Rakim and Oh My God

[Elevz]

so you're tellin me that dre and rakim, two legendary hip hop icons, cannot release whatever the fuck they feel like?

now that sounds fucked up.....

Well, in the end, it seems they're not the ones that decide the album is ready to drop. Reading your post, makes me once again realise how good this album could have been. Let's just hope Dre and Rakim will be able to work together some time in the future, for a release on another label.

Props for your postings, Mellowman 

[mellowmanisback]

One more important thing I wanted to add to this was the additional factor that Rakim basically had to reintroduce himself to today's rap audience.  In order to do that he needed to work outside of Dre on the mixtape circuit.  Rakim wasn't ever really keen to doing mixtapes.  I'm sure that was a factor in Interscope's reluctancy to back the project more.  If you look at 50's success and Game's success they hit the mixtape circuit really hard.  Although many people like me had grown up on Rakim's music, most kids of today music buying public hadn't heard of him or didn't really care what he did in the eighty's.  Dre featured ra on a few things to get him out there, but Ra really didn't do much on his own to get himself back out there into the ears of new listener's.  Dre will work incredibly hard for his artists if those artists are willing to work harder than they ever had before.   I don't doubt Rakim's work ethic. I respect rakim SO much. I just don't know if he did enough on his own to earn Interscope's full backing.  I don't think that was fair, as Rakims catologue of music should have spoken for itself.  In the end this wasn't as big of factor as what I talked about earlier, but I don't think it helped rakim's cause either.  It's just a sad story all around.  I just want to hear Rakim again - but until he gets back on his feet and starts getting himself back out there through mixtapes and other avenues he won't be releasing an album anytime soon.  Let's just keep our fingers crossed that Rakim has the heart, the will, and the focus to make another album.  If he doesn't make that commitment soon one day it may be too late.  And that will make me very sad as I know in my heart Rakim has it in him to make a classic record.  He's just gotta make it happen.  If and when he does Dre will be waiting.   

[Twentytwofifty]

The problem with Aftermath is they expect everyone to sell 5 million copies.  Who cares if Rakim doesn't wanna do mixtapes.  His album would have gone platinium with the normal Interscope promotion anyways but that's not good enough for Jimmy I guess.

[RZARECTA]

i had heard dre was givin him wack producers and not his best stuff all the time and those 2 legends couldn't work together?  is this true?

[Don Seer]

The problem with Aftermath is they expect everyone to sell 5 million copies.

scratch that and say INTERSCOPE and you're on point...

read between the lines on mellow's posts.. he keeps saying.. "interscope won't.." NOT "aftermath" wont.. they call the shots and hold the purse strings

[Elevz]

It's true, hardly anyone these days remembers legends like Rakim. He would need some real good promotion to get back on, although I think it should have been possible for him to do. Example... Almost ANY artist out there today would want Rakim to drop a verse on their album. Drop verses on 5 different albums by popular artists and you're on. He could have used his status, being a legend, to get back on top.

I guess that's what you call creative differences. Ra didn't want to go that route to make a comeback. Interscope expected him to become a major product for the mainstream.

[dexter]

that nice

[Kal EL]

Mellow, do you think that the challenges that Rakim faced when he was on Aftermath are the same ones that other Classic Mc's that try to return to the stage face? Like let's say a Big Daddy Kane?

[dexter]

Good looking