William Michael Griffin Jr. (born January 28, 1968), better known by his stage name Rakim Allah or simply Rakim (), is an American rapper and record producer. One half of

golden age hip hop Golden age hip hop is a name given to mainstream hip hop music created from the mid-1980s to early-mid 1990s, particularly by artists and musicians originating from the New York metropolitan area. An outgrowth of the new school hip hop movement ...

duo Eric B. & Rakim, he is widely regarded as one of the most influential and skilled MCs of all time. Rakim is considered a transformational figure in hip hop for raising the bar for MC technique higher than it had ever been. Rakim helped to pioneer the use of internal rhymes and

multisyllabic rhymes In rapping and poetry, multisyllabic rhymes (also known as compoundEdwards, Paul, 2009, '' How to Rap: The Art & Science of the Hip-Hop MC'', Chicago Review Press, p. 87.Eminem, with Sacha Jenkins, 2008, ''The Way I Am'', Dutton Adult, p. 17.Emine ...

, 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. Rakim is also credited with creating the overall shift from the more simplistic old school flows to more complex flows. 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!" Rakim released four albums with DJ

Eric B. Louis Eric Barrier (born November 8, 1963) is an American rapper, producer and DJ for the golden age hip hop duo Eric B. & Rakim. Eric B. & Rakim's album '' Paid in Full'' was named the greatest hip hop album of all time by MTV in 2006, an ...

: '' Paid in Full'', '' Follow the Leader'', ''

Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em ''Let the Rhythm Hit ’Em'' is the third studio album by hip hop duo Eric B. & Rakim, released on June 19, 1990. The group's sound develops further, with Rakim adopting a deeper, more aggressive tone of voice, and more mature and serious subje ...

'' and '' Don't Sweat the Technique''. He has released three solo albums: '' The 18th Letter'', '' The Master'' and '' The Seventh Seal''. ''Paid in Full'' was named the greatest hip hop album of all time by

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

in 2006, while Rakim himself was ranked No. 4 on MTV's list of the Greatest MCs of All Time. Steve Huey of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Music ...

stated that "Rakim is near-universally acknowledged as one of the greatest MCs – perhaps ''the'' greatest – of all time within the hip-hop community". The editors of About.com ranked him No. 2 on their list of the 'Top 50 MCs of Our Time (1987–2007)'. In 2012, '' The Source'' ranked him No. 1 on their list of the "Top 50 Lyricists of All Time".

Early life

Rakim is the nephew of the late American R&B singer and actress

Ruth Brown Ruth Alston Brown (; January 12, 1928 – November 17, 2006) was an American singer-songwriter and actress, sometimes referred to as the " Queen of R&B". She was noted for bringing a pop music style to R&B music in a series of hit songs for At ...

. He grew up in Wyandanch, New York on

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United States and the 18 ...

. He wrote his first rhyme at seven years old, about the cartoon character

Mickey Mouse Mickey Mouse is an animated cartoon Character (arts), character co-created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks. The longtime mascot of The Walt Disney Company, Mickey is an Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic mouse who typically wears red sho ...

. He initially aspired to play professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...

. He was a

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Am ...

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. Rakim was initially introduced to the

Nation of Islam The Nation of Islam (NOI) is a religious and political organization founded in the United States by Wallace Fard Muhammad in 1930. A black nationalist organization, the NOI focuses its attention on the African diaspora, especially on African ...

in 1986; he later joined

The Nation of Gods and Earths The Five-Percent Nation, sometimes referred to as the Nation of Gods and Earths (NGE/NOGE) or the Five Percenters, is a Black nationalist movement influenced by Islam that was founded in 1964 in the Harlem section of the borough of Manhattan, ...

(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”. During his career he has been nicknamed the "God MC" because of his acclaimed status as an MC and a reference to the "

Allah Allah (; ar, الله, translit=Allāh, ) is the common Arabic word for God. In the English language, the word generally refers to God in Islam. The word is thought to be derived by contraction from '' al- ilāh'', which means "the god", a ...

" in his stage name, which is the Arabic word for God.

Career

Pairing with Eric B. (1985–1992)

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", while the editors of About.com ranked them as No. 4 on their list of the 10 Greatest Hip-Hop Duos of All-Time. They were nominated for induction into the

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and ...

in 2011, although they did not make the final selection.

