Biography
[
edit] Early life
He is the nephew of
American R&B singer, and
actress Ruth Brown. Rakim grew up in Wyandanch, New York where he developed much of his rhyming talent. Rakim became involved in the New York hip hop scene at a young age.
Eric B brought Rakim to
Marley Marl’s house to record "
Eric B. is President." Marley and
MC Shan personally knew Eric. However, they didn't know Rakim, who was fresh out of high school at the time, was on his way to college, and left to record with Eric B.
[1]When Rakim turned 16, he joined
The Nation of Gods and Earths (also known as the 5 Percent Nation), changing his name to Rakim Allah
[2].
[
edit] With Eric B.
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, due in no small part to Rakim's technical abilities. The duo’s first single, "Eric B. Is President" (#48, 1986) b/w “My Melody,” was a success and got the duo a contract with the fledgling
Island Records sub-label
4th & B'way. The duo’s next single, the smash “I Know You Got Soul,” sparked early debate on the legality of unauthorized, uncredited sampling when
James Brown sued to prevent the duo's use of a fragment of his music. Their first full album,
Paid in Full, was released in 1987, causing a stir in the hip-hop music world due to its novel sound, approach, and subject matter.
[1][
edit] Solo career
Eric B. & Rakim broke up in 1992 after releasing 3 more albums:
Follow The Leader,
Let The Rhythm Hit 'Em and
Don't Sweat The Technique. All Four of the duo's albums are now considered Hip Hop standards. Due to legal wrangling over royalties and his contracts with both his record label and with Eric B, Rakim did not release a solo album for another five years. He signed with his good friend at the time DeShamus "Q=BOB" Sallis of Q=BOB Records but the label folded shortly afterward. He then returned in 1997 with
The 18th Letter, which included collaborations with
DJ Premier and
Pete Rock; 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]Rakim was signed to
Dr. Dre's
Aftermath Entertainment record label in 2000,
[3] 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.
[4] Rakim signed with
DreamWorks Records shortly afterward, but the label closed its doors shortly after that.
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." Eric B. and Rakim's classic album
Paid In Full was named the greatest hip-hop album of all time by MTV. 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. Rakim will be doing a collaboration album with KRS-One called The Greatest Featuring The God MC and Kris Parker.
The Seventh Seal, Rakim's long-awaited album, has had release dates several times but has never been released.
[1][
edit] Legacy
Rakim pioneered a practice previously unknown to hip-hop called internal rhyming. Prior to Rakim, hip-hop music lyricism was usually rather simple from a structural standpoint and the ideas it expressed were easy and direct. Instead of two rhyming syllables within two lines at the end of the lines, as we would find in the older hip-hop style displayed above, we have 18 rhyming syllables in just four lines. Rakim also introduced a lyrical technique known as cliffhanging and popularized the use of metaphors with multiple meanings. His songs were the first to really impart hip-hop music lyrics with a serious poetic device sensibility.
[1]Many hip-hop artists (both
underground and mainstream) acknowledge a huge debt to Rakim's innovative style. He is given credit for popularizing the heavy use of internal rhymes in hip-hop—rhymes that are not necessary to the overall rhyme scheme of the verse, but occur between the endpoints of lines and stanzas, serving to increase the
alliteration,
assonance, and emphasis of the rhyme. He is also credited for the
jazzy, heavily stylistic, seemingly effortless delivery of his lyrical content.
[1][
edit] Musical tributes
Tupac Shakur also pays homage to Rakim in a song called "
Old School."
Raekwon of
Wu-Tang Clan also dedicated a tribute to Rakim titled "Rakim Tribute," which was released on DaVinci Code: The Vatican Mixtape Vol. II in 2006.
50 Cent also makes a reference to Rakim on his hugely successful collaborative effort "
Hate It or Love It" with
The Game. Fifty rhymes, "Daddy ain't around, probably out committing felonies/my favorite rapper used to sing Ch-Check out my melody," referencing Eric B. & Rakim's classic hit ¨My Melody."
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 "Someone like Rakim said - 'I could quote any MC, but why should I? how would it benefit me?'"
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 gave props to 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".
Eminem has also paid tribute to Rakim's style as an inspiration and references lines from
My Melody in his song “
I'm Back”.
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."
Killah Priest references Rakim in many of his songs. He states: "I remind you of Rakim but I'm not him".
British rapper
Scroobius Pip mentions Rakim in his song "Fixed" from the album
Angles, as an example of hiphop as art, in the lines "Take it back to the start/Like KRS and Rakim use passion and heart".
RZA Digi Snacks Last Track "who could master the rhythm to which rakim got"
Nas' Street Disciple album (Disc 2 Track 3) has a track titled U.B.R. (Unauthorized Biography of Rakim) where he tells a short version of Rakim's musical career and life.
[
edit] Discography
Main article:
Rakim discographyThe 18th Letter/The Book Of Life (1997)
The Master (1999)
The Archive: Live, Lost & Found (2008)
The Seventh Seal (2008)