The discography of Eric B. & Rakim, an American hip hop duo, consists of four studio albums, five compilation albums, 15 singles, and nine music videos. Eric B. & Rakim formed and signed a record deal with Zakia Records in 1985. The following year, the duo signed a deal with 4th & B'way Records. Their debut album Paid in Full was released in 1987. In the United States, it peaked at number 58 on the Billboard 200, number 8 on R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It appeared on the Dutch, New Zealand, and UK Albums Chart. Paid in Full produced five singles, four of which appeared on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. The fifth single "Paid in Full" (1988) peaked in the top five of the Dutch and New Zealand Singles Chart.
In 1988, Eric B. & Rakim released their second studio album Follow the Leader. It peaked at number 22 on the Billboard 200, number 7 on R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, and was certified gold by the RIAA. The album peaked at 25 on the UK Albums Chart, and appeared on the Swedish, Dutch, and New Zealand Albums Chart. Three songs from the album were released as singles: "Follow the Leader", "Microphone Fiend", and "The R", the first and last of which appeared on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. The duo's third studio album Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em was released in 1990. It peaked at number 32 on the Billboard 200, number 10 on R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, and was certified gold by the RIAA. The album appeared on the UK and Dutch Albums Chart. Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em spawned three singles, including the title track and "In the Ghetto", both of which peaked within the top 10 on US Hot Rap Tracks.
Don't Sweat the Technique (1992) was the duo's fourth studio album. It peaked at number 22 on the Billboard 200 and number 9 on R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. It appeared on the UK Albums chart. Four songs, all of which appeared in the top 40 on R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, were released as singles from the album. The title track, released as the third single, topped Hot Rap Tracks. In 1992 after Don't Sweat the Technique, Eric B. & Rakim disbanded. From 2001 to 2010, five compilation albums have been released: 20th Century Masters – The Millennium Collection: The Best of Eric B. & Rakim (2001), Classic (2003), Gold (2005), Repaid in Full: The Paid in Full Remixed (2008), and Rarities Edition: Paid in Full (2010). None of these albums charted.
Albums Studio albums + List of studio albums, with selected chart positions Title Album details Peak chart positions Certifications US US R&B NED NZ SWE UK Paid in Full Released: July 7, 1987 Label: 4th & B'way/Island Format: CD, CS, LP 58 8 30 41 — 85 RIAA: Platinum Follow the Leader Released: July 26, 1988 Label: Uni Format: CD, CS, LP 22 7 43 46 35 25 RIAA: Gold Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em Released: June 19, 1990 Label: MCA Format: CD, LP 32 10 90 — — 58 RIAA: Gold Don't Sweat the Technique Released: June 23, 1992 Label: MCA Format: CD, CS 22 9 — — — 73 "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.
Compilation albums + List of compilation albums Title Album details 20th Century Masters – The Millennium Collection: The Best of Eric B. & Rakim Released: June 19, 2001 Label: Hip-O Format: CD Classic Released: April 22, 2003 Label: Universal Format: CD Gold Released: June 14, 2005 Label: Hip-O Format: CD Repaid in Full: The Paid in Full Remixed Released: February 5, 2008 Label: Island Format: Digital download Rarities Edition: Paid in Full Released: January 5, 2010 Label: Island Format: CD
Singles As lead artist
+ List of singles, with selected chart positions, showing year released and album name Title Year Peak chart positions Album USFor US and US R&B singles peaks: For "Eric B. Is President", "I Ain't No Joke", "I Know You Got Soul", "Move the Crowd", and "Paid in Full": For "Follow the Leader" and "The R": For "In the Ghetto", "Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em", and "Mahogany": For "What's on Your Mind", "Casualties of War", and "Dont Sweat the Technique": For "(Juice) Know the Ledge": US Dance US R&B US Rap BEL(FLA) FRA GER IRE NL NZ UK "Eric B. Is President" 1986 — — 48 align="center" rowspan="8" — — — — — — — Paid in Full "I Ain't No Joke" 1987 — — 38 — — — — — — — "I Know You Got Soul" — 39 64 29 — — 22 40 — 13 "Move the Crowd" 1988 — 3 — — — — — 72 — 53 "Paid in Full" — 65 12 49 27 30 5 2 15 Colors (Soundtrack)/Paid in Full "As the Rhyme Goes On" — — — — — — — — — 81 Paid in Full "Follow the Leader" — 11 16 — — — — 75 — 21 Follow the Leader "Microphone Fiend" — — — — — — — — — 74 "The R" 1989 — 28 79 14 — — — — — — 76 "In the Ghetto" 1990 — — 82 10 — — — — — — — Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em "Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em" — 37 23 2 — — — — — — 81 "Mahogany" 1991 — — — 28 — — — — — — — "What's on Your Mind" — — 34 20 — — — — — — —House Party 2 (Soundtrack)/Don't Sweat the Technique "Juice (Know the Ledge)" 96 — 36 7 — — — — — — —Juice (soundtrack)/Don't Sweat the Technique "Don't Sweat the Technique" 1992 — 12 14 1 — — — — — — — Don't Sweat the Technique "Casualties of War" — — 23 11 — — — — — — — "I Know You Got Soul '92" — — — — — — — — — — — "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. "*" indicates a chart that did not exist at the time.
As featured artist + List of singles, with selected chart positions Title Year Peak chart positions Album US US R&B NL NZ UK "Friends"(Jody Watley featuring Eric B. & Rakim) 1989 9 3 25 31 21 Larger than Life
Music videos + List of music videos, with directors Title Year Director(s) "I Ain't No Joke" 1987 Vivien Goldman, Mick Sawyer "Move the Crowd" Bill Dill "Paid in Full" Bruno Tilley "Follow the Leader" 1988 Scott Kalvert "Microphone Fiend" "In the Ghetto" 1990 David Hogan "Let The Rhythm Hit 'Em" Julien Temple "Don't Sweat the Technique" 1992 Demian Lichtenstein "Juice (Know the Ledge)" Kevin Bray "Casualties of War" Peter Darley Miller
As featured artist + List of music videos, with directors Title Year Director(s) "Friends"(Jody Watley featuring Eric B. & Rakim) 1989 Jim Sonzero
References
External links