I Know You Got Soul

The track was recorded in 1987 at Power Play Studios in New York for Eric B. & Rakim’s debut album, Paid in Full. Eric B. and Rakim handled the production, building the record around the Bobby Byrd sample that drives the arrangement. Released in 1987 as one of the key singles from Paid in Full, it helped establish Eric B. & Rakim as a major force in late-1980s hip-hop. Its spare, hard-edged production and Rakim’s delivery made it an immediate benchmark for the genre. The song became one of hip-hop’s most quoted records, with its main sample and drum pattern echoed across later rap and electronic music. It remains a touchstone in discussions of classic boom-bap production and early rap lyricism.