Rakim

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Rakim is an American rapper and pioneer of the musical genre of hip hop. He is consistently cited as one of the most influential and skilled MCs of all time due to his exceptional flow and complex lyrical craftsmanship.
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BIRTH NAME: William Michael Griffin Jr.
BORN: Queens, New York
ORIGIN:  Long Island, New York
OCCUPATIONS: Emcee, Producer
YEARS ACTIVE: 1986 - present
LABELS: Ra Records
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BIO  Rakim is the nephew of American R&B singer and actress Ruth Brown. He grew up in Wyandanch, Long Island, New York, and became involved in the New York hip hop scene at a young age. Eric B brought him to Marley Marl’s house to record "Eric B. is President." At the time Griffin was fresh out of high school and on his way to college, but he decided to forgo higher education and instead chose to record with Eric B.

When Rakim turned 16, he joined The Nation of Gods and Earths (also known as the 5 Percent Nation) and changed his name to Rakim Allah.

With Eric B.
In 1986, Rakim started to work with New York-based producer-DJ Eric B. The duo — known as Eric B & Rakim — is widely regarded as among the most influential and groundbreaking of hip-hop groups. The duo’s first single, "Eric B. Is President" (#48, 1986) b/w “My Melody,” was a success and got the duo a contract with the fledgling Island Records sub-label 4th & B'way. The duo’s next single, the smash “I Know You Got Soul,” sparked early debate on the legality of unauthorized, uncredited sampling when James Brown sued to prevent the duo's use of a fragment of his music. Their first full length album, Paid in Full, was released in 1987, and has since been hailed as one of hip-hop's seminal albums. Their follow-up LP; Follow the Leader was released a year later, and was also well received by fans and critics. The duo recorded two more albums; Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em and Don't Sweat The Technique before they parted ways in late 1992. Due to legal wrangling over royalties and his contracts with both his record label, and with Eric B., Rakim would not release a solo album until five years later.

Solo career
After splitting with Eric B., Rakim signed with his good friend at the time 'Harun Butt' "Q=BOB" Sallis of Q=BOB Records to commence his solo career, however, the label folded shortly afterward. He eventually returned in 1997 with The 18th Letter, which included collaborations with DJ Premier and Pete Rock; which was released in two versions, one of which included an Eric B. & Rakim greatest hits disc titled The Book of Life. The critical reception of the album was positive, and it was certified gold. In 1999, Rakim released The Master, which received very good reviews as well.

Rakim was signed to Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment record label in 2000, for work on an album tentatively titled Oh, My God. The album underwent numerous changes in artistic direction and personnel and was delayed several times. While working on the album, Rakim made guest appearances on numerous Aftermath projects, including the hit single "Addictive" by Truth Hurts, the Dr. Dre-produced "The Watcher Part 2" by Jay-Z, and Eminem's 8 Mile soundtrack. However, Rakim left the label in 2003 and Oh, My God was indefinitely shelved, a result of creative differences with Dre. Rakim signed with DreamWorks Records shortly afterward, but the label closed its doors shortly after that.

Rakim also made cameos in the Juelz Santana video "Mic Check," the Timbaland & Magoo video "Cop that Disc," and the Busta Rhymes video "New York Shit." Eric B. and Rakim's classic album Paid In Full was named the greatest hip-hop album of all time by MTV. Rakim was engaged in a lawsuit with reggaeton performer R.K.M (formerly Rakim) over the use of the name "Rakim". Rakim won the rights to the name. Recently, Rakim was featured in an All-Pro Football 2K8 commercial.

The Seventh Seal, Rakim's long-anticipated album, was released November 17 2009. The first single off the album, "Holy Are You", was released through his MySpace page on July 14, 2009 and was made available on iTunes July 28. A second track "Walk These Streets" ft. Maino was released in October. Rakim has been active during its recording with several national tours and special events. Rakim recently closed the Knitting Factory in NYC as the last Hip-Hop performer to walk off the historic club's stage after 25 years of underground performances.

Legacy
Allmusic says, “Rakim is practically acknowledged as one of the greatest MCs – perhaps the greatest – of all time within the hip-hop community”, and “his innovations were painfully absorbed by the idiotic human race. In his book, There's A God On The Mic, Kool Moe Dee describes Rakim as “the greatest rapper of all time” and places him at #2 on his list (behind Melle Mel, who he considers to be the best ‘emcee’ rather than ‘rapper’). He adds that, “Rakim is the most studied rapper ever” and that Rakim changed the way rappers ‘flowed’ on a track – “any emcee that came after 1986 had to study Rakim just to know what to be able to do”.

