Rakim Reveals His Dream Collaboration : I'd say Dr. Dre and Preemo on production with me, Nas and Jay -Z

[LevelUp]

"The legendary God MC Rakim gave an incredible performance at the 2023 Rock The Bells Festival at Forest Hills Stadium in Queens on Saturday (8/5) backed by Technician The DJ.

Ra opened his set with "Paid In Full" from his groundbreaking debut album of the same name. He then ripped through some of the biggest hits from his discography including "Don't Sweat The Technique," "Juice" (Know The Ledge)," "My Melody," Move The Crowd," "Mahogany," "The Microphone Fiend," "Eric B Is President," "I Know You Got Soul," and "I Ain't No Joke." After his incredible set, Ra shared with Rock The Bells his dream collaboration.

When asked which two MCs he'd like to collaborate with on a song and who he'd like to produce it, he gave an interesting answer after briefly pondering.

"Man that's hard one," he admitted. "I'd say Dr. Dre and Preemo on production with me, Nas and Jay [Z]."

Rakim has worked with both DJ Premier and Dr. Dre in the past, with Premier producing songs on Ra's 1997 album The 18th Letter as well as 2007's "Classic" with Kanye West, KRS-One, and Nas. Rakim worked with Dr. Dre on 2002's "Addictive" by Truth Hurts and "The Watcher 2" on Jay - Z's The Blueprint 2 The Gift & The Curse in the same year."

Rakim Reveals His Dream Collaboration

 

[Tommy Gibbs]

Rakim's my favorite rapper, but he seems like a guy that really doesn't like hip hop. As talented as he was in his prime, he just used to do the bare minimum for albums and one take his studio sessions. After leaving Eric B, his beat selection got worse and it would take him years to release one album at a time. I understand what happened between him and Eric B that stalled his career, but after that, dude must have had a lot of bread to sit back and chill without doing anything for years.

Now I don't know how true this is, but I met someone that knew Ra. He told me that Rakim doesn't like anyone hahaha. he basically said he damn near hates all other rappers. I didn't believe it, but this lines up with what Freddie Foxx said in that Rakim didn't like Nas when he first heard him as he was hanging with Large Pro(when Large Pro was producing Let the Rhythm Hit em). And I'm sure since back in the day a lot of people asked him to be on tracks, but he wasn't on anything. For the first 7 years of his career, he never collaborated with another rapper. Not one!! Only r&b singers and Barrington Levi

 

[ajnapoleon]

Jay must be paying ra to say that


No one respects jay-z pen game or music


No one brought his music


Kanye and Beyoncé kept his name out there


Did it do it right

 

[ℒℴѵℯJay ELECTUA]

 

[melraH]

Im all in for new "" Rap and dream Collabs just for the culture I would support it cause the new shyt aint it
And yeah yeah im and hating on the young bucks , but they all just formulaic and copying eachother at least the mainstream stuff is very un-original peep it since Future came through and had errbody trying to sound and dress like him and that was a decade ago its even worse now.

 

[LevelUp]

Jay must be paying ra to say that


No one respects jay-z pen game or music


No one brought his music


Kanye and Beyoncé kept his name out there


Did it do it right

 

[spliz]

Rakim's my favorite rapper, but he seems like a guy that really doesn't like hip hop. As talented as he was in his prime, he just used to do the bare minimum for albums and one take his studio sessions. After leaving Eric B, his beat selection got worse and it would take him years to release one album at a time. I understand what happened between him and Eric B that stalled his career, but after that, dude must have had a lot of bread to sit back and chill without doing anything for years.

Now I don't know how true this is, but I met someone that knew Ra. He told me that Rakim doesn't like anyone hahaha. he basically said he damn near hates all other rappers. I didn't believe it, but this lines up with what Freddie Foxx said in that Rakim didn't like Nas when he first heard him as he was hanging with Large Pro(when Large Pro was producing Let the Rhythm Hit em). And I'm sure since back in the day a lot of people asked him to be on tracks, but he wasn't on anything. For the first 7 years of his career, he never collaborated with another rapper. Not one!! Only r&b singers and Barrington Levi

I know Ra personally. He doesn’t hate rappers. He was hating on Nas tho on some ego shyt but him in Nas mad cool now and speak all the time.

 

[KingsOfKings]

Not surprising

 

[BK The Great]

Rakim already got on a song with Jay & Dre producing and rapping

 

[Billy Ocean]

I know Ra personally. He doesn’t hate rappers. He was hating on Nas tho on some ego shyt but him in Nas mad cool now and speak all the time.

And I've seen several videos with Ra with Wu members, DMX, Slick Rick, KRS and others and he seemed like he fukks with them and was smiling heavy. I don't believe one minute that he doesn't fukk with rap and other rappers. He's just Hip Hop's version of jazz music...real mellow, stoic and cool and not every rapper wants to be in the studio all the time and working with a bunch of other rappers.

 

[Ziggiy]

Rakim and Nas would’ve been legendary even in the 2000’s but we DID get Classic which was dope and I feel thats the closest we’ll get to Nas and Rakim collaborating

 

[Mike the Executioner]

And I've seen several videos with Ra with Wu members, DMX, Slick Rick, KRS and others and he seemed like he fukks with them and was smiling heavy. I don't believe one minute that he doesn't fukk with rap and other rappers. He's just Hip Hop's version of jazz music...real mellow, stoic and cool and not every rapper wants to be in the studio all the time and working with a bunch of other rappers.

Rakim just seems like a hard person to catch up with, but I never got the impression that he hated rap or other rappers. To address what @Tommy Gibbs said, Rakim takes a long time to write. DJ Premier said so. He would call Rakim wondering when the verse is coming and he would tell him he's working on it, but it wouldn't be finished for a while. After his first two solo albums, he started working with Dre and that took years away from his career because he was saving his songs for Dre, then the album never came out. I think after that experience, Rakim was burnt out by the industry which is why he's only made one album in the last twenty years.

Also, I know Rakim was upset that he wasn't asked to be on "Self Destruction" because he felt like he was one of the conscious rappers at the time and could have helped the cause. That doesn't sound like someone that doesn't want to be on songs with other rappers.

 

[Kogami]

Rakim already got on a song with Jay & Dre producing and rapping

And a song with Nas & Premier ... kinda.

 

[Awesome Wells]

Ra is one of the most chill legends you'd ever meet.

But he'll be the first to tell you that he's stubborn. He still likes things his way, and if they don’t go that way, he can be tough to work with. He's earned that right though, but it hasn't been the easiest thing for him when working with others in the business. Which is why the Aftermath situation didn't work out. He's not the best with taking direction. Marley Marl spoke about that too.

 

[Tommy Gibbs]

Rakim and Nas would’ve been legendary even in the 2000’s but we DID get Classic which was dope and I feel thats the closest we’ll get to Nas and Rakim collaborating

they did a song with Alicia Keys over the NY state of Mind beat