Artist
Eric B. & Rakim
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
Appears on
Paid in Full
1987 · 4th & Broadway
Ranked No. 3 in 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, The Waxonia Desk — The Hundred
Paid in Full
1987 · 4th & Broadway
Picked by The Waxonia 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.
Paid in Full
1987 · 4th & Broadway
Picked by The Waxonia 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.