crowd

Paid In Full

As The Rhyme Goes On

  • "I'm Gonna Love You Just A Little Bit More Babe" by Isaac Hayes
  • "Change le Beat" by Fab Five Freddy

Eric B. Is President

Album singles

Single cover Single information
File:Ericbrakimmymelody.jpg
 "Eric B Is President"
  • Released: 1986
  • B-side: "My Melody"
File:Ericbrakimiaintnojoke.gif
 "I Ain't No Joke"
  • Released: 1987
  • B-side: "Eric B Is On The Cut"
File:Ericbrakimiknowyougotsoul.jpg
 "I Know You Got Soul"
  • Released: 1987
  • B-side:
File:Ericbrakimmovethecrowd.jpg
 "Move The Crowd"
  • Released: 1987
  • B-side: "Paid In Full"

Lawsuit

Ironically, in 2003 Eric B. alleged the artists had not in fact been paid in full for their work, and launched a lawsuit against Island Def Jam Music Group, Lyor Cohen, and Russell Simmons.[4]

References

  1. ^ http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:8v8o1vfjzzba
  2. ^ http://www.mtv.com/bands/h/hip_hop_week/2005/greatest_albums_0505/index11.jhtml
  3. ^ http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:usuf6j8h71u0
  4. ^ http://www.allhiphop.com/Hiphopnews/?ID=2463
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