So the MAN HIMSELF confirms it and we’re not supposed to believe him
When has Rakim ever had a history of lying
Did Dr. Dre mismanage Rakim?
- Thread starter Kabnis
- Start date
So the MAN HIMSELF confirms it and we’re not supposed to believe him
When has Rakim ever had a history of lying
The_Third_Man
Superstar
Dre mismanaged Rakim no doubt but at the same time, Rakim isn't versatile or creative enough to be honest.
I suppose it is possible that Rakim is misrepresenting what happened in order to save some face. It could be that Dre wasn't feeling what Rakim was doing and/or began to realize that it was going to be impossible for Rakim to have a multi-platinum hit. So maybe Dre didn't explicitly tell Rakim he needed to be more "gangsta."
To be honest, I was never excited about Rakim on Aftermath. Among other things, I thought:
1. Ra and Dre's styles did not seem like they would be very compatible
2. Ra didn't fit in well with the Aftermath/Dre crew. I didn't want to hear Snoop and Xzibit and Eminem on a Rakim album.
3. I had no faith that the project would ever come out
I think maybe it could have gotten to platinum (The 18th Letter went gold, and I think if you combine its sales with the double-album version The 18th Letter/The Book of Life, it was either close to Platinum or reached platinum). But yeah, it wasn't going to be as big as the releases you mentioned.
Knowing that, I always thought it was bizarre in the first place that Dre wanted to sign Rakim.
Not versatile or creative enough for what?
If you mean "versatile or creative enough to going triple platinum," then sure (although I don't think versatility or creativity would be the real obstacles).
Obviously, Rakim was a very versatile and creative MC
Awesome Wells
The Ghost of Jack Tripper
Rakim has said that they BOTH couldn't align on what the direction should've been.
He's the GOAT, he's not going to sign with a label if he doesn't agree to some degree on what the plan is. He doesn't blame Dre for the situation, so it's weird to see "fans" acting like Dre did something to mislead him. He's said mad times that they both couldn't really find a rhythm for the music they were doing. He said he had ideas that weren't working, and that Dre had ideas that weren't working. It happens in music. Both of these dudes are the GOAT's for rhyming and production. That doesn't mean that Dre was trying to turn him into a "gangsta rapper", and it doesn't mean that Rakim couldn't evolve for today's market. Sometimes ideas and styles just don't mesh.
He's the GOAT, he's not going to sign with a label if he doesn't agree to some degree on what the plan is. He doesn't blame Dre for the situation, so it's weird to see "fans" acting like Dre did something to mislead him. He's said mad times that they both couldn't really find a rhythm for the music they were doing. He said he had ideas that weren't working, and that Dre had ideas that weren't working. It happens in music. Both of these dudes are the GOAT's for rhyming and production. That doesn't mean that Dre was trying to turn him into a "gangsta rapper", and it doesn't mean that Rakim couldn't evolve for today's market. Sometimes ideas and styles just don't mesh.
Yeah, but Rakim has explicitly said that Dre wanted him to be more "gangsta"
I understand what happened. At the end of the day, it's a business, and an inability to agree on a vision for a project that Dre felt would be marketable was obviously a big part of what happened.
But I think what a lot of Rakim fans feel is that Ra is a legend and therefore Dre should have allowed him to do what he wanted to do and then put it out and promoted it. Of course, as I mentioned, that's not really fair since it is a business. But rightly or wrongly, Rakim fans are going to feel a certain way about him basically being put on the sidelines for several years with nothing ever getting released, and his entire career taking an unfortunate turn.
Awesome Wells
The Ghost of Jack Tripper
He's always said that that what he thinks Dre wanted from him. Dre never told him to be a "gangsta rapper', lol.
He said that at the time Dre was working with 50 and doing a lot of street shyt, and felt that Dre wanted him to do the same kinda shyt because they couldn't agree on the direction. Ra has always said that Dre tried to meet him in the middle, but that he decided that the situation wasn't a good match and he quit. Rakim is the GOAT, but I heard a lot of the tracks that he did on the label, that were the tracks that he wanted to push, and they weren't up to the standard of what we'd expect from a Rakim album. I wouldn't have wanted Dre to release those joints. That would've tarnished Ra's legacy.
It was a bad move from the start. The two styles were never a good fit. If anything, I always said he should've gotten with Primo for an album. But he was on Universal, and they had Dre under the umbrella right there. So he wanted to do something that would give him mad exposure. That was the mistake.
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Yeah maybe Dre woulda been satisfied with a great album on this one regardless of sales but shyt just didn't click. Rakim album with beats like The Watcher, What's The Difference, Xxplosive would be crazy though
Was listening to 2001 today and it's wild to me they couldn't make this work.
Never understood the idea Dre and Rakim styles wouldn't work together. The Watcher, Big Egos, XXXplosive, What's The Difference, Murder Ink, Bang Bang, The Message, plus Role Model, Remember Me, U Know, X, Best Of Things, Heat, If I Can't, Back Down, Higher, Start From Scratch, Don't Worry.
So many Dre tracks Ra would have have killed from that general era. Even ones it don't seem obvious, just listen to the drums. shyt he would have killed Next Episode too, you don't immediately think it's a Rakim type track but his flow would have fit perfectly.
Never understood the idea Dre and Rakim styles wouldn't work together. The Watcher, Big Egos, XXXplosive, What's The Difference, Murder Ink, Bang Bang, The Message, plus Role Model, Remember Me, U Know, X, Best Of Things, Heat, If I Can't, Back Down, Higher, Start From Scratch, Don't Worry.
So many Dre tracks Ra would have have killed from that general era. Even ones it don't seem obvious, just listen to the drums. shyt he would have killed Next Episode too, you don't immediately think it's a Rakim type track but his flow would have fit perfectly.
Rakim talks about in his book.
He was given an advance, moved his kids across the states for school - and still ended in no completed album.
Or is there a Rakim/Dre album in the vault? Anyone know?
<<TheStandard>>
I Am A God
At least we got this joint from them, shyt is piff. An album full of this would have been
The busta rhymes version of this is better IMO