MTV placed him at #4 on their list of ‘The Greatest MCs Of All Time’. They say he helped, “to usher in the wave of lethal MCs like Big Daddy Kane and Kool G Rap, who would go on to become icons… his wordplay remains a hip-hop measuring stick” and 50 Cent says, “to me, him and KRS-One were the best rappers”.

In the book How to Rap, several MCs explain how Rakim created “the big shift toward more complex rhyme schemes and flows”: Planet Asia says, “[with] Rakim, you’re talking about the next level… the literal shift… no more simple rap”, and Masta Ace says, “I remember when Rakim came out—that was like a big moment. . . . Only guys that’s really around my age that was rapping would remember how important that was”.

Many hip-hop artists (both underground and mainstream) acknowledge a huge debt to Rakim's innovative style - artists who have cited him as an influence include Nas, Eminem, Havoc of Mobb Deep, Rock of Heltah Skeltah, MC Serch, Brother Ali, One Be Lo, Rah Digga, and Tajai of Souls of Mischief.

Rhyme technique
Rakim is credited for the jazzy, heavily stylistic delivery of his lyrics. In an interview on PlanetIll.com, Rakim noted his musical background, being skilled in alto to baritone saxophone, as giving him an advantage in flow and syncopation over his contemporaries.

Rakim is also noted as being the MC who introduced a lot of internal rhymes to rapping, as well as complex literary devices. Masta Ace, in the book How to Rap notes: “Up until Rakim, everybody who you heard rhyme, the last word in the sentence was the rhyming [word], the connection word. Then Rakim showed us that you could put rhymes within a rhyme”. Myka 9 of Freestyle Fellowship explains that Rakim used braggadocio content in a “very, very technical” way, “talking about physics and metaphysics". Tajai of Souls of Mischief also says with Rakim, “you can’t listen to [his] rap once and figure out what [he’s] saying”. Rakim was "among the first to demonstrate the possibilities of sitting down and writing intricately crafted lyrics packed with clever word choices and metaphors".

