Follow The Leader (Purple Vinyl)

After setting things ablaze with their debut album, Eric B. & Rakim dropped Follow The Leader, a hard-hitting sophomore effort that bolstered listeners' awareness of the duo's ongoing progression. Eric B.'s minimal production was perfectly tailored to Rakim's expressive, fiery lyrics. Standouts like "Microphone Fiend" or one of Rakim's most venerated performances, "Lyrics of Fury," displayed a self-awareness that the duo knew they were onto something special. It should also be noted that The 45 King "ghost produced" a few songs on here, too.

Upon its release, Follow The Leader ranked higher than the duo's debut, charting on Billboard's Top Pop Albums. Not only was there an expansion of samples and overall production bandwidth on the album but Follow The Leader seemed to arrive in an era where each project seemed to push the genre towards a fuller realization of what can be achieved. Or, as Rakim puts it on "The R": "I see hands in the air, that means many be cooperating. I can't stop relating, hip-hop is making more sense when I'm stating paragraphs of potential, to prevent you from using my instrumental."

Side A:

1. Follow The Leader - 5:33
2. Microphone Fiend - 5:14
3. Lyrics Of Fury - 4:13
4. Eric B. Never Scared - 5:19
5. Just A Beat - 2:05

Side B:

1. Put Your Hands Together - 5:14
2. To The Listeners - 4:30
3. No Competition - 3:50
4. The R - 3:53
5. Musical Massacre - 4:28
6. Beats For The Listeners - 4:08