Videos: Rakim

Casualties Of War

Don't Sweat The Technique

Follow the Leader

Guess Who's Back

I Ain't No Joke

I Know You Got Soul

In The Ghetto

Juice

Let The Rhythm Hit 'Em

Microphone Fiend

Move The Crowd

Paid In Full

Walk These Streets

When I B On Tha Mic

William Michael Griffin Jr. (born January 28, 1968), known by his stage names Rakim (or simply Ra), Rakim Allah and R.A.K.I.M., is an American rapper. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential and most skilled emcees of all time due to his exceptional flow and complex lyrical craftsmanship.[1][2][3][4] Eric B. & Rakim's classic album Paid In Full was named the greatest hip hop album of all time by MTV.

In addition to his career as a rap artist, he is an author and a poet. Rakim's rapping, which pioneered the use of internal rhymes in hip hop, set a higher standard of lyricism in the genre and served as a template for future rappers. Rakim began his career as a emcee for part of one of the most important rap duos of the golden age hip hop era: Eric B. & Rakim.

Rakim is the nephew of American R&B singer and actress Ruth Brown. He grew up in Wyandanch, New York, and became involved in the New York hip hop scene at 18 years. Eric B. brought him to Marley Marl’s house to record "Eric B. is President." At the time Griffin was fresh out of high school and on his way to college, but he decided to forgo higher education and instead chose to record with Eric B.[1]

Griffin was introduced to the Nation of Islam in 1986, joined The Nation of Gods and Earths (also known as the 5 Percent Nation), and took the name to Rakim Allah.[5]
[edit] Rapping career

In 1986, Rakim started to work with New York-based producer-DJ Eric B. The duo — known as Eric B & Rakim -is widely regarded as among the most influential and groundbreaking of hip-hop groups.
[edit] Paid in Full

Paid in Full was the first album released by the duo. It was released July 7, 1987, on the Island-subsidiary label 4th & B'way Records. The duo recorded the album at hip hop producer Marley Marl's home studio and Power Play Studios in New York City, following Rakim's response to Eric B.'s search for a rapper to complement his disc jockey work in 1985. The album peaked at number fifty-eight on the Billboard 200 chart and produced five singles, "Eric B. Is President", "I Ain't No Joke", "I Know You Got Soul", "Move the Crowd", and "Paid in Full".

"Eric B. Is President" was released as the first single with "My Melody" as the B-side.[6] It peaked at number forty-eight on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks and number forty on the Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales.[7] The track sparked debate on the legality of unauthorized sampling when James Brown sued to prevent the duo's use of his music.[8] PopMatters' Mark Anthony Neal called it "the most danceable hip-hop recording" of 1986.[9] According to Touré of The New York Times, "It is Rakim's verbal dexterity as well as his calm, deep voice and dark tone that has made this song a rap classic: 'I came in the door/ I said it before/ I'll never let the mic magnetize me no more/ But it's bitin' me/ Fightin' me/ Invitin' me to rhyme/ I can't hold it back/ I'm looking for the line/ Takin' off my coat/ Clearin' my throat/ The rhyme will be kickin' it/ Til I hit my last note.'"[10] The second single, "I Ain't No Joke", peaked at number thirty-eight on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks.[7] Described as one of the album's "monumental singles",[11] Michael Di Bella wrote in the All Music Guide to Rock that "Rakim grabs the listener by the throat and illustrates his mastery of the rhyming craft".[12]

The third single, "I Know You Got Soul", peaked at number thirty-nine on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart, number thirty-four on the Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales, and number sixty-four on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks.[7] The track's production contains "digitized cymbal crashes, breathing sounds, and a bumping bass line."[13] The song popularized James Brown samples in hip hop songs.[14] The British band M|A|R|R|S sampled the line, "Pump up the volume", on their number one UK single, "Pump Up the Volume".[15] Rolling Stone ranked it at number 386 on "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".[16] The fourth single, "Move the Crowd", peaked at number three on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart and number twenty-five on the Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales.[7] The track's b-side, "Paid in Full", was released as a single in 1987 and later remixed by the production duo Coldcut. The remix used several vocal samples, most prominently "Im Nin'Alu" by Israeli singer Ofra Haza.[15] In 2008, the song was ranked at number twenty-four on VH1's "100 Greatest Hip Hop Songs".[17]
[edit] Follow the Leader

Follow the Leader is the second studio album by American hip hop duo Eric B. & Rakim, released July 25, 1988 on MCA-subsidiary label Uni Records. It is the follow-up to their debut album Paid in Full (1987). The album was recorded at Power Play Studios in New York City and produced, arranged, and composed by the duo, with additional contributions from Eric B.'s brother Stevie Blass Griffin.