1986–87: Beginnings and classic debut

After Rakim responded to Eric B.'s search for "New York's top MC",Ogg, Alex (2002). ''The Men Behind Def Jam: The Radical Rise of Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin''. p. 105. Omnibus Press. 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 Recordings Def Jam Recordings (also simply known as Def Jam) is an American multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It is based in Manhattan, New York City, specializing predominantly in hip hop, contemporary R&B, soul and pop. The l ...

founder

Russell Simmons Russell Wendell Simmons (born October 4, 1957) is an American entrepreneur, writer and record executive. He co-founded the hip-hop label Def Jam Recordings, and created the clothing fashion lines Phat Farm, Argyleculture, and Tantris. Simmons ...

heard the single, the duo were signed to

Island Records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in 1959 by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in Jamaica, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, anothe ...

and began recording the album in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

's Power Play Studios in early 1987. On July 7, 1987, the duo released their debut album, '' Paid in Full'', on the

Island An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An isla ...

-subsidiary label 4th & B'way Records. The album peaked at No. 58 on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart and produced five singles: "Eric B. Is President", "

I Ain't No Joke "I Ain't No Joke" is a song by rap duo Eric B. & Rakim, released as the second single from their debut studio album '' Paid in Full''. It peaked at number thirty-eight on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks. Described as one of the album's "monu ...

", " I Know You Got Soul", "Move the Crowd", and " Paid in Full"." _Charts_&_Awards_>_Billboard_Singles.html" ;"title="Allmusic – "Paid in Full" > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles">Allmusic – "Paid in Full" > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles. Allmusic. Accessed August 4, 2008.

1988–89: Sophomore peak

While its singles attained moderate success, ''Follow the Leader'' performed better on

music charts A record chart, in the music industry, also called a music chart, is a ranking of recorded music according to certain criteria during a given period. Many different criteria are used in worldwide charts, often in combination. These include re ...

than Eric B. & Rakim's debut album and reached number 22 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Pop Albums chart. It has been certified

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile ...

by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/ ...

for shipments in excess of 500,000 copies in the United States. Released during the 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 William Jelani Cobb (born August 21, 1969)
''Contemporary Black Biography''. Gale, 2005, updated January 4, 2007. Vi ...

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 Leader'' saw 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."

1990–92: Final albums and dissolution

'', 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., who had worked on many of the album's tracks before his murder in July 1989. His protégé

Large Professor William Paul Mitchell (born March 21, 1972), better known by the stage name of Large Professor (also Extra P. and Large Pro), is an American rapper and record producer. Based in New York City, he is known as a founding member of the underground ...

completed his work. Neither receive credit in the album's notes. In 1992, Eric B & Rakim released their fourth and final album, '' Don't Sweat the Technique''. The title track was a minor radio hit. "Casualties of War" was also released as a single. " Know the Ledge" first appeared in the film '' Juice'' under 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.

Solo-career (1993–present)

1993–2003: Legal issues, solo debut, and Aftermath stint

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 Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch–American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...

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 The ''Billboard'' 200 is a record chart ranking the 200 most popular music albums and EPs in the United States. It is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine and is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of ar ...

and was certified Gold by the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/ ...

. In June 1999, Rakim appeared on three tracks of "

The Seduction of Claude Debussy ''The Seduction of Claude Debussy'' is the fifth and final studio album by Art of Noise, released in June 1999 in the United Kingdom and the United States, and December 1999 in Japan. It features a line-up of Trevor Horn, Anne Dudley, Paul Mor ...

" by Art of Noise.

's Keith Farley notes that "the album charts the artistic use of sampled

breakbeat Breakbeat is a broad type of electronic music that tends to use drum breaks sampled from early recordings of funk, jazz, and R&B. Breakbeats have been used in styles such as hip hop, jungle, drum and bass, big beat, breakbeat hardcore, and U ...

s -- pioneered by the Art of Noise themselves -- with nods to '80s hip-hop plus their '90s equivalent, drum'n'bass." In November 1999, Rakim released '' The Master'', which received good reviews but sold poorly. Rakim was signed to

Dr. Dre Andre Romelle Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper and record producer. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and previously co-founded, co-owned, and w ...

's Aftermath Entertainment record label in 2000, 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 Addiction is a neuropsychological disorder characterized by a persistent and intense urge to engage in certain behaviors, one of which is the usage of a drug, despite substantial harm and other negative consequences. Repetitive drug use oft ...

" by Truth Hurts and its remix (which featured a different Rakim verse from the main version), the

-produced "The Watcher Part 2" by

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one o ...

, and

Eminem Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem (; often stylized as EMINƎM), is an American rapper and record producer. He is credited with popularizing Hip hop music, hip hop in Middle America (United Sta ...

