Know the Ledge
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| "Know the Ledge" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Eric B. & Rakim | ||||
| from the album Don't Sweat the Technique and Juice (soundtrack) | ||||
| Released | February 1992 | |||
| Recorded | 1991 | |||
| Studio | The Hit Factory (New York City) | |||
| Genre | Hardcore hip hop | |||
| Length | 4:00 | |||
| Label | MCA | |||
| Songwriter | Rakim | |||
| Producers |
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| Eric B. & Rakim singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Know the Ledge" on YouTube | ||||
"Know the Ledge" – originally on the soundtrack of the film Juice as "Juice (Know the Ledge)" – is a 1992 single by hip-hop duo Eric B. & Rakim. The film's theme song, also released on the duo's 1992 album Don't Sweat the Technique, it features a distinctive sample from Nat Adderley's 1968 hit "Rise, Sally, Rise".
"Know the Ledge" showcases Rakim's storytelling ability, sharing a first-person narrative of a neighborhood thug and drug dealer forced to come to grips with his violent and reckless lifestyle. Among Eric B. & Rakim's final hits as a duo, it was one of the most successful singles from the Juice soundtrack.
50 Cent told NME that the song was the one that made him want to be a rapper: "They were painting a picture of where I lived and all the moves you needed to make in order to live on the streets there. It was the law of the jungle out there."[1]
The rapper played a more active role in the song than usual:
"They let me go up in a little room and see the movie. It was funny: I was living in Manhattan, downtown on 19th street. So when I got to the crib, me and wifey, she knew I was zoning in the cab. When I got to the crib, I had my studio in a little room. I went straight up into the room and found the sample. The bass line. I took the bass line and put the regular drum sample underneath that shit. Half an hour later I had the lights off because I was in there zoning. Wifey came in; I was like, 'Turn the lights off and close the door back.' About an hour later, I came out of there with three verses, man. It was crazy."[2]
Rakim also played live drums on the track.[2]
Music video
The black-and-white video features Rakim rapping in the streets of Harlem, with scenes from Juice intercut.
Samples
- The main bass line is sampled from "Rise, Sally Rise" by Nat Adderley, from his 1968 release The Scavenger[3]
Sampling and other references
- The lyric "I guess I didn't know..." (from the last line of the last verse) is sampled in the 1997 song "Busy Child" by The Crystal Method.
- Promoe, a Swedish rapper, refers to the title in the chorus of Spanish rapper Zatu's song "Al Filo", released in his album Odisea en el Lodo (2001).