Rakim

Released: November 3, 1999

Songwriter: Rakim

Producer: TR Love

[Verse 1]
A-yo, who's the most explosive one yet?
Year round there was one left
Who flows express rhythms drum sets ain't done yet?
Blow like a trumpet till yo eardrums are deaf
Who pose a threat?
Yo- who's more ferocious- none yet
To the night dem' set mic trends and life ends
In sight, I see the whole world through a tight lens
Rhymes I write plenz' and kept a white Benz
Spend G's like hundreds and hundreds like tens
I get paid black, but laid back with mild manners
When I flip it's the opposite of doc Bruce Banner
Out the lab with soul and melodies in your ear
And just when it all seem clear I disappear
All you gotta do is holla'
Reappear like voila
The street schola'
I'm 40 deep like Ali Baba
Give the mamas something to talk about in the beauty parlor
Keep it hot like lava
Yeah, it's Rakim Allah

[Hook]
I know you find it hard to believe that
I am the genie of the mic an
I can do anything you wish but
Right now I'm commanding you to dance

[Verse 2]
Ready to dance y'all, my magic carpet's the dance floor
Last chance y'all even if you can't ball
What part don't you understand? Your wish is my command
And I'm a rock a jam by popular demand
You gone love this, it's marvelous, baby
It gotta thug's twist-it start to get crazy
It's off the meat rack- can't keep my peeps back
Speak raps and I freak tracks for these cats
I got a fetish for puttin' together words and letters
It ain't all about the cheddars and y'all know where my head is
Ghetto scriptures for my little brothers and sisters
And still get vicious for the thugs and the Misses
What I don't do is talk about the same old thing
When I come through, I drop it, and they gone swing
I bring the ladies joy until they make crazy noise
Cuz the beat's bangin'- I'm born to blaze, baby boy

[Hook]
I know you find it hard to believe that
I am the genie of the mic an
I can do anything you wish but
Right now I'm commanding you to dance
I know you find it hard to believe that
I am the genie of the mic an
I can do anything you wish but
Right now I'm commanding you to dance

[Verse 3]
The editor, forevermore the predator
I set it off, spread a war like never before
Spit literatures like a ghetto braud raw to cause ?
'till menopause
With raw metaphors, I set it off
But I just begun the best is yet to come
Blessed with a majestic tongue since I was young
But I was stressed for funds and obsessed with guns
Test the one, let Allah protect your son
Cause I'm the musical magician, the Asiatic author
The microphone magician when I have a magic marker, a mentor
You can explore, every sentence is a tour
The inventor is more than adventure
You'll be blown away, in the zone when it play
It's so ill, I still grab the microphone and say
One of my own displays like I'm known to blaze
And I bet rhyme pays until I'm old and gray

[Hook]
I know you find it hard to believe that
I am the genie of the mic an
I can do anything you wish but
Right now I'm commanding you to dance
I know you find it hard to believe that
I am the genie of the mic an
I can do anything you wish but
Right now I'm commanding you to dance
I know you find it hard to believe that
I am the genie of the mic an
I can do anything you wish but
Right now I'm commanding you to dance
I know you find it hard to believe that
I am the genie of the mic an
I can do anything you wish but
Right now I'm commanding you to dance

The God MC, William Michael Griffin Jr. (b. January 28, 1968), known professionally as Rakim, is an American rapper representing the East Coast, hailing from Long Island, New York. Widely regarded as one of hip-hop’s most influential lyricists of all time, Rakim’s pioneering multisyllabic rhyming techniques demonstrated his lyrical superiority and helped cement his legacy.

Prior to his celebrated solo efforts, Rakim served as one half of the hip-hop duo, Eric B. & Rakim. The duo would go on to release a total of four studio albums before separating in 1992. Their 1987 debut album, Paid in Full, became a benchmark within hip-hop and inspired many future rappers, partly due to Rakim’s lyrical proficiency.

Coming off of a five-year hiatus, Rakim released his acclaimed debut solo album, The 18th Letter, in 1997. It is considered by many to be his best album, debuting at #4 on the Billboard 200 charts. Rakim’s 1999 sophomore album, The Master, received mixed reviews—it would be his last studio album for a decade until re-emerging with 2009’s, The Seventh Seal.

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