'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. After Rakim eventually left Aftermath Entertainment, he stated that the reason he departed the label was because of creative differences with

. Rakim used a metaphorical example that

wanted Rakim to write about killing someone, while Rakim wanted to write about the resurrection of someone.

2007–2009: ''The seventh Seal''

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. Rakim was able to retain the tracks he had made with Dr. Dre and, in 2006, announced that he would release a new studio album, '' The Seventh Seal''. The album was delayed into 2009; instead, he followed up with a live album, '' The Archive: Live, Lost & Found'', in 2008. In an interview with ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...

'' in 2007, when asked about story behind ''The Seventh Seal''s title, Rakim said, In another interview with ''

'' in 2009, he stated, ''The Seventh Seal'' was released on November 17, 2009, after several delays on Rakim's own Ra Records, TVM, and

SMC Recordings SMC Recordings is an independent hip hop record label established in 2005 in Del Valle, Texas, by Charles Vasquez, Micheal Luna, and Saroj Thapa. SMC primarily signs and distributes established hip hop artists. SMC grew out of a vision that S ...

and distributed through

Fontana Fontana may refer to: Places Italy *Fontana Liri, comune in the Province of Frosinone *Fontanafredda, comune in the Province of Pordenone *Fontanarosa, comune in the Province of Avellino *Francavilla Fontana, comune in the Province of Brindisi * ...

and

Universal Music Group Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch–American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...

. Considered a comeback album after a ten-year gap between releases, the album features the two 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, J. Wells, Needlz, Jake One, and Nick Wiz. The album sold 12,000 copies in the United States by November 22, 2009, according to SoundScan. Upon its release, ''The Seventh Seal'' received generally mixed or average reviews from most music critics; it holds an aggregate score of 59/100 at

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...

.''The Seventh Seal'' (2009): Reviews
.

. Retrieved on November 25, 2009.

2011–present: Fourth studio-album

In 2011, Rakim performed ''Paid in Full'' in its entirety at the

Blue Note Jazz Club Blue Note Jazz Club is a jazz club and restaurant located at 131 West 3rd Street in Greenwich Village, New York City. The club was opened on September 30, 1981, by owner and founder Danny Bensusan, with the Nat Adderley Quintet being the featur ...

in New York City, in honor of the album's 25th anniversary. He was backed by

The Roots The Roots are an American hip hop band formed in 1987 by Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The Roots serve as the house band on NBC's ''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy F ...

. In 2012, Rakim announced that he and Eric B. would release a 25th anniversary edition of their 1987 album ''Paid in Full'', which would contain new tracks recorded by Eric B. & Rakim, by the end of 2012; Rakim announced he would release a new solo album by the end of 2012. He performed at the annual

Roots A root is the part of a plant, generally underground, that anchors the plant body, and absorbs and stores water and nutrients. Root or roots may also refer to: Art, entertainment, and media * ''The Root'' (magazine), an online magazine focusing ...

' Picnic in Philadelphia in June. In an interview with ''

The Detroit Free Press The ''Detroit Free Press'' is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, US. The Sunday edition is titled the ''Sunday Free Press''. It is sometimes referred to as the Freep (reflected in the paper's web address, www.freep.com). It prima ...

'' he announced he was in the studio with

Pharrell Williams Pharrell Lanscilo Williams (; born April 5, 1973) is an American record producer, rapper, singer, and songwriter. Alongside close colleague Chad Hugo, he formed the hip hop and R&B production duo the Neptunes in the early 1990s, with whom h ...

working on a new album set to be released in 2013, saying the first single will be released before the end of the year.
/ref> On September 24, 2013, he released a collaborative single with DMX (rapper), DMX entitled "Don't Call Me". In 2014, Rakim is featured on the collaborative single with American rock band

Linkin Park Linkin Park is an American rock band from Agoura Hills, California. The band's current lineup comprises vocalist/rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Mike Shinoda, lead guitarist Brad Delson, bassist Dave Farrell, DJ/turntablist Joe Hahn and drumm ...

, titled "

Guilty All the Same "Guilty All the Same" is a song by American rock band Linkin Park. The song was recorded by the band for their sixth studio album, '' The Hunting Party'', serving as the third track. The track features American rapper Rakim. The track premiered ...

