Know the Ledge

"Know the Ledge"
Single by Eric B. & Rakim
from the album Don't Sweat the Technique and Juice (soundtrack)
ReleasedFebruary 1992
Recorded1991
StudioThe Hit Factory (New York City)
GenreHardcore hip hop
Length4:00
LabelMCA
Songwriter(s)Rakim
Producer(s)
Eric B. & Rakim singles chronology
"What's on Your Mind"
(1992) 		"Know the Ledge"
(1992) 		"Don't Sweat the Technique"
(1992)
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]

Background

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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

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The black-and-white video features Rakim rapping in the streets of Harlem, with scenes from Juice intercut.

Samples

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  • The main bass line is sampled from "Rise, Sally Rise" by Nat Adderley, from his 1968 release The Scavenger[3]

Sampling and other references

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  • 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).
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The song has been featured in...

Charts

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Weekly charts

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Chart (1992) Peak
position
US Billboard Hot 100[4] 96
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[5] 38
US Hot Rap Songs (Billboard)[6] 7
US R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay (Billboard)[7] 51

References

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  1. ^ Haynes, Gavin (October 1, 2015). "Soundtrack of my life". NME: 48.
  2. ^ a b Mann, Johnny (10 May 2006). "Hip Hop Icon Series: Rakim". Archived from the original on 29 July 2017. Retrieved 24 December 2012.
  3. ^ Eric B. & Rakim's Juice (Know the Ledge) sample of Nat Adderley's Rise, Sally Rise | WhoSampled
  4. ^ "Eric B. & Rakim Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
  5. ^ "Eric B. & Rakim Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
  6. ^ "Eric B. & Rakim Chart History (Hot Rap Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
  7. ^ "The Notorious B.I.G. Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
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