Rewind: Eric B. and Rakim 'Paid in Full'

One of the most important albums in hip-hop's history and one of the most stunning, fully realized debuts in the history of music is Eric B. and Rakim's 1987 album 'Paid in Full'. Produced entirely by Rakim and DJ Eric B. with production help from Marley Marl, 'Paid in Full' ushered in a new era of rap music, forever changing the landscape of the genre. The duo's groundbreaking debut single was 1986's 'Eric B. is President' which samples beats from James Brown's 'Funky President' and Mountain's 'Long Red' - now one of the most widely used breakbeats in hip-hop.

The hits kept coming after the album's release. 'I Ain't No Joke' and 'I Know You Got Soul' are even bigger hits than 'Eric B. is President'. Both tracks utilize James Brown productions for their basis, 'I Ain't No Joke' floats on top of the J.B.'s 'Pass the Peas' while 'I Know You Got Soul' contains beats and vocal snippets from Bobby Byrd's 'I Know You Got Soul' (and additionally contains segments of the J.B.'s 'The Grunt'). At the same time across the Atlantic Ocean, the DJ team of Coldcut were also looping and cutting up James Brown records for their debut renegade white label 'Say Kids, What Time Is It?'. At the end of 1987, the UK team was tapped to remix the title track to 'Paid in Full' leading to the giant UK hit 'Paid in Full' (Coldcut Remix), an all time classic extended reinterpretation that still rocks clubs everywhere. In addition to the use of the 'Ashley's Roachclip' break by the Soul Searchers which was looped for the original track, Coldcut famously laces the track with a vocal sample from Ofra Haza's 'Im Nin'Alu', a world music single that had some impact on the UK charts a few years previous. Also, Coldcut adds in some additional JB artillery by sampling James Brown's 'Hot Pants'. The results are devastating.

'Paid in Full' was proceeded by 'Follow the Leader' and two other fantastic albums, which will undoubtedly show up in later posts on this blog.

The Lowdown:
Eric B. and Rakim 'Eric B. is President', 'I Ain't No Joke', and 'I Know You Got Soul'
from 'Paid in Full' (1987) (MP3/CD)
James Brown 'Funky President (People It's Bad)'
from 'Reality' (1975) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Mountain 'Long Red'
from 'Mountain Live' (1972) (MP3 not available/Import CD)
The J.B.'s 'Pass the Peas' and 'The Grunt'
from 'Food for Thought' (1972) (MP3 not available/Import CD)
Bobby Byrd 'I Know You Got Soul'
from 'I Need Help' (1970) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Eric B. and Rakim 'Paid in Full' (Coldcut Remix)
Soul Searchers 'Ashley's Roachclip'
from 'Salt of the Earth' (1974) (MP3 not available/Import CD)
Ofra Haza 'Im Nin'Alu'
from 'Fifty Gates of Wisdom' (1983) (MP3/CD)
James Brown 'Hot Pants'
from 'Hot Pants' (1971) (MP3/CD not available)