". The song was released on March 6, 2014, by Warner Bros. Records as the first single from their sixth studio album, titled '' The Hunting Party''. He contributed his rhymes during the bridge for the main version of the song; however, he is not featured on the radio edit of the song. The song was officially released on March 7, 2014, for digital download. On April 27, 2015, Rakim announced he was working on a new album and planned to release it in the middle or end of 2015. He said "This is one of those albums where I can have fun. My last album, ''The Seventh Seal'', was somewhat of a conscious album. I wanted to make a statement on that album." In late-June 2018, a new song, "King's Paradise", was released on the ''Luke Cage'' season 2 soundtrack. Rakim performed the song for the first time on NPR's Tiny Desk Concerts series along with former

A Tribe Called Quest A Tribe Called Quest was an American hip hop group formed in Queens, New York City, in 1985,Q-Tip

member Ali Shaheed Muhammad and producer Adrian Younge.

Reunion with Eric B. (2016–present)

On October 20, 2016, it was announced via

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

that Rakim had reunited with Eric B. after 23 years. The duo teased a potential reunion tour the next morning, hosting a poll for the fans to give their opinion on what city Eric B. & Rakim should start the tour. Four locations were the potential candidates:

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Veg ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, and

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

. Since the announcement of the reunion, fans have speculated if the two will drop a new studio album in the near future.

Artistry

Rakim's rhyming deviated from the simple rhyme patterns of early 1980s hip hop. His free-rhythm style ignored

bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar ( ...

lines and had earned comparisons to jazz pianist

Thelonious Monk Thelonious Sphere Monk (, October 10, 1917 – February 17, 1982) was an American jazz pianist and composer. He had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire, including " 'Round Midnight", ...

. ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' Ben Ratliff wrote that Rakim's "unblustery rapping developed the form beyond the flat-footed rhythms of schoolyard rhymes".Ratliff, Ben
Review: ''Paid in Full''
. ''

''. Retrieved on October 19, 2009. 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 rhymes and

.Huey, Steve. " allmusic Rakim > Biography. Allmusic. Accessed September 5, 2008. Unlike previous rappers such as

LL Cool J James Todd Smith (born January 14, 1968), known professionally as LL Cool J (short for Ladies Love Cool James), is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He is one of the earliest rappers to achieve commercial success, along ...

KRS-One Lawrence "Kris" Parker (born August 20, 1965), better known by his stage names KRS-One (; an abbreviation of "Knowledge Reigns Supreme Over Nearly Everyone") and Teacha, is an American rapper from New York City. He rose to prominence as part of ...

, and

Run-D.M.C. Run-DMC (also spelled Run-D.M.C.) was an American hip hop group from Hollis, Queens, New York City, founded in 1983 by Joseph Simmons, Darryl McDaniels, and Jason Mizell. Run-DMC is regarded as one of the most influential acts in the history of ...

, who delivered their vocals with high energy, Rakim employed a relaxed, stoic delivery.Light, Alan (November 13, 2006).
The All-TIME 100 Albums
". ''Time'' magazine. Accessed September 29, 2008. According to

, "We'd been used to MCs like Run and DMC,

Chuck D Carlton Douglas Ridenhour (born August 1, 1960), known professionally as Chuck D, is an American rapper, best known as the leader and frontman of the hip hop group Public Enemy, which he co-founded in 1985 with Flavor Flav. Chuck D helped creat ...

and

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."MTV.com: The Greatest Hip-Hop Albums Of All Time
". MTV (2005). Accessed July 15, 2008. Rakim's relaxed delivery results from his

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

influences; he had played the

saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of Single-reed instrument, single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed (mouthpi ...

and was a

John Coltrane John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist, bandleader and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Born and raise ...

fan.Freedom duLac, Josh. (October 2, 2006).
A Stop-and-Go Hip-Hop Show
". ''The Washington Post''. Accessed September 5, 2008.Taylor, Steve (2004). ''The A to X of Alternative Music''. p. 20. Continuum International Publishing Group. Artists and critics often credit Rakim with creating the overall shift from the more simplistic old school flows to more complex flows. Kool Moe Dee says, "any emcee that came after 1986 had to study Rakim just to know what to be able to do. ..Rakim, in 1986, gave us flow and that was the rhyme style from 1986 to 1994. ..From that point on, anybody emceeing was forced to focus on their flow." Kool Moe Dee explains 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!" He adds that while Rakim upgraded and popularized the focus on flow, "he didn't invent the word". Rakim's subject matter often covered his own rapping skills and lyrical superiority over other rappers.

editor Steve Huey comments that "the majority of his lyrics concern his own skills and his

Islamic Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God (or '' Allah'') as it was revealed to Muhammad, the ma ...

faith." He also notes Rakim for his "complex internal rhymes,

compounding In the field of pharmacy, compounding (performed in compounding pharmacies) is preparation of a custom formulation of a medication to fit a unique need of a patient that cannot be met with commercially available products. This may be done for me ...

