Track Listing

1. I Ain't No Joke
2. Eric B. Is On The Cut
3. My Melody
4. I Know You Got Soul
5. Move The Crowd
6. Paid In Full
7. As The Rhyme Goes On
8. Chinese Arithmetic
9. Eric B. Is President
10. Extended Beat

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3520 in Music
• Released on: 1989-05-24
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Enhanced
• Running time: 45 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Paid in Full is a debut album that is basically a collection of early singles ("Eric B. Is President", "I Know You Got Soul", the title track), is the motherlode of late-1980s New York rap--assured, serious, and hugely influential. Rakim, a rapper's rapper, is the Chow Yun-Fat of hip-hop: cool as steel, absolutely calm, absolutely deadly. His verbal wit and rhythmic gift go hand-in-hand. He flows like a waterfall, playing around the beat, leaping from one ingenious phrase to another, letting the words do all the work. And Eric B.? He comes up with some straightforward but effective backing tracks (he favours James Brown grooves), scratches on a couple of block-rocking instrumentals, and makes room for the master to do his thing. --Douglas Wolk

Customer Reviews

Smooth operators operating correctly
This album is, undeniably, a classic. It is my favourite hip-hop album ever. If you're expecting something that sounds up to date, then you'll be disappointed, but who cares - this album was made in 1987 and sounds EXACTLY like it was made in that year. Rakim's lyrics and flow are second to none in my opinion, and from his opening line of "I ain't no joke, I used to let the mic smoke, now I slam it when it's done and make sure it's broke" he rhymes effortlessly through this entire album. In comparison he makes most other MCs sound like they are struggling (the only other MCs who have achieved considerable mainstream success who are up there with him in terms of effortless flow, in my opinion, are Nas and Gza). Eric B's beats - pretty minimal and tidy, are fully reminiscent of the 80's (especially "Move The Crowd"). The production is slick and classy. Together they make an unstoppable team. It's like a missing link between the synth-heavy electro of the early 80's and the sample-laden, jazz-funk beats of the late 80's/early 90's, plus with one of the greatest vocal performances in hip-hop laid on top. The album contains a number of classic cuts to name but a few - "I Ain't no Joke", "My Melody", "I Know You Got Soul", plus A Tribe Called Quest's favourite jam back in the day, "Eric B Is President". But every track is great, and the album works well as a whole. It is compulsory listening for anyone wanting to find out what hip-hop sounded like in the late 80's. Actually, it's compulsory listening for anyone who loves hip-hop.

Ain't No Joke (but it ain't no classic, either)
This is another one of these albums which is rated as an all-time classic, then you listen to it, and wonder what all the fuss is about. Paid In Full isnt even a proper album- its just a collection of singles with some cuts of beats'n'scratches by Eric B to pad it out. There's a few great tracks here- I Know You Got Soul is clearly one of THE classic hip-hop tracks of the era, and Move the Crowd is equally good (although there's a better mix on "Hip Hop Don't Stop vol.2"). The title track's also pretty cool. Otherwise, there's not much else here to justify the album's reputation. Rakim's delivery is smooth, but his lyrics aren't too hot- I'll bet Chuck D wouldn't come up with rhymes like

"Fish/is my favourite dish/but without my money its still a wish"

The sound quality isn't good either- the album has that skeletal, slightly degraded sound of early hip-hop, which would be OK but the CD isn't remastered, so the beats don't really kick like they should. All in all, it's not bad, but don't compare this to prime-time Public Enemy or De La Soul, cos it's just not that hot.

Classic
This album is a classic. In my opinion, the content isn't amazing, and I actually prefer Rakim in his later days, but this old skool, pioneering CD is ledgendary.
It's back when Rakim and Eric B were close, and together they helped create hiphop.
May not be excellent (although it is good), it is a classic