Rakim interview is up!!!!

[E. J. Rizo]

http://www.thaformula.com/rakim_-_tha_return_of_tha_mic_god_-_part_1.htm

[Twentytwofifty]

ThaFormula.com - So you wrote the rhymes to "Paid in Full" when you were in high school?

Rakim - Oh no the rhymes for "My Melody" was written about 3 years before it came out. A lot of them rhymes was just rhymes I had on tapes. Those rhymes I used to say at the park and things like that. But everything else came after I signed and started making records.

My god  

He wrote some of the greatest verses ever when he was like 13-14 years old.

ThaFormula.com - So can you say Rakim that throughout your whole career you never lost a battle comin' up ?

Rakim - Yeah, I would say that man. Nobody never got the best of me man.

I wish Rakim really got into a real battle on wax.  Him vs. Kane would be insane.

ThaFormula.com - Now production wise Rah, how come other then the first LP you guys never did any work with other producers until you decided to go solo?

Rakim - I don't know man. I think back then like me and Marley we did a couple of joints on the solo albums I was working on, but for one reason or another the joints never came out. Like one time we did a couple of joints and the label changed they staff and the 6 or 7 or 8 records that I had got leaked into the streets. That was the New York to Cali joints and a bunch of joints. They even put one on the battle of the beats on the radio and it was just a tape. But for one reason or another some of the joints got leaked out and me and Marley didn't get a chance to hook up again. We were supposed to or would have liked to. I always liked Marley's beats. He bring's the hood out the wax. But back then me and Eric B. was so involved with what we was doing and myself I had a little formula I liked sticking to. A lot of people don't know most of the tracks on the first, second and third album I did.

Fuck, I never heard of that.  He's got unreleased songs produced by Marley Marl that leaked out?  Anyone ever see these on the internet or were some of them on that "rare and unreleased demos" pack that got ripped.

ThaFormula.com - Yeah I always wondered, was Eric B the producer and Rakim the MC?

Rakim - Nah, I did most of the tracks. It was just so much that I wanted to bring to the table as far as some of the beats I used to rhyme to in the park and just so many ideas, so we didn't really have to go outside the table. But back then a lot of people wasn't doing it. Everybody was kind of sticking to they own camp.

Shit, Ra made most of those beats too?   How come he only did one track on 2 solo albums?

[LyRiCaL_G]

whats gwarnin with kane lately??? kat was sick

[smartass]

damn i remember hearing back in the day that eric took credit for alot of beats he didn't do and marley was supposed to be the ghost producer taking care of the work..makes me believe its true now..