, literate imagery, velvet-smooth flow, and unpredictable, off-the-beat rhythms."Huey, Steve. Review: ''Paid in Full''

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Music ...

. Retrieved on October 19, 2009. ''Pitchfork'' writer Jess Harvell described his rapping as "authoritative, burnished, ndpossessing an unflappable sense of rhythm".

Legacy

''Paid in Full'' was released during the period that became known as

. Alex Ogg considered it the duo's magnum opus in his book ''The Men Behind Def Jam''. Rakim's rapping set a blueprint for future rappers and helped secure East Coast hip hop's reputation for innovative lyrical technique.

William Jelani Cobb William Jelani Cobb (born August 21, 1969)
''Contemporary Black Biography''. Gale, 2005, updated January 4, 2007. Vi ...

stated in his book ''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".Cobb (2006), 142. ''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".Ehrlich, Dimitri (December 7, 1997).
Recordings View ; A Rap Pioneer Defies the Odds
". ''The New York Times''. Accessed July 16, 2008. 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".

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". The album is broken down track-by-track by Rakim in Brian Coleman's book '' Check the Technique''. ''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." Similarly, '' Blender'' magazine included the album in its "500 CDs You Must Own Before You Die". ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and event (philosophy), events that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various me ...

'' 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'' 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". ''Pitchfork'' 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". The rappers who have used the unique rapping style employed by Rakim and attribute it as inspiration include GZA,

Ghostface Killah Dennis Coles (born May 9, 1970), better known by his stage name Ghostface Killah, is an American rapper and a member of the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan. After the group achieved breakthrough success in the aftermath of '' Enter the Wu-Tang (36 ...

, and

Raekwon Corey Woods (born January 12, 1970), better known by his stage name Raekwon The Chef, or simply Raekwon (), is an American rapper. He rose to prominence as a founding member of the hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan, which achieved mainstream succes ...

(from the

Wu-Tang Clan Wu-Tang Clan is an American hip hop group formed in Staten Island, New York City, in 1992. Its original members include RZA, GZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, and Masta Killa. Close aff ...

), Tupac,

Nas Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones. Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to: Aviation * Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea * National Air Services, an airline in Saudi Arabia ** Nas Air ...

Kool G. Rap Nathaniel Thomas Wilson (born July 20, 1968), better known by his stage name Kool G Rap (or simply G Rap), is an American rapper from Queens, New York City. He began his career in the mid-1980s as one half of the group Kool G Rap & DJ Polo and as ...

The Notorious B.I.G. Christopher George Latore Wallace (May 21, 1972 – March 9, 1997), better known by his stage names the Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls, or simply Biggie, was an American rapper. Rooted in East Coast hip hop and particularly gangsta ...

50 Cent Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975), known professionally as 50 Cent, is an American rapper, actor, and businessman. Born in the South Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, Jackson began pursuing a musical career in 2000, when he produced ...

, and many more. On July 11, 1995, the

(RIAA) certified the album

platinum Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver". Pla ...

.RIAA Searchable Database – Paid in Full
". Recording Industry Association of America. Accessed September 5, 2008. As of December 1997, it has sold over a million copies.

Discography

Studio albums

Solo *'' The 18th Letter'' (1997) *'' The Master'' (1999) *'' The Seventh Seal'' (2009) With Eric B. & Rakim *'' Paid in Full'' (1987) *'' Follow the Leader'' (1988) *''

'' (1990) *'' Don't Sweat the Technique'' (1992)

References

Sources * Cobb, William Jelani (2006). ''To the Break of Dawn: A Freestyle on the Hip Hop Aesthetic''. New York University Press. . *

External links

* * * * {{Authority control 1968 births Living people African-American male rappers African-American songwriters Aftermath Entertainment artists East Coast hip hop musicians Five percenters Island Records artists MCA Records artists People from Wyandanch, New York Rappers from New York (state) Universal Records artists Songwriters from New York (state) 21st-century American rappers 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century African-American musicians 20th-century African-American people American male songwriters

Early life

Career

Pairing with Eric B. (1985–1992)

1986–87: Beginnings and classic debut

1988–89: Sophomore peak

1990–92: Final albums and dissolution

Solo-career (1993–present)

1993–2003: Legal issues, solo debut, and Aftermath stint

2007–2009: ''The seventh Seal''

2011–present: Fourth studio-album

Reunion with Eric B. (2016–present)

Artistry

Legacy

Discography

Studio albums

See also

References

Further reading

External links