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Follow The Leader
Follow The Leader (Dub) Released in 1988 |
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OK, I’m trying out a new feature, 12″ Gems. I gots fat stacks of phat tracks to share.
Take this one: Eric B. & Rakim’s 5-star classic single “Follow The Leader.” It killed in the later, hazy hours of house parties in San Francisco during the late 90s — nearly a decade after its 1988 release. It continues to be an invigorating dancefloor choice for certain kinds of parties.
I have an MP3 of this track that I got from one of the online music services. It completely neuters the bass, and sounds hollow. To me, Eric B.’s complex, moody beat is what drives the track and keeps it relevant. I spent some extra time on my encoding to try and capture it, but digital music can’t quite match the big thumping rhythm that only vinyl can deliver. Pump it through some good speakers and turn it up, and you’ll get a taste.
Lyrically and musically, the Long Island duo were an atom bomb that forever changed the landscape of hip hop in the late-80s. Sounds like a hyperbole, but if you know your hip hop history you’ll know what I’m talking about.
Take this stunning couplet from Rakim:
Music makes mellow, maintains to make
Melodies for MCs, motivates the breaks
If his wordplay wasn’t enough, Rakim was also deep:
In this journey, you’re the journal, I’m the journalist.
Am I eternal or an eternalist?
Eternalism is a philosophical construct proposing that the past, present, and future are all equally viable.
Rakim isn’t just being blasphemous by nicknaming himself The God MC; you don’t hear Chamillionaire rapping about existentialism.
I also included the b-side “Dub” version, which is borderline unlistenable, except perhaps if you’ve ingested some sort of amphetamine. In a nutshell: Eric B. experiments with reverb.
Oh, and as I said, I played this record out; it’s scratchy, it has pops and hisses… sorry about that, but it still sounds better than the CD.