Intro to Rakim
Rakim is widely considered to be one of, if not the greatest emcee of all time. His consistent revolutionary demonstrations of flow and lyricism cements himself in place as one of the greats. “The chosen one, with the golden tongue” headlined the 11th Trinity International Hip Hop Festival in 2016. Rakim’s style of rapping paired with his intelligent lyricism changed hip-hop forever by demonstrating his mastery of the art form in ways never seen before.
About Rakim
Rakim Allah, born in Wyandanch, Long Island on the 28th of January 1968 as William Michael Griffin Jr., grew up in a household of music. At 16 he joined the sect of Islam called The Five-Percent Nation, taking the name Rakim Allah. At 18, a friend introduced him to radio DJ Eric B., who was looking for an emcee to rap over his beats. At the time Rakim didn’t want to sign a contract, but agreed to feature on a song. From there the two took off. The duo released their first album Paid In Full on July 7th, 1987, which is now RIAA Platinum Certified and has sold over a million copies. Many critics and rappers say it’s the best rap album of all time. The album and Rakim specifically influenced rappers 50 Cent, Wu-Tang Clan, and Nas.
Eric B. & Rakim released three more albums, all of them widely classified as groundbreaking and forever influential. Their album Follow The Leader was released in 1988, followed by Let The Rhythm Hit ‘Em in 1990, and their fourth and final album together, Don’t Sweat The Technique in 1992. The duo split after the album was released due to financial and legal disputes. In 1997 Rakim dropped his heavily anticipated comeback album The 18th Letter, debuting at number 4 on the Billboard charts. After his solo emcee debut in 1997, Rakim released two more albums, The Master in 1999 and The Seventh Seal in 2009. Both displayed the classic Rakim that kept him in the conversation as the best emcee ever. He headlined the 11th Trinity International Hip Hop Festival in 2016, performing with Joyner Lucas, and international artists from the UK, Mexico, Kenya, and Sweden. The concert was co-hosted by Maimouna Youssef and Tang Sauce. In 2019 he published his book Sweat the Technique: Revelations on Creativity from the Lyrical Genius.
Rakim’s Importance
Rakim was the first rapper to use the complex rhyme schemes and metaphors that are reminiscent of poetry in his lyrics. In the mid 1980s lyrics and rhyming tended to be simpler, the intricate rhythms and smooth flow of Rakim’s words were groundbreaking. Hip hop legend Kool Moe Dee credits Rakim for changing the sound of hip hop. “Before him there was no such thing as flow. While he didn’t invent the word, the importance of how you said your rhyme and it being defined as flow started with Rakim.” His role in inspiring a new generation of emcees and founding a now vital aspect of hip-hop proves himself as one of the greatest.