While its singles attained moderate success, the album 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 the hip hop's "golden age", Follow the Leader 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.
[edit] Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em

Let the Rhythm Hit ’Em is the third album by groundbreaking hip-hop duo Eric B. & Rakim, released in 1990. The group's sound develops further, with Rakim adopting a deeper, more aggressive tone of voice, and more mature and serious subject matter. Musically, the production ranges from smoother soulful tracks such as "In the Ghetto" to the hard-edge assault of the title track "Let the Rhythm Hit ’Em." Despite the fact that it doesn't boast singles as popular as the duo's previous albums ("Paid in Full" and "Follow the Leader") it is considered by many to be the duo’s most coherent album. The album is one of a few that have received a 5-mic rating when it was reviewed in The Source Magazine. 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.[1], who had worked on many of the album's tracks before his murder in July 1989. Paul's protégé Large Professor completed his work. Neither receive credit in the album's notes.[18][19]
[edit] Don't Sweat the Technique and dissolution of the duo

Don't Sweat the Technique is the fourth and final album from hip hop duo Eric B. & Rakim, released in 1992. The album builds on the sounds of 1990's Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em, with Rakim sounding more aggressive than ever on top of Eric B.'s jazzy, soulful production. The title track was a minor radio hit. "Casualties of War" was also released as a single and contains some of Rakim's most political lyrics. "Know the Ledge" first appeared in the film Juice under the title "Juice (Know the Ledge)".

However, Eric B. refused to sign the label's release contract, fearful that Rakim would abandon him. This led to a long and messy court battle involving the two musicians and their former label MCA Records. The legal wrangling eventually led to the duo dissolving completely.
[edit] Solo career

He eventually returned in 1997 with The 18th Letter, which included collaborations with DJ Premier and Pete Rock; which was released in two versions, one of which included an Eric B. & Rakim greatest hits disc titled The Book of Life. The critical reception of the album was positive, and it was certified gold.

In 1999, Rakim released The Master, which received very good reviews as well.[1]
[edit] Aftermath Entertainment

Rakim was signed to Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment record label in 2000,[20] 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 numerous Aftermath projects, including the hit single "Addictive" by Truth Hurts, the Dr. Dre-produced "The Watcher Part 2" by Jay-Z, and Eminem's 8 Mile soundtrack.

However, Rakim left the label in 2003 and Oh, My God was indefinitely shelved, a result of creative differences with Dre.[21] Rakim signed with DreamWorks Records shortly afterward, but the label closed its doors shortly after that.
[edit] Other experiences

In 1995, Rakim released a previously unreleased song Called "New York to Cali." Was included in the "Unreleased Jewerls" and later appeared on a compilation called "Dirty Harry Make My Day." Although the song was always kept as a single one, without a specific album.

Rakim also made cameos in the Juelz Santana video "Mic Check," the Timbaland & Magoo video "Cop that Disc," and the Busta Rhymes video "New York Shit." In 1999, he worked with The Art of Noise on a single entitled "Metaforce".[22]

Rakim was engaged in a lawsuit with reggaeton performer R.K.M (formerly Rakim) over the use of the name "Rakim". Rakim won the rights to the name.

Recently, Rakim was featured in an All-Pro Football 2K8 commercial.
[edit] The Seventh Seal

The Seventh Seal is released November 17, 2009 after several delays on Rakim's own Ra Records, TVM, and SMC Recordings and distributed through Fontana and Universal Music Group.[23] Considered a comeback album after a ten-year gap between releases, the album features the 2 singles, Holy Are You which was released on July 14, 2009, and Walk These Streets which was released on October 7, 2009. It features production from several renowned hip hop artists, including Nottz, Needlz, Jake One, and Nick Wiz [24]

The album sold 12,000 copies in the United States by November 22, 2009, according to SoundScan.[25] Upon its release, The Seventh Seal received generally mixed or average reviews from most music critics, based on an aggregate score of 59/100 from Metacritic.[26]

In an interview with Billboard in 2007, when asked about story behind the 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 Seal deals 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.[27] ”

In an interview in early 2009, when asked about the new generation of hip hop fans, Rakim said,
“ I don't accept that the new generation is looking for anything different than what we've always been looking for. Depending on the moment, they want bangers that make them crack their neck, they want tracks that put them in a zone where they can sit back and chill. The ladies want something that makes them feel sexy and loved. And everyone wants something that makes them think a little bit-at least sometimes. Every generation wants that real hip-hop. And I've always been able to bring that.[28] ”

