From the New York Times...

There are two things you notice when listening to Eric B. and Rakim's second album. The first is how contemporary it sounds, the second is how much better it sounds than most other contemporary rap. The legendary duo are two of the Godfather's of the genre, and even a modest listener of rap could spot their influence on artists from Wu Tang to Eminem. Follow the Leader was a thrown gauntlet when it came out, challenging the other rappers who dared to think they had out-shone the pair in the time since their first album. Eric B.'s complex, and impossibly tight beats not only still embarrass producers today who think throwing a drum beat over an old sample equals talent, but they give a hard backboard to Rakim's rhyme style. Rakim's lyrics are clever and intricate, and begin to answer some questions about where Eminem may have picked up part of his style. He spreads his rhymes several lines deep and actually bothers to make them comprehensive and give them some flow. It's hard to hear it and go back to modern rappers who only rhyme in couplets, if they bother rhyming at all ("Would you love me if I was on a bus?).This re-issue of the album boasts a remix of "The R," an extended version of "Microphone Fiend," and an instrumental track of "To the Listeners."

Eric B. and Rakim Follow the Leader Uni/Geffen/UME By David Chiu