The GOD MC recently held a lecture for Red Bull Music
Academy in NYC, alongside triple OG Chairman Mao (what’s up sir!) where he
broke down his lyricism, how “Don’t Sweat the Technique” came about, getting a
lot of his inspiration from Jazz and much more. Over an hour and some change of
nothing but jewels.
Hip hop’s golden
age began in 1986, the day Rakim stepped to a microphone to record “Eric B Is
President.” Only 18 years old (though he sounded considerably more worldly),
Rakim (real name William Griffin) had a smooth, effortless flow that brought a
cool melodicism and high intelligence to the MC game—he gave both fire and ice,
set within the wiry frame of his serious features. Even those who didn’t get
the Five Percenter reference wouldn’t have bridled at his nickname, God. His
partnership with his DJ, Eric B, yielded four great albums and numerous classic
singles before Rakim split for a solo career. Despite initial success with
1997’s The 18th Letter, he endured several frustratingly fruitless years signed
to Dr Dre’s Aftermath, working on an album that never came. Now Rakim back in
his native New York, the city where his immense influence is most clearly
audible, notably in other NYC wordsmiths such as Nas. As recently as 2012, The
Source named him the greatest MC of all time.
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