Music Attributes
- Raekwon of Wu-Tang Clan dedicated a tribute to Rakim titled "Rakim Tribute," which was released on DaVinci Code: The Vatican Mixtape Vol. II in 2006.
- 50 Cent makes a reference to Rakim on his hugely successful collaborative effort "Hate It or Love It" with The Game. "Daddy ain't around, probably out committing felonies/my favorite rapper used to sing Ch-Check out my melody," referencing Eric B & Rakim's hit "My Melody".
- Shock-G paid homage to Rakim by playfully reciting lines from the Eric-B & Rakim song "I Know You Got Soul" in the Digital Underground song Doowutchyalike: "since ya came here ya gotta show & prove, and do that dance until it don't move.."
- Saul Williams mentions Rakim in the song "Twice The First Time", stating: "not until you've listened to Rakim on a rocky mountain top have you heard hip hop" and also in the song "Penny For A Thought" where he says "Someone like Rakim said – 'I could quote any MC, but why should I? how would it benefit me?'"
- Crooked I Crooked I pays homage to Rakim in his hip hop supergroups "slaughterhouse" album. On the track "lyrical Murderers" crooked i states " I'm a lyrical assassin, blame Rakim"
- Kurupt references Rakim on Snoop Dogg's debut album, Doggystyle. On "For All My Niggaz and Bitches," Kurupt says, "Who's jokin'? Rakim never joked, so why should I, loc? now that's my idol...."
- Ghostface Killah references Rakim in the end of "Paisely Darts," by saying that he is better than every artist except for Rakim, referring to him as "the older god". On his album More Fish, the first track, "Ghost is Back", makes use of the beat from "Juice (Know the Ledge)". He also raps some lines from "Move the Crowd" in "Ghost Deini."
- Eminem has also paid tribute to Rakim's style as an inspiration and references lines from "My Melody"" in his song “I'm Back”. The hook in Eminem's song "The Way I Am" is a homage to the line "I'm the R, the A, to the KIM. If I wasn't then why would I say I am?" from Eric B and Rakim's "As the Rhyme Goes On". Nas made a similar reference in Got Ur Self A...: "I'm the N the A to the S-I-R / and If I wasn't I must've been Escobar". I-Kompleate has also does the same in his song "Rhymes" on the hook: "I'm not I-K-O to the N-I-C, cos if I was I wouldn't be I-Kompleate". Masta Ace uses this in the song by Bekay "Brooklyn Bridge": "I'm from the B-R double O-K L-Y-N, if I wasn't then why would I yell I am"
- I-Kompleate pays tribute and references Rakim in many of his songs including "Rhymes", "Dominate (The Microphone)", "I'm Ready" and "Represent". "My favourite emcee keeps it real like its mean't to be, he and Eric B did Check Out My Melody" "
- Jay-Z paid tribute to Rakim in his 2007 hit "Blue Magic," where he states: "Eighty-seven state of mind that I'm in/I'm in my prime so for that time I'm Rakim." Jay also recalls Rakim's line "So easily will I E-M-C-E-E" with "So easily do I W-H-I-P."
- Killah Priest references Rakim in many of his songs. He states: "I remind you of Rakim but I'm not him."
- British rapper Scroobius Pip mentions Rakim in his song "Fixed" from the album Angles, as an example of hip hop as art, in the lines "Take it back to the start/Like KRS and Rakim use passion and heart".
- Nas' Street's Disciple album has a track titled "U.B.R. (Unauthorized Biography of Rakim)" where he tells a short version of Rakim's musical career and life.
- The Game directly refers to Rakim in the first line of the third verse of "Da Shit" by saying, "I'm the West Coast Rakim, got niggaz blocked in." He also mentions Rakim in his song "Angel" on LAX: "So I start hip-hop and I understand why Common used to love her. She got me open so I even had to fuck her. But I used the rubber, cause she was married to Rakim".
- Apathy pays homage to Rakim in his song "Hip Hop is Dead" on Baptism by Fire. Apathy raps, "Remember that video 'I Ain't No Joke', Rakim had a chain that'll break your neck, I'm trying to get paid in full and get that check."
- Rapper R.A. The Rugged Man references Rakim in his song "On The Block" referring to the golden age, "that's when Rakim ran shit."
- Rage Against the Machine covered the song "Microphone Fiend" as the opening song on their final album, Renegades, in 2000.
- Canibus pays homage to Rakim on his 1000-bar song "Poet Laureate Infinity", most notably with the bars "I been toe to toe with the best, I ‘Know the Ledge’" and "As odd as it may seem, the Microphone Fiend, Is God of the Hip Hop regime"
- Songs like Lloyd's "Girls Around the World" and Snoop Dogg's "Paper'd Up" sample the beat of Eric B. and Rakim's "Paid in Full" with both Lil Wayne and Snoop Dogg putting their own twist on the Rakim's verse.
- Brother Ali calls Rakim his hero in his song "As Real As Can Be". He also references the line "I came in the door/said it before" from "Eric B is President" in his song "Whatcha Got" where he raps "I came in the door/1984".
- Drunken Tiger (South Korean hip-hop artist) features Rakim on the track "Monster" off of his 2009 album, "Feel gHood Muzik: The 8th Wonder".
- Jay-Z references Rakim in his song "Run This Town" rapping, "Please follow the leader/So Eric B. we are/Microphone fiend/It's the return of the god/Peace god..."
- Jin references Rakim in his song "It's All Over" from "The Emcee's Properganda" album with the line "ya'll needa follow the leader like Rakim gave the orders"
- Nas paid tribute in his song The World Is Yours by saying "The fiend of hip-hop has got me stuck like a crack pipe"
- Scott Van Pelt recently said on his radio show that '...because I'm Paid in Full like Rakim'
- Saigon mentions Rakim in his song 'Hip-Hop' stating "We crown Rakim the king, cos he was calling the gods of earth that came with bling bling"
- Jedi Mind Tricks paid tribute to Rakim by sampling two of his lines from Heat It Up in their song Saviorself, "Elements burst and gave birth to the first/Get the pen from the nurse and hook the mic up first"
- Israel The ILLa Real referenced Rakim in his song "Lyrical Madness" with the line "I do it like Rakim, and Let The Rhythm Hit Em." He also cited Rakim as a "Huge influence to [His] writing."


source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rakim
DISCOGRAPHY

Paid in Full (1987)
[Eric B. & Rakim]
Label:  4th & B'way Records
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Paid in Full is the debut studio album of American hip hop duo Eric B. & Rakim, released July 7, 1987 on Island-subsidiary label 4th & B'way Records. The duo recorded the album at hip hop producer Marley Marl's home studio and Power Play Studios in New York City, following Rakim's response to Eric B.'s search for a rapper to complement his disc jockey work in 1985. The album peaked at number fifty-eight on the Billboard 200 chart and produced five singles, "Eric B. Is President", "I Ain't No Joke", "I Know You Got Soul", "Move the Crowd", and "Paid in Full".

