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

[smokeurobinson]

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

Dude...if u dont know that the other 3 albums with Eric B have noteworthy songs.....U shouldnt be speaking. If this was 1993 and u said that around the cats around my way...someone would spit on your sneakers.


Didnt Rage against the machine redo Microphone Fiend from the 2nd album??.....If a Rock group like Rage can acknowledge but u cant that means u are the one who is not in the know.

3rd album.... Biggie jacking Mahogany for the track "I got a story to tell".........The scene in House Party when Kid is watching the fat man fuk the girl before being shot at by the fat man....."Run For Cover" starts playing when he jumps over the fence. And that song wasnt even in the soundtrack.


4th album. - Juice...the theme song to the movie that 2pac fanatics all acknowledge.

 

[The Ruler 09]

I'm confused what's going on here lol...

Someone didn't say Rakim didn't have any noticeable songs after the first album did they? Lol....

Microphone Fiend
Follow The Leader
Lyrics Of Fury
No Omega
The Punisher
Know The Ledge
Don't Sweat The Technique
Casualties Of War
Let The Rhythm Hit Em
In The Ghetto
Mahogany
The 18th Letter
Guess Who's Back
When I Be On The Mic
The Mystery
No Competition
The R
Holy Are You
R.A.K.I.M

Those are just a few and leaving out many great and classic songs.

 

[T.he I.nformant]

So, the final recap with all the reasons why Rakim fell off, in order of those I found most compelling and persuasive to those that can't be serious...

• Not reasonable or realistic to think he'd always be hot, popular, or relevant with the masses
• He can't rhyme forever and it's to his credit that he didn't release subpar music just in the vein of putting out music
• Other greats (from music or sport) didn't maintain their greatness outside of their primes but that doesn't diminish their overall greatness
• Rap game changed dramatically in mid-90s and Ra either couldn't adapt to the times OR wasn't trying too be trendy or popular
• Dr. Dre screwed him
• Bu, bu, but '87-'92...and '97
• Ra didn't diversify his portfolio with acting or some other business venture
• Ya favorite rapper wouldn't exist without Ra so bow down
• I still check for Rakim and that's all that matters {in the "it's still real to me damnit" voice}
• [Something, something]...Nas
• He was overrated in the first place because of an East Coast bias
• He missed Eric B...
• He was smoking crack...

 

[Rakim Allah]

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

He wasn't the first but he took EMCEEin, skills wise, to it's highest plateau that others after have added on to.

 

[Rakim Allah]

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

I rather see both Ra and Ricky albums in 2016.

 

[Homeboy Runny-Ray]

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

no he wasnt. thats an urban myth.

but like homie said, he took it further from point A to point B than anybody else before or after him. yea.

but he was far from the first.

- 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

you mention pac & biggie but "guess whos back" had a bigger wave than the pac & biggie singles that were out at the time. the singles they had out werent exactly setting the game on fire breh. the videos were better than the songs. meanwhile, rakim came thru with a banger. that beat was everywhere too.

back then, you didnt have to fit into any lanes to get on. you could just do you and create your own. there was lots of stuff going on. revised history tells us that hip-hop revolved around 2pac & biggie, but in reality, alot of people didnt really care for either of them like that. there was too much to choose from. its not like now, where the labels dictate everything and shove the same 10 rappers down the public's throats for 10 years while everybody else is relegated to "underground" or theyre on the radio making trash rap.

and if anything, you can say that he was in a lane. the comeback rap lane. '97-98 was a time period where alot of old school rappers came back and got a 2nd wind. rakim was amongst the top of that pile.

 

[Viva]

I am Groot!


:sasgroot:

Holy shyt this song. I haven't listened to this in years and probably never would have heard it again had you not posted it. Damn, thanks. Crazy how music just takes you back to a certain time in your life.

 

[Groot]

Holy shyt this song. I haven't listened to this in years and probably never would have heard it again had you not posted it. Damn, thanks. Crazy how music just takes you back to a certain time in your life.

