Paid In Full is the juggernaut debut of Eric B. & Rakim which set the gold standard for duos to follow for years to come. As the story goes, Rakim approached Eric B. in 1985 after the DJ/producer put out a call for vocals over his heavy sample-based production. The result was not only a mutually beneficial alignment of ideas but a partnership that would see Rakim's prominent approach define the duo's releases for years to come. The record eventually went Platinum and sits in the pantheon of most important lyrical rap endeavors to ever exist-notably due to Rakim's restructuring of how lyrics were delivered, stylized, and executed.

Rakim's internal rhyme schemes were a huge deviation from hip-hop that came before-much less "party people in place" and more serious in nature, specifically in tone and subject matter. While Rakim still directed his insults towards other MCs in a general sense, it's no doubt that his style, bound with metaphors and authoritative lyricism, proved that the God MC was light years ahead of his time. Standout tracks "I Ain't No Joke," "My Melody," and "Pain in Full" would later be highly influential, with an astounding number of Rakim's memorable lines being used and referenced decades after this release.

The album is now available for the first time as a deluxe 2LP set on limited edition green vinyl.