Rakim

Released: November 30, 1999

The state of hip-hop right now, man is the far as I see it
Umm, I think right now, hip-hop is advancing as far as scales
You got brothers, you know what I'm saying?
We got DJ's, doing all kinds of crazy shit on the turntables, so you know, hip-hop is definitely advancing
We just get flagged cause of our lyrical content
But um, I like-I like where it's going, and I like you know what I'm sayin', the creative process and where brothers is trying to take us right now

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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