On this day in 1988, Eric B & Rakim released their second album Follow the Leader. This album peaked at number 22 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart, performing better than the duo’s previous album Paid in Full. Follow the Leader continued with the elements that made Eric B & Rakim famous like genius sampling and game-changing flow, and the album had well-known hits like the title track and “Microphone Fiend.” It remains a critically acclaimed album, still in the “best hip-hop albums” conversations today.