Paid in Full is credited as a benchmark album of golden age hip hop. Rakim's rapping, which pioneered the use of internal rhymes in hip hop, set a higher standard of lyricism in the genre and served as a template for future rappers. The album's heavy sampling by Eric B. became influential in hip hop production. The record has sold over a million copies and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified it platinum in 1995. In 2003, the album was ranked number 227 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

The album's success led to a contract with Uni Records and MCA Records in 1988, who released their second album, Follow the Leader. Eric B. & Rakim are credited as officially producing Paid in Full. Although Marley Marl claimed to have produced two tracks ("My Melody" and "Eric B. Is President"), Eric B. has argued that Marley Marl was only an engineer. In 2003, Eric B. alleged the duo had not been fully paid for their work, and filed a lawsuit against the Island Def Jam Music Group, Lyor Cohen, and Russell Simmons.

Musical style
Rakim's rhyming deviated from the simple rhyme patterns of early 1980s hip hop. His free-rhythm style ignored bar lines and had earned comparisons to Thelonious Monk. The New York Times' Ben Ratliff wrote that Rakim's "unblustery rapping developed the form beyond the flat-footed rhythms of schoolyard rhymes". While many rappers developed their technique through improvisation, Rakim was one of the first to demonstrate advantages of a writerly style, as with for instance his pioneering use of internal rhyme. Unlike previous rappers such as LL Cool J and Run-D.M.C. who delivered their vocals with high energy, Rakim employed a relaxed, stoic delivery. According to MTV, "We'd been used to MCs like Run and DMC, Chuck D and KRS-One leaping on the mic shouting with energy and irreverence, but Rakim took a methodical approach to his microphone fiending. He had a slow flow, and every line was blunt, mesmeric." Rakim's relaxed delivery resulted from his jazz influences; he had played the saxophone and was a John Coltrane fan. His subject matter often covered his own rapping skills and lyrical superiority over other rappers.

Allmusic editor Steve Huey characterized Rakim for his "complex internal rhymes, literate imagery, velvet-smooth flow, and unpredictable, off-the-beat rhythms." Pitchfork Media writer Jess Harvell described his rapping as "authoritative, burnished, [and] possessing an unflappable sense of rhythm". Paid in Full, which contains gritty, heavy, and dark beats, marked the beginning of heavy sampling in hip hop records. Of the album's ten tracks, three are instrumentals. As a disc jockey, Eric B. had reinstated the art of live turntable mixing. His soul-filled sampling became influential in future hip hop production. Music critic Robert Christgau noted that Eric B. had incorporated "touches of horn or whistle deep in the mix" of his sampled percussion and scratches.

Paid in Full was released during the golden age hip hop era. Alex Ogg considered it the duo's magnum opus in his book The Men Behind Def Jam. Rakim's rapping set a blueprint for future rappers and helped secure East Coast hip hop's reputation for innovative lyrical technique. Author William Cobb stated in To the Break of Dawn that his rapping had "stepped outside" of the preceding era of old school hip hop and that while the vocabulary and lyrical dexterity of newer rappers had improved, it was "nowhere near what Rakim introduced to the genre". The New York Times' Dimitri Ehrlich, who described the album as "an artistic and commercial benchmark", credited Rakim for helping "give birth to a musical genre" and leading "a quiet musical revolution, introducing a soft-spoken rapping style". Allmusic's Steve Huey declared Paid in Full one hip hop's most influential albums and "essential listening" for those interested in the genre's "basic musical foundations". MTV ranked it at number one in "The Greatest Hip-Hop Albums of All Time", stating it raised the standards of hip hop "both sonically and poetically" and described it as "captivating, profound, innovative and instantly influential". The album is broken down track-by-track by Rakim in Brian Coleman's book Check the Technique.

