《Follow the Leader》 is the 1988 follow-up to Eric B. & Rakim's debut album Paid in Full. Like that LP, Follow the Leader spawned no major hits at the time of its release, but is now generally recognized as one of the most groundbreaking and influential hip hop albums of all time. In 1998, the album was selected as one of The Source's 100 Best Rap Albums., and in 2005, it was ranked twelfth on comedian Chris Rock's list of the "Top 25 Hip-Hop Albums".The song, "Lyrics of Fury", was ranked number five in About.com's "Top 100 Rap Songs".
In the track, "Microphone Fiend", Rakim raps a portrait about his growth and addiction to hip hop. In 2000, Rage Against the Machine covered the song for their cover album Renegades. The Fun Lovin' Criminals also did a cover of this track in their 2001 album Loco.