The Legendary DJ

ERIC B

Eric B. (born Eric Barrier in Elmhurst, Queens) is a pioneering hip-hop DJ, producer and cultural force best known as one half of the legendary duo Eric B. & Rakim, whose groundbreaking debut Paid in Full (1987) and follow-up albums helped define rap’s Golden Age and elevate the DJ/MC format to international acclaim. With a career spanning multiple decades, Eric B.’s influential turntable work and innovative use of sampling reshaped hip-hop production and earned the duo recognition as one of the greatest MC/DJ teams in history, including multiple Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominations. Beyond classic hip-hop, he has worked as a producer, music executive, entrepreneur, and actor. He now embarks on a bold new chapter entering the electronic dance music realm—specifically bass music—with the first of two original tracks, titled, "I Just Came By To Party". Preview hereAllMusic put it on the record: during rap’s so-called golden age—late ’80s into the ’90s—Eric B. & Rakim were the premier DJ/MC unit in hip-hop.NPR’s Tom Terrell went further and called them “the most influential DJ/MC combo in contemporary pop music. Period.”And if you need receipts, start with Paid in Full - a top-five rap record of all time (Billboard) and a benchmark of the era. Rakim rewired lyricism with internal rhymes that became the blueprint. Eric B.’s sampling, production, and turntable command hit like a new operating system. One that hip-hop never stopped running.Eric B. is doing what he’s always done: commanding the room. Only now the room is bigger, the lights are harsher, and the sound is engineered to hit you in the chest.So ask yourself one question:
IS ERIC B HOME?

POPULARLY KNOWN FOR

PAID IN FULL
Named greatest hip-hop album by MTV (2006).Inducted into the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame
(2020).Honored with the Public Leadership in the Arts Award by Americans for the Arts
(2023).