Rakim is one of the most influential rappers in the United States of America. The performer is part of the popular duo Eric B. & Rakim. Rakim is widely regarded as one of the most skilled MCs of all time. The rapper began his creative career back in 2011.
Childhood and youth of William Michael Griffin Jr.
Under the creative pseudonym Rakim, the name of William Michael Griffin Jr. is hidden. The boy was born on January 28, 1968 in the provincial village of Wayandanch, in Suffolk County (New York).
Like all children, he attended school. From an early age, William showed a poetic talent. Already at the age of 7, a poem about Mickey Mouse appeared from under his pen.
In addition to the fact that William was gifted with poetic talent, he had problems with the law as a teenager. At the age of 12, the young man received his first charge for illegal possession of weapons.
As a teenager, William performed under the creative pseudonym Kid Wizard. In 1985, he first shared his tracks on the high school stage in his native Wyandanche village.
The young rapper was first accepted into the Nation of Islam religious organization in 1986. A little later, he became part of the People of Gods and Lands organization. He took the name Rakim Allah.
Rakim collaboration with Eric B.
In 1986, Rakim met Eric B. During the collaboration, the guys managed to release 4 studio albums. This duet was a "breath of fresh air" for American rap at the time.
Journalist Tom Terrell of NPR described the duo as "the most influential combination of DJ and MC in pop music today." Moreover, the editors of the site About.com placed the duo in the list of "The 10 Greatest Hip-Hop Duos of All Time".
The musicians were nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011. However, the rappers never made it to the final selection.
Rakim and Eric B.'s acquaintance began when Rakim reacted to Eric B.'s announcement about finding the best MC in New York. The result of this acquaintance was the recording of the track Eric B. Is President.
This composition was recorded on the independent label Zakia Records. The duo's first track was released in 1986.
Debut album Paidin Full
After Def Jam Recordings director Russell Simmons listened to the rappers' track, the duo signed to Island Records.
The musicians began recording their debut album at Power Play Studios in Manhattan.
In 1987, the duo released their first album, Paidin Full. The compilation was so "evil" that it peaked at number 58 on the popular Billboard 200 chart.
Music lovers especially liked the tracks: Eric B. Is President, I Ain't No Joke, I Know You Got Soul, Move the Crowd and Paid in Full.
Soon the second studio album was released. The duo presented to their numerous fans the Follow the Leader compilation, which received "gold status".
Over 500 million copies of the second studio album have sold worldwide. The Follow the Leader collection was liked not only by music lovers, but also by music critics.
Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em was the popular duo's third compilation album, released in 1990, where the duo's sound was further developed - Rakim adopted a more aggressive delivery of the tracks.
In addition, fans noted the "growing up" of the performer. In the tracks, the singer began to touch on serious topics. It is noteworthy that this is one of the few compilations that received a five-mic rating from the popular magazine The Source.
Moreover, in the late 1990s, the record was chosen by The Source magazine as one of the "Top 100 Rap Albums".
In 1992, Eric B. & Rakim presented their new album Don't Sweat the Technique to fans. Subsequently, the collection became the last work in the duo's discography.
The first song of the collection was a minor radio hit. Casualties of War was also released as a single. Know the Ledge first appeared in the Juice movie titled Juice (Know the Ledge).
Eric B. didn't want to sign with MCA. He was afraid that Rakim would leave him. Eric B.'s decision led to a long and difficult legal battle involving the two musicians and MCA. The duo eventually broke up.
The beginning of the solo career of rapper Rakim
Rakim didn't leave the duo alone. He took away a significant number of fans. However, after leaving, the singer behaved as discreetly as possible and at first rarely spoiled fans with new creations.
In 1993, the rapper presented the track Heat It Up. The reshuffling at MCA played a cruel joke against the label itself. In 1994, the artist finally decided to leave the label, going on a solo "swimming".
Soon the rapper signed a contract with Universal Records. In 1996, Rakim presented his solo debut album The 18th Letter. The album was released in November 1997.
The result exceeded all expectations. The collection took 4th position on the Billboard 200 chart. Moreover, the collection received a "gold" certificate from the RIAA.
In the late 1990s, the rapper appeared on three tracks on the compilation album The Seduction of Claude Debussy by the popular band Art of Noise.
Keith Farley of All Music remarked that "the record perfectly captures the artistic use of sampled breakbeats that first appeared on Art of Noise compilations.
Around the same period of time, Rakim presented the second collection The Master. Despite the rapper's expectations, the album sold poorly. But it cannot be called completely “failed”.
Collaboration with Dr. Dre Aftermath
In 2000, the singer collaborated with the label Dr. Dre Aftermath Entertainment. Here the rapper was working on a new album. Even before the official presentation, the name of the record Oh, My God appeared.
The presentation of the mentioned collection was constantly postponed. First of all, this is due to the fact that the album's songs were subjected to adjustments. While working on the record, Rakim made guest appearances on numerous Aftermath projects.
In 2003, the singer announced that he was leaving the label. For fans of the rapper, this meant that they would not see the Oh, My God compilation anytime soon. The reason for leaving the label was Rakim's conflict with Dr. Dre.
After the artist left the label, he moved to his home in Connecticut where he worked on new songs. This period became a year of calm for the rapper. He did not give concerts and avoided various musical events.
In 2006, Rakim told fans the good news. Soon music lovers can enjoy the album The Seventh Seal. However, the rapper soon announced that the release of the album was postponed to 2009.
Instead, the singer presented the live compilation The Archive: Live, Lost & Found in 2008. The album The Seventh Seal was released in 2009.
Tracks were recorded at Rakim Ra Records, as well as TVM and SMC Recordings.
Artist after a lull ...
For 10 years, the performer was "silent" so that a really worthy record would come out. The top tracks of this album were the singles Holy Are You and Walk This Streets.
On the compilation you can hear the voices of Styles P, Jadakiss and Busta Rhymes, as well as R&B artists: Maino, IQ, Tracey Horton, Samuel Christian and Rakim's daughter, Destiny Griffin. Over 12 copies were sold in the first week of sales.
In 2012, Rakim informed fans that, in honor of the 25th anniversary of Paidin Full's duet with Eric B., the rappers would release an exclusive compilation filled with old and new tracks from the duo.
The rapper said that by the end of 2012, fans will enjoy good songs.
A year later, the rapper and DMX released a joint novelty Don't Call Me. A year later, the rapper and the legendary band Linkin Park released the musical composition Guilty All the Same.
The track was recorded on the popular label Warner Bros. records. Officially, the composition was available for download only in 2014.
In 2015, it became known that the artist was working on a new album. In addition, in one of his interviews, the singer said that the songs of the new disc will surely please his fans.
And if the collection The Seventh Seal turned out to be serious and pompous, then the new disc was light and as rosy as possible.
In 2018, the new track King's Paradise was released on the soundtrack for the second season of Luke Cage. Rakim performed the track for the first time in the Tiny Desk Concerts series.
Rakim's reunion with Eric B.
In 2016, information appeared that Eric B. and Rakim decided to work together again. The duo teased fans with a reunion tour the following morning.
The rappers conducted a survey on which cities they should visit as part of a tour.
The duo's first performance took place in July 2017 at the Apollo Theater in New York. In 2018, they announced their 17th tour of the United States of America.
Rapper Rakim today
In October 2018, Rakim presented the Best Of Rakim | The features. A year later, the rapper's discography was replenished with the Melrose collection. In 2019, new video clips of the artist appeared.
In 2020, rapper Rakim plans to devote several months to his fans. The performer will visit several countries with his concerts.
