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I came in the door, I said it before / I never let the mic magnetize me no more / But it’s biting me, fighting me, inviting me to rhyme / I can’t hold it back, I’m looking for the line / Taking off my coat, clearing my throat / The rhyme will be kicking until I hit my last note / My mind remains refined, all kind of ideas / Self-esteem makes it seem like a thought took years to build / But still say a rhyme after the next one / Prepared, never scared, I’ll just bless one / And you know that I’m the soloist / So Eric B. make ’em clap to this
Nearly thirty years have passed since the often-imitated, never-duplicated icons Eric. B. & Rakim blessed the world with their debut 1986 single Eric B. is President, which was subsequently featured on their magnificent first long player Paid in Full. For those of us who were raised on hip-hop, the opening verse that Rakim delivers atop Eric B.s devastating sonics is forever embedded within our mental, and for good reason. Few groups embody the soulful spirit and poetic power of the music we adore as unequivocally as this duo does, and Eric B. is President represents the original blueprint of the legendary recordings that would soon follow.
While visiting the Yo! MTV Raps studio back in 1992 to promote their fourth and final album Dont Sweat the Technique, Eric B. & Rakim were generous enough to perform the first two verses of their timeless classic. Enjoy the performance plus bonus interview footage below, and stay tuned for additional Yo! MTV Raps throwback memories here on soulhead!
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