Eric B.

About

Louis Eric Barrier (born November 8, 1963) is an American rapper, record producer, and DJ from New York City. One half of the golden age hip hop duo Eric B. & Rakim, he formed the group in 1986 and served as its primary producer and DJ. Their debut album, Paid in Full (1987) was named the greatest hip hop album of all time by MTV in 2006, and the duo were nominated in 2011 for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Barrier played the character of officer Mike Gee on the television series Blue Bloods since 2019.

Eric B. was born Louis Eric Barrier on November 8, 1963, in East Elmhurst, Queens. He attended William Cullen Bryant High School under a basketball scholarship. “I thought of becoming a pro ball player”, he said. “But music became a priority.”

Eric B. started deejaying with his younger brother and two friends at a roller rink. He cites deejays such as DJ Vernon, King Charles, and Grandmaster Flash as early influences, recalling: “I remember sneaking out to the armories at night, sneaking out to the parties at St. Gabriel School on Astoria Boulevard”. By 1985, Eric B. worked as a DJ at the New York radio station WBLS; there, he sought to find…