POETRY IN MOTION: Revisiting A Nineties Rap Classic




 After Eric B and Rakim dropped their landmark debut Paid In Full in ’87, they signed the first million dollar record rap contract a year later, promptly releasing their second straight classic, Follow The Leader. Rakim would raise the bar for hip hop lyricism boasting "rhyme displays that went on for days and days" with so much substance he proclaimed that they were "deeper than X-rays".

The group's momentum was cut short due to a family tragedy that saw Rakim take a brief hiatus from the music business. Re-emerging from his self-imposed exile, Rakim joined forces with legendary Queens producer Paul C, the architect behind a slew of rap underground classics. Paul's stock was rising when he was tragically murdered under mysterious circumstances in July of '89.

The fruits of their labor would survive with  In The Ghetto, the second single from Eric B and Rakim's third album, Let The Rhythm Hit'em. Ghetto fused breakbeats from R&B troubadour Bill Withers (Kissing My Love, 1972) and obscure funk band 24 Carat Black (Ghetto Misfortune's Wealth, 1973) crafting a masterpiece signifying Rakim’s triumphant return.

While Follow The Leader's title track was an interplanetary journey to the cosmos, In The Ghetto was more grounded and straightforward, yet retaining esoteric abstract elements of classic Eric B and Rakim. From tranquil surroundings ("I learned to relax in my room and escape from New York/And return to the womb of the world as thought"), Ra reflects on his mortality ("Thinkin' 'bout hard it was to be born/Me being cream with no physical form"), personal struggles (I'm God/But it seems that I'm locked in hell") and the African Diaspora ("Not only there/But right here is apartheid").

Drawing on his parental upbringing ("I thought the ghetto was the worst thing that could happen to me/I'm glad I listened when my father was rappin' to me") his resolve ( "Since I made it this far/I can't stop know/There's a will and a way/ I got to know how"), acts as a catalyst for ever expanding aspirations (“No more props/I want property in every borough”).

By the song's climax Rakim's mood is reassuring ("People in my neighborhood, they know I'm good/From London to Hollywood/Wherever I stood") and celebratory as he reflects on his legacy ("Footprints remained on stage ever since/Sidewalks and streets have fossils and dents") and of course, microphone prowess( "So rip it and break it in half/Go'head and slam it/Cuz when it's time to build/I'm a mechanic").

A tense, street corner dice game (“So I collect my cash and slide/I got my back/My gun’s on my side”) pulls Ra’s metaphysical mind travel back down to earth. His deadpan catchphrase ("It shouldn't have to be like that/I guess it ain't where you from--It's where you at") is a witty nod to his ground-breaking debut offers a blunt reminder: reality is firmly rooted in the present.




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