:grootrejoice:

We are Groot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Booker T Garvey]

you mention pac & biggie but "guess whos back" had a bigger wave than the pac & biggie singles that were out at the time. the singles they had out werent exactly setting the game on fire breh. the videos were better than the songs. meanwhile, rakim came thru with a banger. that beat was everywhere too.

back then, you didnt have to fit into any lanes to get on. you could just do you and create your own. there was lots of stuff going on. revised history tells us that hip-hop revolved around 2pac & biggie, but in reality, alot of people didnt really care for either of them like that. there was too much to choose from. its not like now, where the labels dictate everything and shove the same 10 rappers down the public's throats for 10 years while everybody else is relegated to "underground" or theyre on the radio making trash rap.

and if anything, you can say that he was in a lane. the comeback rap lane. '97-98 was a time period where alot of old school rappers came back and got a 2nd wind. rakim was amongst the top of that pile.

hold up fam, not saying Rakim fell off or was ever WHACK or GARBAGE. let's clear that up first.

just saying, in 1997 i was in high school, and cats were moving away from that super/hyper lyrical hip hop and more to that street party shiny suit shyt. i don't even have to look it up but I know that was at the height of the shiny suit pop-hop movement.

you're right though, that was also right before RAWKUS RECORDS had a nice little run in 98-99 but by 2002 that shyt was over. but that's another discussion

 

[bigbadbossup2012]

no he wasnt. thats an urban myth.

but like homie said, he took it further from point A to point B than anybody else before or after him. yea.

but he was far from the first.





you mention pac & biggie but "guess whos back" had a bigger wave than the pac & biggie singles that were out at the time. the singles they had out werent exactly setting the game on fire breh. the videos were better than the songs. meanwhile, rakim came thru with a banger. that beat was everywhere too.

back then, you didnt have to fit into any lanes to get on. you could just do you and create your own. there was lots of stuff going on. revised history tells us that hip-hop revolved around 2pac & biggie, but in reality, alot of people didnt really care for either of them like that. there was too much to choose from. its not like now, where the labels dictate everything and shove the same 10 rappers down the public's throats for 10 years while everybody else is relegated to "underground" or theyre on the radio making trash rap.

and if anything, you can say that he was in a lane. the comeback rap lane. '97-98 was a time period where alot of old school rappers came back and got a 2nd wind. rakim was amongst the top of that pile.

smh,nikka please

 

[Homeboy Runny-Ray]

smh,nikka please

so "skys the limit" was this big huge song all a sudden?

 

[Bolzmark]

I'm an older cat so I saw the change that happened when Rakim came on the scene. Cats just wasn't rhymin like that. Best way I have heard to describe it is in rap there is "BR" - Before Rakim, and "AR" After Rakim.

 

[LandryFieldsDad]

With this train of thought as soon as a rapper retires he is no longer in the discussion

 

[bigbadbossup2012]

so "skys the limit" was this big huge song all a sudden?

Look, nikka. I fukked with that song. Purchased the album because of that song. But that shyt wasn't popping like that and sky's the limit is one of many singles from LAD. PROBABLY the weakest single from the album. nikkas are being disingenuous and it's quite sad.

 

[Homeboy Runny-Ray]

hold up fam, not saying Rakim fell off or was ever WHACK or GARBAGE. let's clear that up first.

just saying, in 1997 i was in high school, and cats were moving away from that super/hyper lyrical hip hop and more to that street party shiny suit shyt. i don't even have to look it up but I know that was at the height of the shiny suit pop-hop movement.

you're right though, that was also right before RAWKUS RECORDS had a nice little run in 98-99 but by 2002 that shyt was over. but that's another discussion

most of the street party shiny suit stuff was lyrical too.
and "guess whos back" had a somewhat jiggy vibe itself. hell iirc, the word jiggy was in the hook.

i dont know what cats youre referring to, but anybody who moves away from lyrics was never really a fan of lyrics to begin with, and more of a casual rap fan - who are not the types that this album was catered to. it was moreso a comeback album geared towards people that remembered rakim anyway.

Look, nikka. I fukked with that song. Purchased the album because of that song. But that shyt wasn't popping like that and sky's the limit is one of many singles from LAD. PROBABLY the weakest single from the album. nikkas are being disingenuous and it's quite sad.

man do you even know what youre arguing about?

i said rakim's single was poppin more than the singles that big & pac had out at the time. im not talking about every single they dropped thru the entire year.