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b'Eric B. & Rakim - The R\\nNo Rap Edit By Petko Turner\\n\\n\\nAmerican hip hop duo from Long Island, New York, composed of DJ Eric B. (Eric Barrier) and MC Rakim (William Michael Griffin, Jr.). Formed in 1986, the group stopped in 1993.\\n\\nEric Barrier was born and raised in the Elmhurst section of Queens, New York. He played trumpet and drums throughout high school, and later switched to experimenting with turntables prior to graduation. The newly dubbed "Eric B." soon began DJing for radio station WBLS in New York City, including WBLS\' promotional events around the city. Barrier wound up meeting Alvin Toney, a promoter based in Queens. Eric B. had been looking for rappers and Toney recommended he use Freddie Foxxx, a Long Island MC. Toney took Eric B. to Foxxx\'s home, but Foxxx was not there, so Toney suggested another option: William Griffin, a.k.a. Rakim.\\n\\nGriffin had begun writing rhymes as a teenager in Wyandanch and had taken the name "Rakim" as a result of his conversion to The Nation of Gods and Earths. Eric B. borrowed records from Rakim\'s brother, Stevie Blass Griffin (who worked at a plant pressing bootleg albums) and began cutting them in the basement for Rakim, who was down there drinking a beer and relaxing. Said Eric B., "I took Fonda Rae\'s "Over Like A Fat Rat" and said \'This is the bass line I\'m going to use for this record.\' Rakim spit the beer all over the wall and thought it was the funniest shit in the world. I told Rakim, just like you laughing now you going to be laughing all the way to the bank and be a millionaire one day because of this record."\\n\\nEric B. & Rakim decided to record together and came under the tutelage of Marley Marl. Stories vary over who actually produced their first single, 1986s "Eric B. Is President" (often cited as "Eric B For President" because of a mistake made when licensing the recording). Built on the Fonda Rea bass line sample, Eric B. later told AllHipHop, "I took the records to Marley Marl\'s house in Queensbridge and paid Marley Marl to be the engineer. Marley got paid. That\'s why he\'s not a producer; that\'s why he is not getting publishing. I brought the music. I just couldn\'t work the equipment because that\'s not what I did..."\\n\\nDownload for free on The Artist Union'