In celebration of the 30th anniversary of “Eric B. Is President,” Rakim is currently traveling from city to city on his “Paid in Full” tour. The MC also announced he would perform the 1987 debut album in its entirety on May 26 at Park West in Chicago.
In an interview with The Chicago Sun, Rakim expressed the pleasures he has in performing in the windy city. “You want to do good every where,” he said. “But this is one of the places where you want to be at your best—and it brings the best out of you. So I’m looking forward to rappin’ in Chicago.”
The New York-bred rapper reminisced about the Golden Era Hip Hop duo Eric B. and Rakim, and their early milestones. The breakout track, “Eric B. Is President,” was birthed in the home studio of legend Marley Marl of Queensbridge.
“Marley Marl and MC Shan [Marl’s cousin and fellow legend in progress] kept trying to get me to stand up and put more energy into it,” the MC told Chicago Sun. “If I stand it’s gonna sound the same way, ‘cause that’s what I’m trying to do.
“It took a little tug o’ war for them to just leave me alone and finish the song,” he continued. “But after it came out they was like, ‘Yo Rakim, man we see what you was doing—it’s dope.’”
Rakim continued to remember the first time hearing the duo’s music on the radio. Still in high school, he was “a little late one night, trying to get home and get ready for school the next day. Walking down the sidewalk, I see a car with somebody in the passenger seat, window down and I hear “Eric B. Is Present.””
The MC asked the passenger if the song was on a tape, since people would steal demo tapes around the neighborhood. But, when the passenger responded, “Nah, that’s the radio.” Rakim explained his feelings simply as, “It was incredible.”
