Rakim Still Rising

If ever there was a thing as shutdown rap music, it was created by Rakim when he was with Eric. The tandem known as Eric B & Rakim truly could shut down any other artist. They had such talent, their music had so much power, that no other rapper stood a chance if he dared to spit rhymes on the same state, let alone on the same stage, as Rah-Kem.

Their first single came out in 1986, entitled "Eric B is President," which went to number 48 on the charts. But perhaps one of the most important thing that this early Eric B & Rakim song did was bring the concept of sampling to the forefront. You mean sampling was new back then? If you can believe it, sampling, and even hip hop for that matter, was a new art form with a lot of experimentation still going on.

What happened with "Eric B is President" was that the legendary James Brown (please tell me you know who James Brown is) sued because some of his old beats were sampled on the track with Rah-Kem lyrics. The case went to court, and what happened was essentially James Brown lost. Why? Well, not only could Eric B & Rakim use James Brown beats from any of the old funk star's albums, but now any rap star could tap into this amazing collection of loops.

Don't Sweat the Technique

What really but the Eric B & Rakim tandem on the map was their first full album, which was released in 1987. The Eric B and Rakim record was called "Paid in Full," and from there through their next three albums, Eric B and Rah-Kem truly set a high bar for what hip hop had to sound like if it wanted to be considered good. If you listen to Rakim on any of these early albums, his delivery and smooth style sound so effortless that it has to be disheartening to folks struggling in the business to make a name for themselves.

How important and respected is Rakim? So much so that he can even take on Dr. Dre. Yes, we're getting ahead of ourselves, but in 1992, Eric B and Rakim broke up. It took five years after that, because of legal fighting between Rah-Kem and his former partner, for the first solo Rakim album to come out, "The 18th Letter." It went gold. He followed that up in 1999, with the Rakim album "The Master." This did not do as well.

But what about Dr. Dre? I'm getting there. In 2000, Rakim signed with Aftermath Entertainment, owned by Dr. Dre. He was going to put out the third solo Rakim record, called "Oh, My God." But after years of guest starring on other people's music, including Eminem, Rakin and Dr. Dre could not agree on the what this solo album should sound like. So Rakim left.

Still on the Edge

Though Rakim hasn't put out another album of original material, and his next one is still supposedly up in the air in 2008, the main point about Rakim is that his influence is still as strong as ever. Top rappers from Nas to 50 Cent, from Jay-Z to Raekwon, has produced lyrics and entire songs dedicated to how strongly they were affected by listening to Rakim lyrics-indeed, Rakim poetry.

From Rakim to Hip Hop Music