Eric B. & Rakim - Don't Sweat the Technique

The fourth and final Eric B. & Rakim album arrived in 1992, and it is the one where the duo let jazz all the way in. Horn samples, walking basslines and swung drums replace the stark boom-bap of the earlier records, and Rakim, already the most technically advanced rapper alive, answers by writing some of his most intricate verses.

The title track is the calling card, a loping horn loop over which Rakim delivers a masterclass in internal rhyme without ever raising his voice. "Casualties Of War" is the album's centrepiece, a first-person account of a Gulf War veteran that stands as one of rap's earliest and best anti-war songs. "Know The Ledge" came from the Juice soundtrack and became a hit in its own right. "Teach The Children" and "What's On Your Mind" show the softer, more melodic side the pair had been circling since Let The Rhythm Hit 'Em.

Recorded with engineers Lee Anthony and Mark Harder and mastered by Herb Powers Jr., the album's warmth is deliberate. The Large Professor served as one of the production coordinators. It was the last thing Eric B. and Rakim made together, and it closes their run without a single wasted track.

Reissued as a double LP on Geffen. A quieter Eric B. & Rakim record that reveals more with every listen.