BY JAKE PAINE • AUGUST 21, 2018

Eric B. & Rakim were on-hand for a celebration at Mikey Likes It Ice Cream shop in New York City’s Lower East Side last week. Currently celebrating 30 years since Follow The Leader, the Queens DJ/producer and the Long Island MC/producer collaborated in listing five of the most important Rap songs of all-time.

“I think for us, the Sugarhill Gang [‘Rapper’s Delight’] is the record that really took us into where we are now,” Eric says of the Englewood, New Jersey trio’s 1979 smash hit. Rakim follows putting Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five’s “The Message” and T La Rock’s “It’s Yours” on the list. That makes two Sugar Hill Records inclusions in total. Then, Ra’ shouts out JAY-Z’s 1998 hit “Hard Knock Life.” As Eric closes out the five, he salutes Nas, JAY-Z, LL Cool J, and Run-D.M.C., without naming songs. As Eric continues, Rakim interrupts to shout out M.O.P.’s 2000 hit, “Ante Up.” Eric agrees as Ra details, “One of the illest records, ever.”

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