Rakim is considered a transformative figure in hip hop for raising the bar for MC technique higher than it had ever been.[1] Rakim helped to pioneer the use of internal rhymes and multisyllabic rhymes, and he was among the first to demonstrate the possibilities of sitting down to write intricately crafted lyrics packed with clever word choices and metaphors rather than the more improvisational styles and simpler rhyme patterns that predominated before him.[1] Rakim is also credited with creating the overall shift from the more simplistic old school flows to more complex flows.[2] Rapper Kool Moe Dee explained that before Rakim, the term 'flow' wasn't widely used – "Rakim is basically the inventor of flow. We were not even using the word flow until Rakim came along. It was called rhyming, it was called cadence, but it wasn't called flow. Rakim created flow!"[3]
Paid in Full was named the greatest hip hop album of all time by MTV in 2006,[4] while Rakim himself was ranked No. 4 on MTV's list of the Greatest MCs of All Time.[5] Steve Huey of AllMusic stated that "Rakim is near-universally acknowledged as one of the greatest MCs – perhaps the greatest – of all time within the hip-hop community".[6] The editors of About.com ranked him No. 2 on their list of the 'Top 50 MCs of Our Time (1987–2007)'.[7]In 2012, The Source ranked him No. 1 on their list of the "Top 50 Lyricists of All Time".[8]
William Michael Griffin Jr. was born on January 28, 1968, in Wyandanch, New York.[9] He is the nephew of the late R&B singer and actress Ruth Brown. He grew up in Wyandanch on Long Islandand wrote his first rhyme at seven years old, about the cartoon character Mickey Mouse. He initially aspired to play professional football, and was a quarterback on his high school football team.
However, after being introduced to local DJ Eric B. by his friend Alvin Toney, he began writing lyrics to fit Eric's instrumentals and chose instead to focus on a career in music. Then known as Kid Wizard, he made his first recordings live at Wyandanch High School in the year 1985.[1][10][11]
Rakim was initially introduced to the Nation of Islam in 1986; he later joined The Nation of Gods and Earths (also known as the 5 Percent Nation) and adopted the Arabic name Rakim Allah. He also chose to use “Rakim Allah” as his stage name, although it was most often shortened to simply “Rakim”.[12] During his career he has been nicknamed the "God MC" because of his acclaimed status as an MC and a reference to the "Allah" in his stage name, which is the Arabic word for God.[13][14][15]
First meeting in 1985, Eric B. and Rakim went on to release four studio albums before their separation in 1992. The duo were described by journalist Tom Terrell of NPR as "the most influential DJ/MC combo in contemporary pop music period",[16] while the editors of About.comranked them as No. 4 on their list of the 10 Greatest Hip-Hop Duos of All-Time.[17] They were nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011, although they did not make the final selection.[18]
After Rakim responded to Eric B.'s search for "New York's top MC",[19] Eric B.'s friend and roommate Marley Marl allowed them to use his home studio. The first tracks they recorded—"Eric B. Is President" and "My Melody"—were released as a single/b-side on the independent Zakia Records in 1986. After Def Jam Recordingsfounder Russell Simmons heard the single, the duo were signed to Island Records and began recording the album in Manhattan's Power Play Studios in early 1987.[19]
While its singles attained moderate success, Follow the Leader performed better on music charts than Eric B. & Rakim's debut album and reached number 22 on the U.S. Billboard Pop Albums chart. It has been certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for shipments in excess of 500,000 copies in the United States. Released during hip hop's "golden age", the album was well received by critics and has since been recognized by music writers as one of the most groundbreaking and influential hip hop albums of all time. American author William Jelani Cobb wrote of the album's significance, "On the heels of Paid in Full, Eric B. & Rakim delivered a full clip of album titled Follow the Leader in 1988. Featuring a broader spectrum of sounds than the James Brown samples that had defined the initial release, Follow the Leadersaw Rakim at his most lyrically fierce, issuing deft and death threats on such tracks as 'Microphone Fiend,' 'Lyrics of Fury,' and the nearly felonious 'No Competition.' The release marked the high point in the collaboration between the two and prefaced the long slide they faced in the 1990s."[21]
Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em, released in 1990, was Eric B. & Rakim's third album. This album saw the duo's sound develop further, with Rakim adopting a deeper, more aggressive tone of voice, as well as more mature and serious subject matter. Musically, the production ranges from smoother soulful tracks such as "In the Ghetto" to the hard-edged assault of the title track. Though it could not support singles as popular as the duo's previous albums, it is considered by many to be the duo's most coherent album. It is one of the few albums to have received a "five-mic" rating from The Source. In 1998, the album was selected as one of The Source's 100 Best Rap Albums. The back cover features a dedication to the memories of Rakim's father William and producer Paul C.,[22]who had worked on many of the album's tracks before his murder in July 1989. His protégé Large Professor completed his work. Neither receive credit in the album's notes.[23][24]
In 1992, Eric B & Rakim released their fourth and final album, Don't Sweat the Technique. The title track was a minor radio hit.[citation needed]"Casualties of War" was also released as a single. "Know the Ledge" first appeared in the film Juiceunder the title "Juice (Know the Ledge)". However, Eric B. refused to sign MCA's release contract, fearful that Rakim would abandon him. This led to a long, complicated court battle involving the two musicians and MCA. The legal wrangling eventually led to the duo dissolving completely.[1]
Rakim performing in Hamburg, Germany, June 3, 1998
After his breaking up his partnership with Eric B. in early-1993, Rakim kept a low profile, only making one notable appearance on the soundtrack to the 1993 film Gunmen. A reshuffling in MCA caused Rakim to be dropped from the label in 1994. As Rakim continued to struggle with legal problems, he secured a deal with Universal Records and began recording his solo debut album The 18th Letter in 1996. In November 1997, the album The 18th Letter was released. Expectations were high for Rakim, as the album debuted at #4 on the Billboard 200 and was certified Gold by the RIAA.
In June 1999, Rakim appeared on three tracks of "The Seduction of Claude Debussy" by Art of Noise. AllMusic's Keith Farley notes that "the album charts the artistic use of sampled breakbeats – pioneered by the Art of Noise themselves – with nods to '80s hip-hop plus their '90s equivalent, drum'n'bass."[25]
In November 1999, Rakim released The Master, which received good reviews but sold poorly.[1]
Rakim was signed to Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment record label in 2000,[26] for work on an album tentatively titled Oh, My God. The album underwent numerous changes in artistic direction and personnel and was delayed several times. While working on the album, Rakim made guest appearances on four Aftermath projects, including the hit single "Addictive" by Truth Hurtsand its remix (which featured a different Rakim verse from the main version), the Dr. Dre-produced "The Watcher Part 2" by Jay-Z, and Eminem's 8 Mile soundtrack album with the track "R.A.K.I.M".
However, Rakim left the label in 2003 and Oh, My God was indefinitely shelved.[27] After Rakim eventually left Aftermath Entertainment, he stated that the reason he departed the label was because of creative differences with Dr. Dre. Discussing the period later, Rakim discussed how he was seeking to write conscious material, while Dr. Dre was encouraging him to pursue gangsta rap narratives instead.[28][29]
Rakim at the B.B. Kings in New York, November 25, 2006Rakim at Cat's Cradle in North Carolina, 2006
Rakim retreated to his Connecticut estate to work leisurely on music. Not having released an album since 1999, he eschewed touring in favor of infrequent gigs.[30] Rakim was able to retain the tracks he had made with Dr. Dre[1] and, in 2006, announced that he would release a new studio album, The Seventh Seal.[31] The album was delayed into 2009; instead, he followed up with a live album, The Archive: Live, Lost & Found, in 2008.[1] In an interview with Billboard in 2007, when asked about story behind The Seventh Seal's title, Rakim said,
The number 7 has a lot of significance. The seventh letter of the [Supreme] alphabet is G—that stands for God. There are seven continents, seven seas.The Seventh Sealdeals with that and also some revelations in the Bible. Some call it the end of the world, but for me it's the end of the old and the beginning of the new. By me naming my album that, I'm using it metaphorically in hip hop. I'm hoping to kill the old state of hip hop and start with the new.[31]
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