It’s been 30 years since Eric B. and Rakim moved the crowd with their iconic debut album Paid In Full. In celebration of this momentous occasion, the duo took to the Apollo Theater Friday night (July 7).
With guest appearances from the likes of Flavor Flav, Fat Joe, Ma$e, Ice-T, EPMD, Roxanne Shante, and even Kool Herc, they performed performed the entire album while the crowd followed along to Ra’s every syllable.
Watch clips of the performance below.
Paid in Full was released on July 7, 1987, by Island-subsidiary label 4th & B’way Records. The album was recorded at hip hop producer Marley Marl’s home studio and Power Play Studios in New York City.
The album peaked at number fifty-eight on the Billboard 200 chart and produced five singles, “Eric B. Is President”, “I Ain’t No Joke”, “I Know You Got Soul”, “Move the Crowd”, and “Paid in Full.”
The album has sold over a million copies and was certified platinum in 1995. In 2003, the album was ranked number 228 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