In another interview with Billboard in 2009, he stated,
“ The seals are from the Bible—Revelations and the coming of the Apocalypse. But Islam, Judaism, Christianity—all have a version of the same events. The Lion of Judah breaks the seven seals one by one, each imparting knowledge and inflicting catastrophe, ending with seven trumpets announcing the end of Times. After the Apocalypse, God rises from the ashes to recreate the Kingdom, taking only the greatest elements from the past with them. When you look at Hip-Hop, I want to do that: to spit fire and take our best from the ashes to build our kingdom; to recognize all the regional styles, conscious lyrics, the tracks, underground, mainstream, the way we treat each other. Lose the garbage and rebuild our scene. I've always tried to insert consciousness and spirituality in my records, interpreting the writings of all cultures and religions and how they apply to life in modern times.[29] ”
[edit] Music and style rhyme technique

Rakim's rhyming deviated from the simple rhyme patterns of early 1980s hip hop. His free-rhythm style ignored bar lines and had earned comparisons to Thelonious Monk.[6] The New York Times' Ben Ratliff wrote that Rakim's "unblustery rapping developed the form beyond the flat-footed rhythms of schoolyard rhymes".[30] While many rappers developed their technique through improvisation, Rakim was one of the first to demonstrate advantages of a writerly style, as with for instance his pioneering use of internal rhyme.[31] Unlike previous rappers such as LL Cool J, KRS-One, and Run-D.M.C., who delivered their vocals with high energy, Rakim employed a relaxed, stoic delivery.[32][33] According to MTV, "We'd been used to MCs like Run and DMC, Chuck D and KRS-One leaping on the mic shouting with energy and irreverence, but Rakim took a methodical approach to his microphone fiending. He had a slow flow, and every line was blunt, mesmeric."[34] Rakim's relaxed delivery resulted from his jazz influences; he had played the saxophone and was a John Coltrane fan.[35][6][36][37] His subject matter often covered his own rapping skills and lyrical superiority over other rappers.[38][39]

Allmusic editor Steve Huey characterized Rakim for his "complex internal rhymes, literate imagery, velvet-smooth flow, and unpredictable, off-the-beat rhythms."[40] Pitchfork Media writer Jess Harvell described his rapping as "authoritative, burnished, [and] possessing an unflappable sense of rhythm".[39] Paid in Full, which contains gritty, heavy, and dark beats,[41] marked the beginning of heavy sampling in hip hop records.[30] Of the album's ten tracks, three are instrumentals.[42] As a disc jockey, Eric B. had reinstated the art of live turntable mixing.[35] His soul-filled sampling became influential in future hip hop production.[34] Music critic Robert Christgau noted that Eric B. had incorporated "touches of horn or whistle deep in the mix" of his sampled percussion and scratches.[43]
[edit] Influence and legacy
Eric B. & Rakim's Paid in Full, known widely as one of the most influential hip hop albums of all time.

Paid in Full was released during the period in hip hop the became known as the golden age hip hop era.[44] Alex Ogg considered it the duo's magnum opus in his book The Men Behind Def Jam.[32] Rakim's rapping set a blueprint for future rappers and helped secure East Coast hip hop's reputation for innovative lyrical technique.[31][45] Author William Cobb stated in To the Break of Dawn that his rapping had "stepped outside" of the preceding era of old school hip hop and that while the vocabulary and lyrical dexterity of newer rappers had improved, it was "nowhere near what Rakim introduced to the genre".[44] The New York Times' Dimitri Ehrlich, who described the album as "an artistic and commercial benchmark", credited Rakim for helping "give birth to a musical genre" and leading "a quiet musical revolution, introducing a soft-spoken rapping style".[46] Allmusic's Steve Huey declared Paid in Full one of hip hop's most influential albums and "essential listening" for those interested in the genre's "basic musical foundations".[40] MTV ranked it at number one in "The Greatest Hip-Hop Albums of All Time", stating it raised the standards of hip hop "both sonically and poetically" and described it as "captivating, profound, innovative and instantly influential".[34] The album is broken down track-by-track by Rakim in Brian Coleman's book Check the Technique.[47]

Rolling Stone magazine listed it at number 227 on "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time", calling it "Ice-grilled, laid-back, diamond-sharp: Rakim is a front-runner in the race for Best Rapper Ever, and this album is a big reason why."[48] Similarly, Blender magazine included the album in its "500 CDs You Must Own Before You Die".[49] Time magazine listed it as one of the eighteen albums of the 1980s in its "All-TIME 100" albums; editor Alan Light acknowledged the record for changing the "sound, flow, and potential" of hip hop and that if Rakim is "the greatest MC of all time, as many argue, this album is the evidence".

