"Microphone Fiend" is the second

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

released from the hip hop duo Eric B. & Rakim's second album '' Follow the Leader''. The song became a signature song for rapper

Rakim William Michael Griffin Jr. (born January 28, 1968), better known by his stage name Rakim Allah or simply Rakim (), is an American rapper and record producer. One half of golden age hip hop duo Eric B. & Rakim, he is widely regarded as one of t ...

, and

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

's Steve Huey says the song "weaves references to substance addiction throughout in explaining why Rakim can't keep away from the mic." Featuring a prominent sample of

Average White Band The Average White Band (also known as AWB) are a Scottish funk and R&B band that had a series of soul and disco hits between 1974 and 1980. They are best known for their million-selling instrumental track " Pick Up the Pieces", and their album ...

's 1975 hit "

School Boy Crush "School Boy Crush" is a song from Average White Band's 1975 album, '' Cut the Cake''. It has been heavily sampled in hip hop, rap and R&B songs such as:. #" Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg" by TLC #" Wanna B Where U R (Thisizzaluvsong)" by Floetry #"Watch M ...

", the song was further evidence of

Eric B. Louis Eric Barrier (born November 8, 1963) is an American rapper, producer and DJ for the golden age hip hop duo Eric B. & Rakim. Eric B. & Rakim's album '' Paid in Full'' was named the greatest hip hop album of all time by MTV in 2006, and ...

's fondness for soul samples and became one of the most quoted songs in hip hop. Rakim has described the song's theme as evolving from an initial concept of being in love with the microphone:

Covers

"Microphone Fiend" contains many of the elements that are often cited as having been prominent in the

golden age of hip hop Golden means made of, or relating to gold. Golden may also refer to: Places United Kingdom *Golden, in the parish of Probus, Cornwall *Golden Cap, Dorset *Golden Square, Soho, London *Golden Valley, a valley on the River Frome in Gloucestershir ...

, such as samples, record scratching, and vocal

syncopation In music, syncopation is a variety of rhythms played together to make a piece of music, making part or all of a tune or piece of music off-beat. More simply, syncopation is "a disturbance or interruption of the regular flow of rhythm": a "place ...

. The song has been covered numerous times and has become a 'standard' of hip-hop music. * The most notable cover was performed by

Rage Against the Machine Rage Against the Machine (often abbreviated as RATM or shortened to simply Rage) is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1991, the group consists of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, bassist and backing vocalist Tim Commerfor ...

for their album '' Renegades''. * It was covered by

Fun Lovin' Criminals Fun Lovin' Criminals are an American rap rock band from New York City. They are best known for their hit "Scooby Snacks", which features samples from films by Quentin Tarantino, and the song "Love Unlimited", which recalls Barry White's backing ...

and Marc & Mike Allica. *

Muse In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Muses ( grc, Μοῦσαι, Moûsai, el, Μούσες, Múses) are the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the ...

have played the Rage Against the Machine version's riff multiple times during live shows. *

Limp Bizkit Limp Bizkit is an American rap rock band from Jacksonville, Florida. Its lineup consists of lead vocalist Fred Durst, drummer John Otto, guitarist Wes Borland, turntablist DJ Lethal and bassist Sam Rivers. The band's music is marked by D ...

interpolated the song on their song "Gimme the Mic", from their album ''

Results May Vary ''Results May Vary'' is the fourth studio album by American rap rock band Limp Bizkit, released on September 23, 2003, through Flip and Interscope Records. It is the band's only release under the sole-leadership of vocalist Fred Durst after the ...

''. *

Iggy Azalea Amethyst Amelia Kelly (born 7 June 1990), known professionally as Iggy Azalea (), is an Australian rapper. At the age of 16, Azalea moved from Australia to the United States in order to pursue a career in music. Azalea earned public recognitio ...

covered the song in its entirety during her

The New Classic ''The New Classic'' is the debut studio album by Australian rapper Iggy Azalea. It was released on 21 April 2014 by Def Jam Recordings. Primarily a hip hop album, ''The New Classic'' features elements of EDM, dance-pop and trap in its producti ...

tour. * Benny Reid and Jonathan Hay covered the song as a jazz instrumental and received a co-sign from Rakim.https://hiphopdx.com/news/id.53456/title.dxclusive-rakim-gives-microphone-fiend-jazz-remix-the-ultimate-co-sign *

Radiohead Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); brothers Jonny Greenwood (lead guitar, keyboards, other instruments) and Colin Greenwood (bass) ...

have occasionally played the guitar riff of the song during various parts of their live shows. * The rapper Dirtball did a cover on the

Subnoize Souljaz Suburban Noize Records, also known as "Subnoize", is an independent record label based in Burbank, California that specializes in punk rock and hip hop music. The label was founded in 1997 by the Kottonmouth Kings' vocalist Daddy X and Kevin Zi ...

album ''Blast from the Past''. * It was heavily sampled in the G-Mix for

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, " ...

's single "

I Wanna Rock "I Wanna Rock" is a song written and composed by Dee Snider and performed by his band Twisted Sister. It was released on the 1984 album ''Stay Hungry''. Reception ''Cash Box'' called the song "an exercise in hard rocking" that doesn't break new ...

" from the album ''

Malice n Wonderland ''Malice n Wonderland'' is the tenth studio album by American rapper Snoop Dogg; it was released on December 8, 2009, by Doggystyle Records, Capitol Records and Priority Records. Production for the album took place from January 2009 to September ...

''. It samples during Snoop's first verse. * "

" by

is sampled heavily in the song and is also sampled in "

Halftime In several team sports, matches are played in two halves. Half-time (also written halftime or half time) is the name given to the interval between the two halves of the match. Typically, after half-time, teams swap ends of the field of play in or ...

" from

Nas Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones. Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to: Aviation * Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea * National Air Services, an airline in Saudi Arabia ** Nas Air ( ...

's debut album, ''

Illmatic ''Illmatic'' is the debut studio album by American rapper Nas. It was released on April 19, 1994, by Columbia Records. After signing with the label with the help of MC Serch, Nas recorded the album in 1992 and 1993 at Chung King Studios, D&D Re ...

'' and Too Short's ''Life Is...Too Short'' from the album Life Is...Too Short.

References

{{authority control 1988 singles Eric B. & Rakim songs Rage Against the Machine songs 1988 songs MCA Records singles