Editing Eric B. & Rakim (section)

===''Follow the Leader'' and ''Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em''===
''[[Follow the Leader (Eric B. & Rakim album)|Follow the Leader]]'', the duo's follow-up to ''Paid In Full''; saw their production move away from the blunt minimalism of their debut. The [[Follow the Leader (Eric B. & Rakim song)|title track]] and "[[Lyrics of Fury]]" were two of Rakim's most acclaimed lyrical performances. In 2003, comedian [[Chris Rock]] referred to Rakim's rhymes on the "...Fury" as 'lyrically, the best rapping anyone's ever done...' Rock also listed ''Follow the Leader'' as 12th on his ''[[Vibe (magazine)|Vibe]]'' magazine's list of the Top 25 Hip Hop Albums of All-Time.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://highfidelitywgtb.blogspot.com/2008/11/chris-rocks-top-25-hip-hop-albums.html |title=High Fidelity-WGTB: Chris Rock's Top 25 Hip Hop Albums |publisher=Highfidelitywgtb.blogspot.com |date=November 4, 2008 |access-date=July 5, 2013}}</ref> The album was another massive success for the duo and included the classic single & video “Microphone Fiend”. The video became a staple on the No. 1 rated show on Mtv, Yo Mtv Raps. 

In 1989, the pair teamed up with [[Jody Watley]] on her single "[[Friends (Jody Watley song)|Friends]]" from the album ''[[Larger than Life (Jody Watley album)|Larger Than Life]]''. The song would reach the Top Ten on the ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' [[Billboard Hot 100|Hot 100]] chart and was one of the first notable collaborations between hip hop and dance pop. Eric B. & Rakim rarely collaborated with other rappers. This was evident in early 1990, when KRS-One's [[Stop the Violence Movement]] put together the charity single "[[Stop the Violence Movement|Self-Destruction]]". The song featured numerous notable rappers, but Rakim was noticeably absent from the proceedings. He told HalftimeOnline.net years later, "I don't think they hollered at me or they hollered at Eric B. and he didn't say anything to me. I was a little bitter with that shit because I felt I had something to do with bringing consciousness in hip hop to the table. I came out and did what I did in '86 and then you know people started running with it. Then when it comes time to do something they didn't holler at me so I was a little bitter. At the same time a lot of reasons I didn't do records with people is because I never wanted their light to reflect on me. I don't have a problem with it but everybody who knows at that time knows they were trying to say I was responsible for [[gangsta rap]], too. They thought I was that dude in the hood so maybe they didn't holler at me for a reason. I love Kris, though — he definitely contributed a lot to hip hop. I've been on tour with him and I know him as a person. He's a good dude. I like Kris, but they definitely didn't holler at me for that man because I would have definitely did it."<ref name="Halftimeonline.net"/>

Their 1990 album ''[[Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em]]'' was another successful gold album for the duo as they sold over 700,000 copies. Rakim referenced his enigmatic reputation on the song "Set 'Em Straight": "Here's the inside scoop on the fiend/They want to know why I'm seldom seen/'Cause who needs the TV screens and magazines/Or shooting through the city in fly limousines/'Cause one thing I don't need is a spotlight/'Cause I already got light..." He later said about his relative lack of commercial success: "You could sell a couple records and keep your integrity or you could go pop and sell a bunch of records and be gone tomorrow. I was trying to stick to my guns at that point."<ref name="Halftimeonline.net"/>

Mark Coleman of ''Rolling Stone'' stated: <blockquote>"There's nothing trendy about this impassive duo, no Steely Dan bites or bits of Afrodelic rhetoric here. Eric B. and Rakim are hip-hop formalists devoted to upholding the Seventies funk canon and advancing rap's original verbal mandate. Almost every track on their third album is built on poetic boasts and wicked J.B. samples, but dismissing ''Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em'' as some sort of conservative reaction – a gold-chain throwback – completely misses the point. Masters of their appointed tasks, rapper Rakim and Eric B. are also formal innovators. They both can riff and improvise like jazzmen, spinning endless variations on basic themes and playing off each other's moves with chilly intuition. The resulting music is as stark, complex and edgy as Rakim's stone-cold stare on the album cover."<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/320480/review/5944628/lettherhythmhitem |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090328130019/http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/320480/review/5944628/lettherhythmhitem |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 28, 2009 |title=Rolling Stone Music {{pipe}} Album Reviews |magazine=Rollingstone.com |access-date=2013-07-05}}</ref> </blockquote> The album was one of the first to receive the honor of a 5 mic rating in ''[[The Source (magazine)|The Source]]''. But, much like their debut album, there is controversy over the production credit.