Rakim Allah

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I've noticed that there's not many sites fully dedicated to Rakim on the net & I often only find brief biography's on him. But recently I found these articles that go into some detail on him/his music & it's a really good interesting read. I know some people don't know too much about him & his music so I thought i'd post this up for those who are interested. These articles only take his career up to his contract with MCA Universal though, but most of us know what has happened since then anyways (Aftermath). I know almost EVERYONE is fiending for "Oh My God" & after reading this it really gears your expectations up even more! (if thats's possible)  


The punisher, the leader, microphone fiend, no joke, just a few synonyms for Rakim Allah. KRS-One is the self-appointed "god of rap syllable," but Rakim is our popularly elected leader and manifestation of the essence of hip-hop. While some artists attempt to reinvent themselves every couple of years, Rakim maintains. He has never swayed from what he believes in, or tried to change up his steeze in order to sell more records. In his case it has nothing to do with not tinkering with a winning formula; it's about elevating and taking it to another level each time he comes out.

Rap audiences are pretty fickle, and groups come and go like fashion trends. You can be on top and be John Blaze (hot! hot! hot!), one minute and then drop out of sight and mind just like that. Ask what happened to Kriss Kross, Hammer, Big Daddy Kane and countless others who have fallen off the cliff like coyote, even with numerous comeback attempts.

Rakim got his first start in the record biz in 1986. He was in high school and his vision actually didn't involve rapping. He just wanted to play football in college and possibly get drafted. Eric B., who became his deejay and producer, brought him into the game and the two did some demos. When things started moving and a record deal was in the works, Rakim still wasn't one hundred percent convinced and didn't really want to be in a contract so at first the group was Eric B. featuring Rakim. (Early on this would spawn a little confusion as people mistakenly thought Eric was the man on the mic).

But when a song called "Eric B. for President" came out, rap would never be the same.


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"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...."


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Famous words that set off the career of the man who would be King. In an era when yelling on the mic was the order of the day (a la Run DMC and LL Cool J), in stepped this cat that was so laid back, talking about 360 degrees and breaking New York from Long Island. Rakim says they tried to get him to be more hyper on the mic but that just wasn't him. The relaxed flow would go on to become his trademark style, and leave an indelible mark on the rap world. Many wonder about the Rakim MO (modus operandi). Rakim states that his steelo (style) came from his Pops. He says his Dad was always laid back and goes on to say, "There were times he'd say something and I wouldn’t get it until years later." Sound familiar?

At the time though, Rakim had no idea how his words would manifest. He says it didn't really sink in until he heard an Eric B. and Rakim song playing on the radio. "The first time I heard it on the radio, it was like the whole world was looking at me. From that point I knew it was real and that I had to step it up." Only then did Rakim look to pursue rap professionally. Prior to that he had been rhyming in the park for years and taking part in battle conventions.


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"I'll take seven emcees/Put 'em in a line/Add seven more brothers who think they can rhyme/It'll take seven more before I go for my/That’s twenty-one brother ate up at the same time."


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Even with twenty-one emcees throwing down the gauntlet, I'd still put my chips on Ra. Got a buck, wanna bet?

Things just seemed to fall into place, as The R explains, "When I look at it now, it can't be anything but destiny. I feel Allah wanted me to do this and so I'm gonna do this until I’m gone." There are always spiritual musings woven into the fabric of a Rakim song, whether it be poignant illustrations of the inner city on a song like "The Ghetto," or the surreal journey through the galaxy on "Follow the Leader."

There are so many Rakim classics out there, but he says his favorite songs are the more underground tracks, the less accessible stuff like "The Punisher" and "Lyrics of Fury." Each album represents a different state of mind, Rakim says.

Paid in Full was the beginning, before he had the chance to see the world. On the album cover Eric B. and Rakim appear holding wads of cash and sporting Dapper Dan outfits with fat, 'dookey,' gold chains and medallions. On the title track he raps, "I used to be a stick up kid/So I think of all the devious things I did/But now I've learned to earn 'cause I’m righteous." As his career progressed, Rakim would focus less and less on the material and more on elevation and higher plains. It is a chronicle of his life, to some degree, but it is also filled with party rhymes like "Know You Got Soul," and some important guidelines for the rap game: "Weak ideas irritate the ears," and "No mistakes allowed." As he says, "Simple ain't it, but quite clever."

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Next came Follow the Leader which features some of the most incredible rhyming ever put on a record. He says this album came after he had seen the world and had a different perspective on life. "Being at a concert with 25, 000 people screaming 'Go Rakim, Go!,' that helped me reach the next level. It builds your creativity."

Next was Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em. This record was critically acclaimed and even received Five Mics from the stingy and inconsistent record reviewers at The Source. As always, Rakim was sharp like a ginsu knife and the rap world applauded. As time went on though, critics and fans alike would complain that Eric B. was losing his edge on production. To this point, he had exclusively produced most of the group's tracks and often the feeling was that his beats did not match the creativity and intensity of the rhymes. In the end it would be friction, contracts and you can be sure, money, that would lead to the demise of the group Eric B. and Rakim.

Don't Sweat the Technique also gave us a couple of gems, but it was by no means an all around classic like the albums before it. More criticism was leveled at the group for their video featuring half naked girls, with the comment being, "I thought Rakim was supposed to be righteous." This would be the last time the two would record together and Rakim plainly states on "It's Been A Long Time," "No, I ain't down with Eric B. no more."

We've all been watching and waiting, hoping that we'd hear another Rakim record, yearning for those lyrics and deep metaphors. Rakim says the best part of being gone for a while and then returning to the game is being embraced. Heads were checking real hard for the heavyweight champion of rap during his long hiatus. "People were coming up to me saying, 'When are you coming out?' That's the best part. There wasn't a day where at least ten people didn't come up to me. That made me want to go home and write."

