“I Know You Got Soul” by Eric B. & Rakim

In 1986 I brought home a 12’ single by Eric B and Rakim. To be honest, I didn’t really like it at first.  I found the rapper’s nasally voice intriguing and the samples tasty, but I couldn’t escape the cheaply sounding keyboard basslines and thin production (they didn’t have access to equipment yet). Less than a year later their first full length album hit the shelves and my mind was blown. 

“I Know You Got Soul” was one of my personal favorites. It’s a homage to the 1971 Bobby Bird single and helped introduce James Brown’s music to a new generation. And in a time when Rap and Hip-Hop music were being criticized for their lack of talent or musicality, this was a track you could proudly point to.

Paid in Full is one of the finest Hip-Hop records ever made and it didn’t leave my Walkman that year. Singles like “I Ain't No Joke,” “I Know You Got Soul,” and “Paid in Full” were instant classics.  It’s a fantastic record that helped define the “Golden age” of Hip Hop and one that artists from today could learn something from.