Iconic MC Rakim — who is performing Wednesday, Feb. 12 at Riverfront Live — exploded onto the Hip Hop scene in the mid-’80s with his partner Eric B. The duo’s first single, “Eric B. is President,” dropped in 1986, followed by their 1987 debut album, Paid in Full, a cornerstone Hip Hop classic that was included in Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
Eric B. & Rakim released three more albums — 1988’s Follow the Leader, 1990’s Let the Rhythm Hit ’Em and 1992’s Don’t Sweat the Technique — before splitting up. In 2016, the pair — who were on the shortlist of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominees in 2011 — reunited for a run of live dates.
Acclaimed for his lyricism and rhyming technique (he’s dubbed “The God MC” for a reason) and cited by some all-time greats (including Tupac, Notorious B.I.G., Nas and Jay-Z) as a prime influence, Rakim has released only a handful of solo albums outside of EB&R — the most recent was 2009’s The Seventh Seal.
Last year Rakim released the book Sweat the Technique: Revelations on Creativity from the Lyrical Genius, which is described as “part memoir, part writing guide,” as he shares stories from his life while also exploring his own artistic approach in depth.
8 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 12. $20-$99. Riverfront Live, 4343 Kellogg Ave., East End, riverfrontlivecincy.com.
This article appears in Feb 5-18, 2020.