So what took so long?

When Eric B. and Rakim split up, they each had to sign releases to let the other record as a solo artist. Well, Rakim signed a release for Eric B., but when it was time to return the favor, his former deejay and partner fronted. Getting that legal wrangle sorted out took about a year. The next problem arose with his record label. MCA had problems with their promotions staff and so they got rid of the whole department. Rakim began working with a new promotions staff, but when MCA underwent further restructuring, they got canned too. As a result, much of the material Rakim had been working on was leaked and had to be scrapped (including an earlier version of the now Pete Rock-produced "When I'm Flowin'," which at that time was called "I Get Visual").

Now that he's on MCA Universal, Rakim says everything is smooth. So what was he up to all this time? Probably thinking of a master plan, and no doubt fiendin' for a pen and a paper and of course, a microphone. He also used to deejay and says that deejaying, coupled with a love of hip-hop, kept him going during the downtime. The greatest emcee known to man also says that much of his inspiration comes from freestylin'. "I love to freestyle, that's what keeps me on point." Rakim speaks, take notes, class is in session. Emcees hear this: Rakim is on the set, run for cover or prepare for war. The ante has just been upped a notch, you can make a move, or you can sit back and watch.

Some are born great.
You can't help but wonder what inspires one like Rakim, and how he gets deeper than the Mediterranean in almost every rhyme he drops. Knowledge has always been an integral part of his rhymes. "I wanted to make respectful music, coming from a family that was musical. The first tape I made I played for my Moms and she said 'I can listen to this,' and that stayed with me. My Moms is my best critic and I wanted to make music that I could play for her." Rakim grew up with a brother that played piano, a mother who sang jazz and opera and another brother who played keyboards and the saxophone.

Some achieve greatness.
The R says that he keeps a close watch on the game of rap. "I pay attention to see where they [other artists] are at and then I try to come on a level beyond that." Rakim says the high esteem in which he is held keeps him ambitious. He breaks it down like this: "Every time a new hot emcee comes out, they compare him to me. That keeps me going and loving this. I don't dwell on my status because that would tear my head up. I try to stay humble and keep elevating." As he so correctly points out, he is the yardstick against which all emcees are measured.

Some have greatness thrust upon them.
Perhaps the only one to come close to touching his crown was Nas. When he dropped Illmatic, he was heralded as the second coming of Rakim. But after his sophomore album and a record with The Firm, maybe Nas was just the messenger, not the prophet. He was merely a harbinger, a sign that the rap game was changing phases.


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"They asked if he was the Prophet and he said, 'I am just the voice of one in the desert. I baptize with water but the one who comes after me baptizes with fire.'"

You see, the problem with pronouncing Nas King, was that Rakim wasn't ready to abdicate. I don't think even Nas would be willing to battle and throw down for the crown, at least not with The R as the title holder.

Rakim would like hip-hop to return to its essence, a feeling shared by many purists. It seems these days people get over by hopping on a trend and trying to follow the formula for a hit record. Not Rakim. "I'll always be a fan of hip-hop, but for a while, I was glad I didn't come out. When everyone's talking about cars, or whatever, it's hard for someone to take things in another direction. I did that already." He feels that right now though, everybody wants a change.

He's right. As much as the gangstas and the macks think they'll live forever, heads are checking for something new. The rap generation is roaming around like a tribe of lost followers in the desert. And as depicted in Rakim's video for "Guess Who's Back," people were waiting for the prophet, a Moses to lead them out of the wilderness. Rakim sees the change as a return to focusing on rhyme skills and so this is the perfect time for him to reemerge.

For Rakim, the best part of it all is the exposure to the new worlds that he has been able to see through the rap game. Plus it has given him "a family that consists of millions, and that makes a person stronger." At the same time this exposure has served as feedback and reinforced his rapping. Instead of just rhymes for people in his borough or New York, he explains, "When you go to different places and [hear] different types of music, you get knowledge of that and you can cater to more people. When you're rhyming in the park you have to come with different artillery. But when you're worldwide, you have to broaden your thoughts to be universal and reach a bigger audience."

Analyzing Rakim's lyrics could be a semester-long course. He switches from scalding battle rhymes to abstract concepts and then back to rumbles in the concrete jungle. In the years preceding his return, like a soldier gone off to war, no one knew for sure if he'd make it back. I was a little perturbed when I heard his not-so-scintillating creation on the Gunmen soundtrack. I had to cheer, though, when he got busy with Shaq because despite my thoughts about the skills of the big fella, Rakim ripped it on the track they did together called "Game of Death." I got amped when Rakim got down with Mobb Deep on the Hoodlum soundtrack, but until I heard "It's Been a Long Time" from the new album, I wasn't totally convinced.

The greatest emcee in the world only wants one thing: for people to remember his words. "If they remember my words, they'll remember me forever." With his classics on the lips of hip-hoppers everywhere, it looks like he's off to a good start.

[Dedicato]

His real name is William Griffin Jr. not Rakim Allah!  

www.aftermathmusic.com is looking for someone who`s writing a Rakim biography for us...

[=[Euthanasia]=]

His real name is William Griffin Jr. not Rakim Allah!  

DUH! lol, you think I don't know that. Rakim Allah is one of his aliases.

[Miuzi]

Thanks 704D, This album can't come soon enough.

[bricklayer]

yeah i read this article awhile back.......good postin 704d.......to this day i still wait for ra and nas to do a track together......i know nas admires the shit out of his....holllllllla
peace

[Hittman]

That Was A Real Dope Read 704D. Great Article....