Jess Harvell of Pitchfork Media complimented Rakim for an "endless display of pure skill" and described the album as "laidback and funky", but believed it contained "too much filler to get a free 'classic' pass".[39] Pitchfork Media placed Paid in Full at number fifty-two in its "Top 100 Albums of the 1980s"; editor Sam Chennault wrote that Rakim inspired a generation of MCs and "defined what it meant to be a hip-hop lyricist".[50] The rappers who have used the unique rapping style employed by Rakim (with influences from Jazz and flow relaxed), and attribute it as inspiration include GZA, and Raekwon (from the Wu-Tang Clan), Nas, Kool G. Rap, Jay-Z, The Notorious B.I.G., 2Pac, 50 Cent, Lloyd Banks, and many more.[46][51] On July 11, 1995, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified the album platinum.[52] As of December 1997, it has sold over a million copies.[46]
[edit] Musical tributes

* Tupac Shakur pays homage to Rakim in his song "Old School" he raps, "(Eric B. and) Rakim was, the shit to me".
* Phife Dawg (from the A Tribe Called Quest)- "my favorite jam back in the day was Eric B. is President" on Midnight Marauders.
* Raekwon (from the Wu-Tang Clan) dedicated a tribute to Rakim titled "Rakim Tribute," which was released on DaVinci Code: The Vatican Mixtape Vol. II in 2006.
* 50 Cent makes a reference to Rakim on his hugely successful collaborative effort "Hate It or Love It" with The Game. "Daddy ain't around, probably out committing felonies/my favorite rapper used to sing Ch-Check out my melody," referencing Eric B & Rakim's hit "My Melody".
* Shock-G paid homage to Rakim by playfully reciting lines from the Eric-B & Rakim song "I Know You Got Soul" in the Digital Underground song Doowutchyalike: "since ya came here ya gotta show & prove, and do that dance until it don't move.."
* Saul Williams mentions Rakim in the song "Twice The First Time", stating: "not until you've listened to Rakim on a rocky mountain top have you heard hip hop" and also in the song "Penny For A Thought" where he says "..., something like Rakim said. I could quote any MC, but why should I? how would it benefit me?"
* Epik High samples "Make 'em clap to this" in their song Funkdamental on their third album Swan Songs.
* Crooked I pays homage to Rakim in his hip hop supergroups "slaughterhouse" album. On the track "lyrical Murderers" crooked i states " I'm a lyrical assassin, blame Rakim"
* Kurupt references Rakim on Snoop Dogg's debut album, Doggystyle. On "For All My Niggaz and Bitches," Kurupt says, "Who's jokin'? Rakim never joked, so why should I, loc? now that's my idol...."
* Ghostface Killah references Rakim in the end of "Paisely Darts," by saying that he is better than every artist except for Rakim, referring to him as "the older god". On his album More Fish, the first track, "Ghost is Back", makes use of the beat from "Juice (Know the Ledge)". He also raps some lines from "Move the Crowd" in "Ghost Deini."
* Eminem has also paid tribute to Rakim's style as an inspiration and references lines from "My Melody"" in his song “I'm Back”. The hook in Eminem's song "The Way I Am" is a homage to the line "I'm the R, the A, to the KIM. If I wasn't then why would I say I am?" from Eric B and Rakim's "As the Rhyme Goes On".
* Nas made a similar reference in Got Ur Self A...: "I'm the N the A to the S-I-R / and If I wasn't I must've been Escobar". Also, on his Street's Disciple album, there is a track titled "U.B.R. (Unauthorized Biography of Rakim)" where he tells a short version of Rakim's musical career and life.
* Jay-Z paid tribute to Rakim in his 2007 hit "Blue Magic," where he states: "Eighty-seven state of mind that I'm in/I'm in my prime so for that time I'm Rakim." Jay also recalls Rakim's line "So easily will I E-M-C-E-E" with "So easily do I W-H-I-P."
* Killah Priest references Rakim in many of his songs. He states: "I remind you of Rakim but I'm not him."
* Scroobius Pip mentions Rakim in his song "Fixed" from the album Angles, as an example of hip hop as art, in the lines "Take it back to the start/Like KRS and Rakim use passion and heart". He also mentions him in his song "Snob".
