Eric B. & Rakim – Eric B. Is President / My Melody

KingUnderground reissues golden era hip hop duo, Eric B and Rakim’s 1986 7” classic, “Eric B. Is President”. An elusive record for hip hop heads and crate diggers alike. Eric B. and Rakim created 4 LP’s together between 1987-1992 and in that 5-year period they were able to carve out their reputation as one of the greatest hip hop duos of all time. “Eric B. Is President” was the world being introduced to Rakim in his rawest form. The rap god was unknowingly laying the foundation for a career that continues on today and is consistently recognised for changing and pushing the boundaries of the hip hop genre. It has been no small feat for KU to produce its first ever major label licensed replica reissue, but when you have the opportunity to recreate a piece of art involving “The God” Rakim, and producer/DJ, Eric B, there’s no going too far to get it right. The original master files for this record had been lost in the Universal archives, and the masters that were available were for the album versions that appeared on Eric B. & Rakim’s ‘Paid In Full’ (1987). Unfortunately, those versions are 6+ minutes and far too long to cut a 45. This led KU founder and label head to go back to his roots and do some record digging of his own. He was able to find a brand new copy of the original 45 on Discogs, and made the move to purchase it to have the audio transferred into digital files to then be cut to lacquer. After acquiring the original version of the 45 it was discovered that the versions on the 45 were just the 12” single versions but faded out to make them fit on a 45. It took over a year to sort this all out, which included having Danny Roth Designs recreate the original 4th and Broadway labels, which Universal also no longer had. Paying homage to the artists that inspired the KU label to exist and carry on is an important piece of the puzzle. This first ever major label licensed replica is a monumental note in KU label history. To have association with an iconic group and song in Hip Hop fandom represents a significant moment and is bound to richen the foundation to come. The rhyme will be kicking until I hit my last note My mind remains refined, all kind of ideas Self-esteem makes it seem like a thought took years to build But still say a rhyme after the next one Prepared, never scared, I'll just bless one And you know that I'm the soloist So Eric B make 'em clap to this.