The Top 10 Eric B & Rakim Remixes
In no particular order……
How ‘bout an Eric B and Rakim vs The Heavy Mashup. It’s “I Know You Got Soul” vs “How You Like Me Now”. Playing it at your party may not score you hipster cool points—you’ll recognize “How You Like Me Now,” from beer ads, Kia ads, and every movie since 2009—but it will get people dancin’ at the club or backyard jam equivalent.
For a more chill vibe, check out this “I Know You Got Soul” mashup. It’s Eric B & Rakim vs Sade. (mds700 vs disco damaja edit). It plays really low, so be ready to pump up the volume.
For yet another great version of “I Know You Got Soul,” try The Double Trouble Remix. This one is a true remix rather than a mashup ,but it’s mainly the original Eric B and Rakim vs. the Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back”. But be advised—no Jackson 5 vocals included.
Next up is DJFM’s remix of “Follow the Leader.” How should I describe it? Say you went to a party at Rob Zombie’s house and you were like “Rob, you got any hip hop for people to dance to?” And Rob’s like “Yeah. I got some Eric B and Rakim”. And you’re like “Cool.” But then it sounds like this: And you're like “Oh, okay. ‘Dance' to Rob must only mean ‘Pagan Dance'".
If that was too Intense, why not take your get-together to a nice jazzy level with this BL Socks remix of “Don’t Sweat the Technique”. While similar to the original, the toned down bass gives more room for Rakim's vocals, the funky jazz drums, and that sweet Kool and The Gang sax. Sometimes less is more.
Before we get to the Paid in Full stuff, how about remix of one of Eric B and Rakim’s few (only?) explicitly political songs, “Casualties of War”. I found several versions, but my favorite is the Radical Radio Edit. Great for your college party or your adult liberal peacenik party. Bad if you’re at a barbecue at the Bush’s and people got real mad when Kaepernick came up.
Now we’ve arrived at the “Paid in Full” stuff. My favorite remix of PIF is isn’t the epic “Seven Minutes of Madness” Coldcut version but I completely get it if it’s yours. But no, I’m an Urban Respray guy. Of course I dig the otherworldly vocals of Israeli singer Ofra Haza that the Coldcut mix gives you. But ever since I heard Urban Respray on Majic 108, I just considered it crazier to mix in the guitar from “Jack and Diane”.
But the “Paid in Full” remix that I just discovered, that jumps the shark in a good way, is technically another mashup. One that, when you think about it, had to happen. Eric B and Rakim vs Milli Vanilli aka “Girl You Know, Paid in Full”. Eric B and Rakim may not have created those shared drums, but they did time travel back to 1974 to harvest and immortalize them in hip hop form, only to have Milli Vanilli and PM Dawn come along and jack the beat for some bubble gum pop. And yet, even though I know it’s bad for me, I can’t deny that hearing “Girl You Know It’s True” still brings a smile to my face.
Btw, if you’ve ever wondered where those drums did come from, they’re in a song
called “Ashley’s Roachclip” by the Soul Searchers. Definitely worth a listen if
you don’t already know. It’s a 70s jam session of a song, in the best way. You will have to wait a while to get to the drums though….“Let the Rhythm Hit ‘Em (45 King Club Mix) –The Mark the 45 King’s[1] aptly named Caribbean club sounding redux of the death rap album version. Here’s the remix . And here’s the original. The remix is a viable party option. The original
is the one you hit the hell out of the heavy bag to.Speaking of workout jams, I’ll leave you with one more: “Know the Ledge”, sped up, courtesy of the Chemical Brothers. Again, technically not really a remix, but you’re welcome. And just to bring balance to the force, here’s “Know the Ledge”, chopped and screwed. You want to get really hyped, play chopped and screwed first, then the sped up one. You should feel very alert.
[1] Mark the 45 King has some interesting production credits. “Stan” for Eminem, “Hard Knock Life” for Jay-Z, and “The 900 Number,” AKA the break down song in “Bring It On” and the theme music for the Ed Lover Dance.