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Accurate Rakim Lyrics
Accurate Rakim lyrics for research, informative, and entertainment purposes.
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Rakim is a legendary New York MC. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest MCs in rap history due to his rhyme scheme and strong voice.
It has been said by some that Rakim is the rapper that defined the turning point from oldschool to newschool hip hop...his complex rhyme style was that unique at the time.
He is the nephew of R&B star Ruth Brown and was involved in the rap scene at a young age. He converted to Islam in 1984, and in 1985, he met the Queens-based DJ Eric B.
During the 1980s, Eric B. and Rakim (Eric B. is a Bronx DJ) released a number of very influental songs to the hip hop scene. Their most famous is probably "Paid in Full", which has become a hip hop classic. It has been remixed by the British DJ collective Coldcut and sampled in Tupac's song "Hit 'Em Up".
In 1992, the duo broke up, and due to legal wrangling over royalties and his contracts with his record label and with Eric B., Rakim did not release a solo album for five years. He returned in 1997 with the album The 18th Letter, which was well received and was certified gold. The album was released in two versions, one of which included a greatest-hits package titled The Book of Life.
In 1999, he released The Master, which failed to crack the top 50 on Billboard's album chart. Soon after, Rakim was signed to Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment record label, for work on an album tentatively titled Oh My God, which was never released. Rakim left (or was dropped) from the label in 2003, citing creative differences with Dr. Dre.
Many recent rappers (both underground and mainstream) acknowledge a huge debt to Rakim's innovative style; some of his more prominent fans include Saul Williams and Nas who dedicated a song to Rakim, "U.B.R" (Unauthorized Biography of Rakim), on his album, Street's Disciple. Rakim has also recently appeared in the Juelz Santana video for "Mic Check".
Eric B. & Rakim were also credited with spurring renewed interest in classic R&B music due to their heavy sampling of such artists as James Brown.
Below are accurate Rakim lyrics to some of his most requested songs. If you have any requests for accurate lyrics to a Rakim song please feel free to email
Lyrics @ Thestateofhiphop.com.
-Rakim
Eric B. and Rakim - Follow The Leader (1988)
Eric B. and Rakim - Let The Rhythm Hit 'Em (1990)
Eric B. and Rakim - Don't Sweat The Technique (1992)
Rakim - The 18th Letter (1997)
Guess Who's Back
Rakim - The 18th Letter/The Book of Life (1997)
Rakim - The Master (1999)
Rakim - Miscellaneous
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