Eric B. Is President

Recorded in 1986 at Marley Marl’s home studio in Queensbridge, New York, as the debut single for Eric B. & Rakim. Marley Marl handled the recording, and the session paired Eric B.’s turntable-driven production with Rakim’s first released vocal work for the duo. The track served as the duo’s breakthrough and announced Rakim as a major new voice in hip-hop. It helped establish the sound and stature of the emerging golden-age era. It remains a foundational early Eric B. & Rakim recording and a widely cited milestone in hip-hop history. Its beat and vocal format helped shape later sample-based rap production and the model for DJ-MC partnerships.