#HotTake...how Rakim a GOAT but go damn near two decades with NOBODY checking for him??

[Homeboy Runny-Ray]

all Ra's albums with eric b were 4mics to classic. i am isn't better than any ra album besides the master and seventh seal. the only thing you can say about Ra is that some of his fans think he was the only one to advance rapping which isn't true.

yep. especially the bolded. thats my only knock on rakim's legacy.

only one thing i differ with you on:
i am >>> 18th letter
altho, i havnt heard 18th letter in 17 years.

 

[shawntitan]

I love Rakim, but I'd much rather see a new Slick Rick album in 2016, than a new Rakim album...

 

[JayBaldacci]

yep. especially the bolded. thats my only knock on rakim's legacy.

only one thing i differ with you on:
i am >>> 18th letter
altho, i havnt heard 18th letter in 17 years.

well, he did bring that sax player vocal tone that nobody had used before. i am over 18th letter??? nah.

anyway, i recon if ra sold out he could have stayed relevant if he was able to go gold without selling out. the one time he did spit gangsta rhymes from a first person perspective felt "off" though. (that g-dep joint with kool g).

 

[Booker T Garvey]

this was a hot single back in '97 bruh.

you buggin out.

- nah, not in 1997 fam. 2pac just died, biggie was still on the charts; no limit was just starting to make a little buzz
i like RAKIM but he really wasn't trying to fit in those lanes

The video or the song. The song is classic, the video is wack.

you could be the real rakim, i'm pleading the 5th

 

[KravenMorehead™]

This is some Janet jackson "what have you done for me lately" type shyt on some real shyt

 

[The Amerikkkan Idol]

Ra didn't adapt to the materialism in hip hop.

This is about it.

Rakim has one dope album,his first one.

I am is better than any other rakim album.
You wanna pretend rakim was popping as long as nas,lmao
Spice 1's first 3 albums > rakim's easy too

 

[mson]

Surprised this thread is still going. What more needs to be said?

- nah, not in 1997 fam. 2pac just died, biggie was still on the charts; no limit was just starting to make a little buzz
i like RAKIM but he really wasn't trying to fit in those lanes





you could be the real rakim, i'm pleading the 5th

I remember that single being a banger in 97. I was impressed as a young kid that didn’t remember his prime but heard all the accolades.

 

[bigbadbossup2012]

nikkas love giving padded props to old east coasters.

 

[The Ruler 09]

Rakim was so great and so monumental that despite not releasing regularly he's still regarded as a GOAT.

 

[bigbadbossup2012]

all Ra's albums with eric b were 4mics to classic. i am isn't better than any ra album besides the master and seventh seal. the only thing you can say about Ra is that some of his fans think he was the only one to advance rapping which isn't true.

Can you name five noteworthy songs from those albums (excluding the first album)?

 

[JayBaldacci]

Can you name five noteworthy songs from those albums (excluding the first album)?

all of follow the leader is pretty noteworthy.

let the rhythm hit em(my personal favorite):the title track, no omega, step back, in the ghetto, untouchable, mahogany,

don't sweat the technique(the weakest, but still good): whats on ya mind, casualties of war,the punisher, know the ledge, title track

 

[Rakim Allah]

yep. especially the bolded. thats my only knock on rakim's legacy.

only one thing i differ with you on:
i am >>> 18th letter
altho, i havnt heard 18th letter in 17 years.

That shouldn't be a knock on his legacy because other people are ignorant. He just happened to advance EMCEEin the farthest.

Trust me, The 18th Letter takes a healthy dump on I Am.

 

[Booker T Garvey]

That shouldn't be a knock on his legacy because other people are ignorant. He just happened to advance EMCEEin the farthest.

Trust me, The 18th Letter takes a healthy dump on I Am.

Now that's a strong point, rakim was the first emcee to elevate wordplay and mic skills in the culture

 

[bigbadbossup2012]

all of follow the leader is pretty noteworthy.

let the rhythm hit em(my personal favorite):the title track, no omega, step back, in the ghetto, untouchable, mahogany,

don't sweat the technique(the weakest, but still good): whats on ya mind, casualties of war,the punisher, know the ledge, title track

Lmao,most of these songs mean nothing

 

[T.he I.nformant]

comparing different worlds.

rakim was around when rap was more of a sport and you had to legitimately stay on par musically & skills-wise to maintain relevance. and the better you were, the higher the standards. plus there were new people blowing up on a monthly basis with the game & culture changing rapidly.

as opposed to now, where you dont even have to make good music or even be good at all to maintain relevance. and aside from jingle single rappers,its virtually the same 10 rappers over & over for the past 10 years.

and then people wonder why hip-hop is dead.

people yap about jay-z & nas, but most of their chit wouldnt have made a dent in rakim's era. meanwhile, if rakim dropped say his 4th album w/ eric b in modern times, he wouldve shut the game down.





im concvinced that youre eric b's son.

in every thread, somebody has to correct you on the fact that eric b wasnt a producer or DJ.