Combat Jack Eric B. interview: Scars still cut deep with Rakim

Great breakdown. Hearkens to a time when studios were huge monoliths were aspiring musicians and music lovers congregated. Those times are gone. A laptop and a little basement set up and you are good to go on a beat you bought in Europe. #hiphopchanged
 
Word. Those guys works speak for themselves. I think alot of artists from back in the day got engineering confused with production. Just because you pick the loops and bring them to the engineer to chop and arrange doesn't make you the sole producer. The engineer should be credited as a co-producer unless y0u tell him/her absolutely everything to do with the samples. The Quincy Jones analogy he used is way different. Writing music from scratch with no prior compositions is totally different.

That's how the Big Hutch/Dr. Dre beef started. 187 had dope loop ideas, but couldn't work any of the shit. So he gives you a sample, you freek it and he wants production credit.
 
That's how the Big Hutch/Dr. Dre beef started. 187 had dope loop ideas, but couldn't work any of the shit. So he gives you a sample, you freek it and he wants production credit.

I don't mind you getting a production credit for bringing the idea or the loop. But all the credit and publishing? And you ain't arrange anything or play anything? That's crazy.
 
Listen to Above the Laws album that Dre Produced and then listen to the EP they release to prove that Dre didn't do the beats and you'll see . They played the fuck out of themselves with that one. And yea, you can get co producer, but don't say you made the beat and dre didn't do shit. LOL
 
Great insight. Question I have is why did this nigga keep dissin EPMD, then saying no disrespect to EPMD. EPMD catalog is much better than yours, and he kept playing them like they were just an average group. Dude said it two times on some if we did not do such and such, we would have been EPMD. Sucka Shit.
 
Great insight. Question I have is why did this nigga keep dissin EPMD, then saying no disrespect to EPMD. EPMD catalog is much better than yours, and he kept playing them like they were just an average group. Dude said it two times on some if we did not do such and such, we would have been EPMD. Sucka Shit.

I didn't like that either. But Eric B and Rakim were a bigger group than EPMD. I guess he just couldn't explain the level they were on without putting another group beneath him.
 
Yeah I know, the wife and the brother, I was just telling about Eric
Whose wife and brother? I dont think Eric ever even met Paul C. In fact... I know they never met. Paul was set up by his ex and her side dude. Eric had nothing to do with that. what's fucked up is that Paul C's death ruined SuperLuva C and Casanova Rudd's career. Dudes put money their heads and everything. They basically went MISSING IN ACTION for like 2 or 3 years after Paul died. And Paul had some bangers for them too.
 
Whose wife and brother? I dont think Eric ever even met Paul C. In fact... I know they never met. Paul was set up by his ex and her side dude. Eric had nothing to do with that. what's fucked up is that Paul C's death ruined SuperLuva C and Casanova Rudd's career. Dudes put money their heads and everything. They basically went MISSING IN ACTION for like 2 or 3 years after Paul died. And Paul had some bangers for them too.
I heard his wife and he brother was involved. Shit still sing solved right?
 
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In 86 or 87 I helped bring Eric B. and Rakim to Compton to perform at skateland. We picked up Eric and his boys first. That ninja didn't even know how to work the damn tables. He asked me to bring a set of 12's to his hotel room before the show to "practice" Seeing that dude "live" on the wheels of steel was a fucking travesty. Right then I realized he was a fucking fraud. Some dudes suck at scratching/Dj'ing but you can tell they have done it before. With Eric you could tell he had no skills or idea at all. He could barely get the record going man.
Damn. This isn't the first time I've heard this either.

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In 86 or 87 I helped bring Eric B. and Rakim to Compton to perform at skateland. We picked up Eric and his boys first. That ninja didn't even know how to work the damn tables. He asked me to bring a set of 12's to his hotel room before the show to "practice" Seeing that dude "live" on the wheels of steel was a fucking travesty. Right then I realized he was a fucking fraud. Some dudes suck at scratching/Dj'ing but you can tell they have done it before. With Eric you could tell he had no skills or idea at all. He could barely get the record going man.

Eric B the original Adam Cooke
 
Listen to Above the Laws album that Dre Produced and then listen to the EP they release to prove that Dre didn't do the beats and you'll see . They played the fuck out of themselves with that one. And yea, you can get co producer, but don't say you made the beat and dre didn't do shit. LOL

So give the goods on this..... Who actually produced the Above the Law album?
 
This man is speaking the truth.. Eric never even did the scratches on their albums.. I was there..preme magnetic..federal..pop..Freddie foxx..sha..
I was like 14 those dudes were already in they mid 20's.. All those dudes used to be at Eric's crib in the Hurst..95th street..
You know thats what I always heard since back in the day. Extra P was a real producer. MF used to say Eric B was just there so they could have a DJ in the videos. His scratching was wack as fuck!
 
