Know the Ledge
# Know the Ledge

"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."

## Background

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."

Rakim also played live drums on the track.

## Music video

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

## Samples

* The main bass line is sampled from "Rise, Sally Rise" by Nat Adderley, from his 1968 release The Scavenger

## Sampling and other references

* 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).

## In popular media

The song has been featured in...

* ...the movie Fish Tank, when Mia is dancing in a deserted flat.
* ...the third season of Prison Break, in the episode "Dirt Nap", when Sammy is shadow boxing in his room to prepare for a fight.
* ...the American Dad! episode "Don't Look a Smith Horse in the Mouth", during the SUV Dramatization.
* ...promos for the television series Archer.
* ...the video game EA Skate.
* ...the DC Shoes 2003 DC video.
* ...the film High Fidelity, during a fantasy confrontation between the characters played by John Cusack and Tim Robbins.
* ...the video game BMX XXX.
* ...the video game Mat Hoffman's Pro BMX 2.
* ...the video game NBA 2K18

## Charts

### Weekly charts

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