# Eric B. & Rakim — Every Record We Rank

Eric B. & Rakim appears 3 times in our Golden Age Hip-Hop, The Waxonia Desk — A Way In, and The Waxonia Desk — The Hundred lists, placing as high as No. 3. Hand-curated, with a reason for every pick.

- **Ranked entries:** 3
- **Appears on:** Golden Age Hip-Hop, The Waxonia Desk — A Way In, and The Waxonia Desk — The Hundred
- **Year:** 1987
- **Highest placing:** No. 3 in Golden Age Hip-Hop
- **Updated:** 2026-08-29
- **Canonical page:** https://waxonia.com/artist/eric-b-and-rakim/

## Appears on

### [Paid in Full](https://waxonia.com/track/eric-b-and-rakim--paid-in-full/)

*1987 · 4th & Broadway · No. 3 in [Golden Age Hip-Hop](https://waxonia.com/genre/golden-age-hip-hop/)*

Rakim introduced internal rhyme and a conversational flow, and every rapper before him instantly sounded old-fashioned. The single most consequential technical leap in the form.

Also on: [The Waxonia Desk — A Way In](https://waxonia.com/selection/the-desk-a-way-in/), [The Waxonia Desk — The Hundred](https://waxonia.com/selection/the-desk-the-hundred/).

[Search Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/search/Eric%20B.%20%26%20Rakim%20Paid%20in%20Full) · [YouTube Music](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=E7t8eoA_1jQ)

### [Paid in Full](https://waxonia.com/track/eric-b-and-rakim--paid-in-full/)

*1987 · 4th & Broadway · Picked by [The Waxonia Desk — A Way In](https://waxonia.com/selection/the-desk-a-way-in/)*

Rakim rewrote what a rapper could sound like — internal rhyme, conversational delivery, nothing forced to land on the beat. Almost every MC you like is downstream of this.

Also on: [Golden Age Hip-Hop](https://waxonia.com/genre/golden-age-hip-hop/), [The Waxonia Desk — The Hundred](https://waxonia.com/selection/the-desk-the-hundred/).

[Search Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/search/Eric%20B.%20%26%20Rakim%20Paid%20in%20Full) · [YouTube Music](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=E7t8eoA_1jQ)

### [Paid in Full](https://waxonia.com/track/eric-b-and-rakim--paid-in-full/)

*1987 · 4th & Broadway · Picked by [The Waxonia Desk — The Hundred](https://waxonia.com/selection/the-desk-the-hundred/)*

Rakim changes what a rap verse can do — internal rhyme, conversational delivery, no shouting — and every MC after him is working from this template.

Also on: [Golden Age Hip-Hop](https://waxonia.com/genre/golden-age-hip-hop/), [The Waxonia Desk — A Way In](https://waxonia.com/selection/the-desk-a-way-in/).

[Search Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/search/Eric%20B.%20%26%20Rakim%20Paid%20in%20Full) · [YouTube Music](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=E7t8eoA_1jQ)

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Hand-curated by Waxonia. We host no audio; all links point to streaming platforms.