* The Game directly refers to Rakim in the first line of the third verse of "Da Shit" by saying, "I'm the West Coast Rakim, got niggaz blocked in." He also mentions Rakim in his song "Angel" on LAX: "So I start hip-hop and I understand why Common used to love her. She got me open so I even had to fuck her. But I used the rubber, cause she was married to Rakim". The Game also refers to Rakim with the line "too close to the edge, that's what Rakim said" in the song Wake the Dead.
* David Banner refers to Rakim and his song Microphone Fiend in Westside with the lyrics "I've been rappin since Rakim but im still Fiendin'"
* Apathy pays homage to Rakim in his song "Hip Hop is Dead" on Baptism by Fire. Apathy raps, "Remember that video 'I Ain't No Joke', Rakim had a chain that'll break your neck, I'm trying to get paid in full and get that check."
* R.A. The Rugged Man references Rakim in his song "On The Block" referring to the golden age, "that's when Rakim ran shit."
* Rage Against the Machine covered the song "Microphone Fiend" as the opening song on their final album, Renegades, in 2000.
* Canibus pays homage to Rakim on his 1000-bar song "Poet Laureate Infinity", most notably with the bars "I been toe to toe with the best, I ‘Know the Ledge’" and "As odd as it may seem, the Microphone Fiend, Is God of the Hip Hop regime"
* Brother Ali calls Rakim his hero in his song "As Real As Can Be". He also references the line "I came in the door/said it before" from "Eric B is President" in his song "Whatcha Got" where he raps "I came in the door/1984".
* Drunken Tiger (South Korean hip-hop artist) features Rakim on the track "Monster" off of his 2009 album, "Feel gHood Muzik: The 8th Wonder".
* Jay-Z references Rakim in his song "Run This Town" rapping, "Please follow the leader/So Eric B. we are/Microphone fiend/It's the return of the god/Peace god..."
* Jin references Rakim in his song "It's All Over" from "The Emcee's Properganda" album with the line "y'all needa follow the leader like Rakim gave the orders"
* Nas paid tribute in his song "The World Is Yours" by saying "The fiend of hip-hop has got me stuck like a crack pipe"
* Scott Van Pelt recently said on his radio show that '...because I'm Paid in Full like Rakim'
* Saigon mentions Rakim in his song 'Hip-Hop' stating "We crown Rakim the king, cos he was calling the gods of earth that came with bling bling"
* J-Live pays tribute to Rakim in his song, Epilogue, with the line "Now you could be the next Rakim-Shakespeare/your still ten steps away from having a career."
* Maino in a collaboration with Rakim on 'walk these street'; "Chillin' on the block, then listening to Ra-kim".
* Snoop Dogg raps "Paid in Full" in the movie "Old School"
* Limp Bizkit song "My Way" samples "Check out my melody" by Rakim.
* Jurassic 5 references Rakim's line from My Melody in their song Concrete Schoolyard with the line "You shouldn't have told me/The pyramids can hold me/So now a contest is what you owe me/Pull out your beats, pull out your cuts/Give us a mic, whatup/And we goin' tear shit up."
* Tego Calderon pays homage to Rakim in his song "Boricuas NY 2" with the line "'cause we know demasiado MC/tu sabes los wannabees/un CD y se creen Rakim/know what I mean".
* Robin Thicke covered the song "Mahogany" under the title of "Mrs. Sexy" on his 2009 album Sex Therapy.
* Q-Unique mentions Rakim in his song "Crack Era" with the line "Rakim's lyrics taught me more than the teacher's scribbled chalk."
* MF Grimm refers to Rakim in his song "Together", with the line "Rakim said no mistakes allowed, so we corrected him, by disectin' him."
* LL Cool J refers to Rakim in his song "The Boomin' System" with the line "Like Rakim said: I wanna move the crowd."
* Esham mentions Rakim in his song "Stop Selling Me Drugs", referring to the album "Paid In Full."
* Former Jurassic 5 MC Soup references Rakim on DJ Z-Trip's song "Listen to the DJ" when he says the line "Your hands in the air and that's wussup, cause I'm on the mic and Z-Trip is on the cut!"

[edit] Discography
Main article: Rakim discography
[edit] With Eric B.
1987 Paid in Full
1988 Follow the Leader
1990 Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em
1992 Don't Sweat the Technique
[edit] Solo
1997 The 18th Letter
1999 The Master
2009 The Seventh Seal
[edit] Compilation albums
2008 The Archive: Live, Lost & Found