Me and my crew was around for some of those days I met G rap through Ike Capone we was in the Brooklyn Assult Team ,Eric B was around a few times back then with OG's from my hood Fort Greene don't need to name them because everyone knows who they are . Man those days and stories are priceless looking back on some of them was str8 out of the movies .
 
That line is quite laughable now.
Being a DJ THAT WAS LAUGHABLE THEN!!:angry:
But because Eric B & Rakim was so popular as a DJ you had to hold the frustration in cause if you told the truth....THAT NIGGA CAN'T CUT A SLICE Of BREAD:angry::angry:!! You get ALL HELL UPON YOU
 
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In 86 or 87 I helped bring Eric B. and Rakim to Compton to perform at skateland. We picked up Eric and his boys first. That ninja didn't even know how to work the damn tables. He asked me to bring a set of 12's to his hotel room before the show to "practice" Seeing that dude "live" on the wheels of steel was a fucking travesty. Right then I realized he was a fucking fraud. Some dudes suck at scratching/Dj'ing but you can tell they have done it before. With Eric you could tell he had no skills or idea at all. He could barely get the record going man.

you can tell in the videos that dude wasn't a DJ. he always looked uncomfortable
 
My .02, everybody even remotely involved in the Queens/LI/BK scene knew Eric wasn't a DJ. He had an incredible ear and memory for samples and combining them but in those days errbody knew who the DJs were. They earned their followings from playing small parties then the park maybe community center or something. All of a sudden this dude pops up and he's a world class DJ? Nah, it was all publicity but it shouldn't take away from his contribution because the dude had a phenomenal talent. It's sad that he now remembers himself primarily as a DJ and starts cutting up all the other people who were involved in his and Rah's success.
 
My .02, everybody even remotely involved in the Queens/LI/BK scene knew Eric wasn't a DJ. He had an incredible ear and memory for samples and combining them but in those days errbody knew who the DJs were. They earned their followings from playing small parties then the park maybe community center or something. All of a sudden this dude pops up and he's a world class DJ? Nah, it was all publicity but it shouldn't take away from his contribution because the dude had a phenomenal talent. It's sad that he now remembers himself primarily as a DJ and starts cutting up all the other people who were involved in his and Rah's success.
Eric didn't know samples at all... And his ear was trash....All you have to do is listen to 'Chinese Arithmetic' and you will find out all you need to know about Eric's ear...:smh:
 
Eric didn't know samples at all... And his ear was trash....All you have to do is listen to 'Chinese Arithmetic' and you will find out all you need to know about Eric's ear...:smh:

Nobody gets it right all the time bro. His memory of musical phrases and vision of how to put them together was exceptional. Perhaps not always and definitely not infinitely but he had it. Maybe the word 'samples" has you confused, perhaps I should have used "music phrases" instead.
 
That nigga Eric B is a MUTHAFUCKIN LIAR. Nobody went behind his back and said shit to Rakim. Also, the In the Ghetto track was done by guy named Paul McCasty aka Paul C... He died right before Eric and Rakim went into the studio. Large was the ONLY person who could re-do that track. I was at those studio sessions. Eric B didn't do shit but sit on the phone and occasionally turn the volume up or down. The REAL. reason Eric was mad because Large told the truth about how he produced both Eric b and Kool G Rap's Wanted Dead or Alive album. Him and Rakim's problem started long before Large got involved. As far as Rakim rhyming over Summer Madness... It wasn't Large who dissed that idea... It was his OWN niggas who did that. You have to understand... Eric and these dudes were 26yrs old and better... Niggas like Large... Myself ... Nas...Fatal... We were fucking TEENAGERS. You mean to tell me that a group of 4 or 5 teenage boys...whom at that time...idolized you niggas... caused yall to break up??? Really ??? FOH!!! I liked the interview...He did say some shit that I do agree with and I can vouch for Paid in Full Posse... Those dudes were official... But when it comes him making ANY MUSIC... ERIC B NEVER MADE A SINGLE BEAT IN HIS LIFE. Stop lying Eric... You're a Grandpappy now.

Also, didn't Ra's brother Stevie Blast make some of those beats? I know he played keyboards. Btw, word starting getting out about Eric's DJ "skills" around early 89 or so, or at least that's when I started hearing about it. This kid Keith who was from around that area told me that Eric them were basically big time weight movers. He called them The Wyndanche Posse, or something like that.
 
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Nobody gets it right all the time bro. His memory of musical phrases and vision of how to put them together was exceptional. Perhaps not always and definitely not infinitely but he had it. Maybe the word 'samples" has you confused, perhaps I should have used "music phrases" instead.

i think you're not understanding him saying that eric didn't do shit at all cause he witnessed it himself. lol
he ain't put shit together. he was just eric b.
 
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