Jody Watley “Friends” featuring Eric B. & Rakm written by Jody Watley (lyrics and melody) Andre Cymone (music), rap verses (Rakim and Eric Barrier), Produced by Andre Cymone, Executive producer Jody Watley released April 1989 the multiple chart Top 10: Billboard chart history #3 R&B, #7 Dance, #9 Hot 100.
This post is to drop some music history and knowledge behind the groundbreaking single.
Originally pitched it as a duet initially when pitching the idea, I used Patti LaBelle and Michael McDonald as an example who had the hit “On My Own” at the time – Chaka’s cover of “I Feel For You” with the Melle Mel intro shouting out her name never came into my mind. Rakim would have his own verses as I would have mine. The label balked at the idea at first because they didn’t see how it would work, especially since Eric B & Rakim were golden era hip hop legends and not crossover. No one thought the collaboration would make sense. They pushed for me to consider Will Smith who was a massive crossover presence at the time, I said no because in my mind Rakim’s voice was what was in my head not only because I was a fan but because of the nature the song about betrayal. I sent the demo to the duo and they were totally into it, eventually MCA relented and the rest is history. Rakim speaks on the collaboration: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/3dYA1qYnpUM
“Friends” featuring Eric B and Rakim is either overlooked or debated as not achieving a feat never accomplished in Pop/R&B/Hip Hop/Dance Music. The Jody Watley Eric B & Rakim collaboration was just that – a collaboration and is very different to Chaka Khans “I Feel For You” a Prince cover song with the Melle Mel intro – which happened to be an accident by producer Arif Mardin. Additionally, Khan didn’t actually want the rap legend on the record and has expressed her disapproval. Was it a milestone record for her nevertheless? Yes, though Melle Mel was uncredited and not featured in the video.
“Friends” was deliberate, intentional and groundbreaking on its own merit as well, Eric B & Rakim are fully credited and appeared in the video at a time when radio anti-rap.
This fact is documented in several books on Hip Hop as well as progressive music website Questlove’s Okayplayer. https://www.okayplayer.com/10-songs-from-the-late-80s-that-kicked-off-rb-and-rap-collaborations/418546 “I’m also leaving out early forced collaborations, like Chaka Khan’s cover of Prince’s “I Feel For You” with Grandmaster Melle Mel. Chaka hated it and it didn’t lead to more pairings of the sort.” – Okayplayer, Dart Adams
Six years before Mariah Carey and Ol’ Dirty Bastard set the standard for pop-meets-rap crossovers with the “Fantasy” remix, late ’80s star Jody Watley invited hip-hop duo Eric B. & Rakim to guest on her Larger Than Life single “Friends.” It resulted not only in the first top 10-charting feature for a rap artist on any single, but it also marked the legendary rap act’s sole trip together to the top 40 — the duo only scored one Hot 100 hit as lead artists, the No. 96-peaking “Juice (Know the Ledge)” in 1992 – Billboard
