In the annals of hip-hop history, only a select few have achieved the legendary status that would allow them to be mentioned in the same breath as Rakim Allah. Since his arrival in 1986, the Long Island native’s lyrical prowess with internal rhymes, intricate metaphors, complex flows, and multisyllabic rhyme patterns forever transformed the art of MCing. Unlike his contemporaries at the time, Rakim never yelled his rhymes. He deployed a smooth delivery that caused him to ascend to the upper echelons of the rap game, leaving an undeniable imprint on the culture.
Along with Eric B., he released Paid in Full (1987), Follow the Leader (1988), Let the Rhythm Hit ‘Em (1990), and Don’t Sweat the Technique (1992) which are all hailed as classic albums. He’s also released several solo albums such as The 18th Letter (1997), The Master (1999), and The Seventh Seal (2009) to critical acclaim.
Never one to rest on his laurels, “The God MC” is set to release his fourth solo studio album, G.O.Ds Network (REB7RTH), his first project in 15 years, which dropped on July 26th.
Rakim spoke with BET.com about his latest project, teaming up with the legendary DJ Jazzy Jeff, and why he’ll always move the crowd as a performer.
Still an in-demand artist after nearly 40 years of being in the game, Rakim shared that he still performs to thousands of fans annually at concerts and festivals nationwide.
“I’ve been doing more than 100 shows a year for a few years. I was feeding off all the energy and love that I’ve been getting from the fans,” Rakim said. “The more I toured, I saw the people’s responses, and the love that I was getting kept me going.”
His touring schedule also inspired him to return to the studio to work on the new project.
“That’s another reason why I decided to sit back, get myself together man, and get in the studio to get some work done,” Rakim said. I’ll always be in love with hip-hop. If It was up to me, hip-hop wouldn’t have any age limits and it shouldn’t be a problem for somebody who’s been in the game to get back in the studio and do their thing,” Rakim said. “I can’t shake it. I love rhyming, making beats, DJing, all the elements of hip-hop.”
After years of wanting to work together, Rakim linked up with another legend, DJ Jazzy Jeff. The dynamic duo played numerous sold-out shows and collaborated with Ravi Coltrane, son of jazz legend John Coltrane, for a performance at the Kennedy Center.
“I’ve been trying to get with Jeff for a while. I gotta keep it a buck. I didn’t know Jeff was doing beats like that until I heard him and CL Smooth one day. So I hollered at him and I was like, “Jeff, what’s going on?” He said, “That’s what I do.” We always wanted to work in the studio together and things started happening and we decided to go on the road now for some shows. Me, Jeff, and a few other brothers that are coming to the table with some heat got something nice coming out. That’s the meteor
that’s going to drop later this year.”
When asked what some of his favorite tracks were outside of his best-known hits, Rakim named “Punisher” and “Casualties of War,” where he foretold one of the most infamous incidents in US history.
“On “Casualties of War”, I zoned out on that and I was trying to tap into the minds of the soldiers over in Desert Storm at the time. I was trying to put myself in their boots and what they were experiencing,” he said. “What was so crazy about the record is that it predicted the Twin Towers getting hit.”
“When 9/11 happened, I was watching it on the news and my man called me and told me to go on AOL. The first thing that popped up was a picture of me and the towers burning. It bugged me out because it said ‘Rakim predicts the World Trade Centers getting hit.’ My hair started growing on my bald head [Laughs].”
Even the most die-hard Rakim fans may not know Rakim’s musical acumen. His aunt, legendary singer and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Ruth Brown, influenced his love of performing. He played saxophone in his high school band and even produced some of his best-known hits. With the new album, he produced every track and shared his excitement to showcase another dimension of his artistry.
“This is something I should have done a long time ago. A lot of people don’t know I produced a lot of the tracks on the early Eric B. and Rakim albums. It was something that I always did because I was making beats in my crib,” he explained. “Come to find out, I had 100 of them. So it’s dope being able to look at the music from the producer’s perspective and watch the project coming together. I got a chance to experience it and revive the hip-hop in me.”
On G.O.Ds Network, Rakim enlisted several rappers who bring their A-game to the album. One guest appearance is made by Kool G. Rap, who is on the back cover of the Paid In Full album. He spoke about the importance of working with his fellow lyrical icon.
“Me and Kool G go back to 1986. When I see him, I feel like he’s my brother. There are a lot of people that I love and respect and Kool G is one of them. He used to come on the road with me and Eric B,” Rakim said. “To get him on a project and being on the same track felt like it made the album complete. It was a blessing, man.”
“Also, Fred The Godson, rest in peace, is on the album. I first met Fred when I was at an event in Harlem like 10-12 years ago. He was definitely one of those who I love and respect and I’m glad he’s on this project,” he continued.
Setting the tone for the album, Rakim recently released “BE ILL,” the project’s first single featuring Kurupt and Masta Killa.
“It’s a dope project. I tried to take it back to the essence and at the same time with brothers who are not here with us anymore, it’s some heartfelt music on there too,” he said. “Masta Killa and Kurupt set it off on ‘BE ILL.’ I liked the way everything came together and saluted everybody that was on it. To bring all these different artists together from different walks of life and just mesh together was a blessing.”
Corralling a group of talented MCs may be difficult for some, but for the “18th Letter”, he had no issues gathering MCs for the album.
“It was kind of easy when we started reaching out. I sent my man M80 the tracks and he went out and the MCs put their ears on it. Then they picked what track they liked and everything just came together,” Rakim said. “Salute to M80 for doing all the groundwork and getting everybody together. The features are crazy. I got Snoop Dogg, DMX, Nipsey Hussle, Prodigy, Planet Asia, Sally Green, Louis King, Kobe Honeycutt, and Summer Yuki.”
Above all, Rakim wants the art he’s curated to speak for itself and he hopes that listeners will get hip-hop vibes from the music.
“With the team that we put together, hopefully, we can do a few more of these in the future and just bring back that hip-hop feel. That’s the main thing,” Rakim said. “If I was trying to make a statement, the biggest statement is that this is that feeling of hip-hop. From the beats to the energy of the album, this is hip-hop. We just wanted to put it out there and fix the scale a little bit.”
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