"Paid In Full" To Be Re-Released

Eric B. & Rakim's seminal debut album, Paid In Full, will be re-released in a special 25th anniversary edition. Emcee Rakim revealed the album's upcoming re-release during an interview with AllHipHop, and said there will be unreleased material featured on the special release.

"We got the twenty-fifth anniversary of Paid in Full we about to release," he explained. "It's gonna be a couple new treats on that one."

Paid In Full is routinely mentioned as one of the greatest hip hop albums of all time and announced the emergence of legendary rhymer Rakim, who's gift for wordplay elevated the art of emceeing seemingly overnight. The album is also credited with popularizing James Brown samples, which would become a hip hop staple well into the mid-1990s.

Rakim is also working on a new solo project. "I feel that I still got a lot to say, and I think I got some people that want to hear it," he says.

Eric B. & Rakim Nominated For HOF

Eric B. and Rakim are among the artists that could be a part of next year's class for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees. The 2011 nominees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame have been announced, and the list includes a wide array of rock, alternative, soul and hip hop acts.

Among the nominees are Guns N' Roses, Heart, the Cure, the Spinners, Rufus w/Chaka Khan and Joan Jett & the Blackhearts. The Beastie Boys, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Donna Summer and WAR are among the returning nominees.

Acts are eligible for nomination 25 years after their first commercial release. Voters will decide who makes the final cut. The annual ceremony will take place on April 14th, 2012 in Cleveland, Ohio.