| Know the Ledge | |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Eric B. & Rakim |
| 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 |
| Producer: |
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| Prev Title: | What's on Your Mind |
| Prev Year: | 1992 |
| Next Title: | Don't Sweat the Technique |
| Next Year: | 1992 |
"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.
The black-and-white video features Rakim rapping in the streets of Harlem, with scenes from Juice intercut.
The song has been featured in...