Eric B and Rakim release their third effort, famous for being one of the first albums to get the five mics of The Source magazine. It's more a tribute to the glorious "Paid In Full" and to the sublime "Follow the Leader" rather than a realistic evaluation, because the third effort of Rakim and a guy that at this point you should seriously start to doubt has ever existed, is not a classic.
Eric B steps aside in production (if he was ever in production) to Paul "Paul C" McKasty (this album is dedicated to his memory after the producer was shot and killed in summer 1989) and Large Professor (Paul C protégé at the debut, called after Paul C murder to complete the album's production) obviously not accredited, while Rakim works behind the keyboards along with his brogther Stevie Blass Griffin and the album's engineer Patrick Adams. DJ Mark the 45 King is the producer of the bonus track on the CD version, after working in the production of the previous album of the duo "Follow the Leader", always uncredited.
The God MC delivers mainly braggadocio lyrics with some variation towards religion and social themes, rapping with a style always flowing, confident, slow and dope, but here more subdued and calm almost to laziness. The album maintains the own formula that the duo has established in the past, is tight, solid, with good overall lyrical quality and is as influential for the next best hip hop artists of the nineties as the first two albums of the duo, but at the end of the day is not up to the previous records: it's an effort musically devoid of energy, banger or classics, although almost all tracks are very good, since the rhythms are simply functional to the smooth rapping of the MC.
The title track is one of the greatest tunes of the third album by Eric B. & Rakim. Amazing cut thanks to Paul C: excellent boom bap, Rakim delivers straight right, hardcore, fluid, agile, powerful yet calm, hook formed simply by the sound of Paul C in the background, foru verses all on the same top level, who can do it? Nobody. Iconic. "In the Ghetto" is another high note: little gloomy, classic light boom bap realized by Large Pro, excellent delivery by Rakim. "Untouchables" boasts a good boom bap refreshed by the Christmas bells, Rakim's lucid, delivers hardcore, untouchable. This work behind the keys is to be credited to Paul C, which is the musical mind even behind "Keep 'Em Eager to Listen": boom bap different by the producer, simple, heavy, but with an electro/synthesized piano background and trumpets, scratched bridge on the hook, Rakim delivers as if there was no tomorrow, the smoothest ever.
Pushed by three singles (the title track, "In the Ghetto" and "Mahogany"), with "Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em" that goes second among rap singles, the disk is distributed by MCA, peaking ten on the hip-hop chart, becoming one of the best-selling rap albums of the 1990 and being certified gold by RIAA in a couple of months. Widely praised by critics, the product cemented the duo as one of the best around, and Rakim as one of the finest lyricists of his time.
Rating: 8/10.
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