In about eighteen months, Paid In Full will be twenty years old. Twenty years of hip-hop as the pre-eminent cultural form of the young and cool. So what makes Paid In Full so important? Well, if one looks beyond the history and influence of what is certainly the greatest MC/DJ team of all time, what you have is one of the best records ever made in any genre. Paid In Full jumps right out of the box with "I Ain't No Joke," the greatest "I have arrived" rhyme in the history of hip-hop, all built around an incredibly simple and simply perfect back beat. Rakim's MC skills her are absurdly smooth and hypnotic. He's not my favorite MC of all time, but he's probably the best.

"Eric B. is on the Cut" is a stunning piece of almost-instrumental turntable tomfoolery. I like DJ Shadow as much as the next guy, but this piece really begs the question whether his entire career isn't just a follow-up act to a headliner that nobody can touch. Midway through the album comes the first of two songs on which the legend of Eric B. & Rakim is built - "Paid In Full." A quick little spoken introduction announces the song, and then one of the most minimal and memorable pieces of hip-hop production drops. Nothing but a subtle bass line, a simple drum track, and an infrequent, hypnotic, flute loop pulls the song along. At the halfway mark it becomes an exhibition of Eric B.'s scratching skills which is quite instructive.

The other landmark piece is "Eric B. is President," potentially my favorite hip-hop track of all time. When was the last time you heard a straight hip-hop track over six minutes long? Not in a while, and not on this level. It is impossible to explain just how complex and profound this track is - Eric B.'s scratching is relentless, the vocal effects are extraordinary, and Rakim's verse is so complex and well-considered it anticipates the smooth and intellectual flow of GZA. "Eric B. Is President" indeed.

The record also harkens back to a more innocent time in hip-hop. The misogyny, violence, and incessant cursing that defines hip-hop today is nowhere to be found on Paid In Full. I am no stickler for content, but I think this record immortalizes a time when a devout Moslem MC and his prodigious DJ companion could make a fun, brilliant, and hilarious rap record that is, in fact, family-friendly.

The Deluxe Edition of this record is pricey, but worth it. The remastered original LP sounds crisp and clear, like a fresh piece of wax straight outta '87. The bonus tracks are where it's at, though, opening with Coldcut's "Seven Minutes of Madness" - which approaches the remix in a way that would be ripped off again and again in the years to come. The track is hilarious, unpredictable, and brilliant - it is the definitive blueprint for all forward-thinking hip-hop remixes, and anticipates the sample-frenzy turntablism of the mid-90's. Other tracks cop John Cougar Mellencamp's "Jack & Diane" and a sample of "Eric B. Is President" winning a best street single award. There are also three dub mixes that are more interesting than they deserve to be and the original version of "My Melody," which is an essential listen. The second disc plays as it's own remix album, and is a perfect and worthy compliment to this magnificent record.