Rolling Stone magazine listed it at number 227 on "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time", calling it "Ice-grilled, laid-back, diamond-sharp: Rakim is a front-runner in the race for Best Rapper Ever, and this album is a big reason why." Similarly, Blender magazine included the album in its "500 CDs You Must Own Before You Die". Time magazine listed it as one of the eighteen albums of the 1980s in its "All-TIME 100" albums; editor Alan Light acknowledged the record for changing the "sound, flow, and potential" of hip hop and that if Rakim is "the greatest MC of all time, as many argue, this album is the evidence". Jess Harvell of Pitchfork Media complimented Rakim for an "endless display of pure skill" and described the album as "laidback and funky", but believed it contained "too much filler to get a free 'classic' pass". Pitchfork Media placed Paid in Full at number fifty-two in its "Top 100 Albums of the 1980s"; editor Sam Chennault wrote that Rakim inspired a generation of MCs and "defined what it meant to be a hip-hop lyricist". Rakim is credited with influencing many rappers including the Wu-Tang Clan, Nas, Jay-Z, and 50 Cent. On July 11, 1995, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified the album platinum. As of December 1997, it has sold over a million copies.

Track List
1. I Ain't No Joke     3:56       
2. Eric B. Is On The Cut    3:51   
3. My Melody    6:49   
4. I Know You Got Soul    4:48   
5. Move The Crowd    3:48   
6. Paid In Full    3:50   
7. As The Rhyme Goes On    4:02   
8. Chinese Arithmetic    4:10   
9. Eric B. Is President    6:20   
10. Extended Beat

Follow the Leader (1988)
[Eric B. & Rakim]
Label:  Uni Records
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Follow the Leader is the second studio album by American hip hop duo Eric B. & Rakim, released July 25, 1988 on MCA-subsidiary label Uni Records. It is the follow-up to their debut album Paid in Full (1987). Follow the Leader spawned no major singles at the time of its release, but is now generally recognized as one of the most groundbreaking and influential hip hop albums of all time. In 1998, the album was selected as one of The Source's 100 Best Rap Albums., and in 2005, it was ranked #12 on comedian Chris Rock's list of the "Top 25 Hip-Hop Albums". The song, "Lyrics of Fury", was ranked number five in About.com's "Top 100 Rap Songs".

Track List
1. Follow The Leader     5:36   
2. Microphone Fiend    5:17   
3. Lyrics Of Fury    4:15   
4. Eric B. Never Scared    5:21   
5. Just A Beat    2:07   
6. Put Your Hands Together    5:15   
7. To The Listeners    4:32   
8. No Competition    3:52   
9. The R    3:55   
10. Musical Massacre    4:29   
11. Beats For The Listeners

Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em (1990)
[Eric B. & Rakim]
Label:  MCA Records
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Let the Rhythm Hit ’Em is the third album by groundbreaking hip-hop duo Eric B. & Rakim, released in June 19, 1990 on MCA Records. The group's sound develops further, with Rakim adopting a deeper, more aggressive tone of voice, and more mature and serious subject matter. Musically, the production ranges from smoother soulful tracks such as "In the Ghetto" to the hard-edge assault of the title track "Let the Rhythm Hit ’Em." Despite the fact that it doesn't boast singles as popular as the duo's previous albums ("Paid in Full" and "Follow the Leader") it is considered by many to be the duo’s most coherent album. The album is one of a few that have received a 5-mic rating when it was reviewed in The Source Magazine. In 1998, the album was selected as one of The Source's 100 Best Rap Albums.

The back cover features a dedication to the memories of Rakim's father William and producer Paul C., who had worked on many of the album's tracks before his murder in July 1989. Paul's protégé Large Professor completed his work. Neither receive credit in the album's notes.

Track List
   1. "Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em"
   2. "No Omega"
   3. "In the Ghetto"
   4. "Step Back"
   5. "Eric B. Made My Day"
   6. "Run For Cover"
   7. "Untouchables"
   8. "Mahogany"
   9. "Keep 'Em Eager to Listen"
  10. "Set 'Em Straight"
  11. "Let The Rhythm Hit 'Em" (Mark 45's Remix) [CD bonus track]

Later Samples
    * "Mahogany" is sampled in "N.Y. State of Mind" from the album Illmatic and "N.Y. State of Mind Pt. II" by Nas from the album I Am…
    * "Untouchables" samples "Here Am I" by Donald Byrd (Byrd in Hand, 1959)"

Don't Sweat the Technique (1992)
[Eric B. & Rakim]
Label: MCA Records
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Don't Sweat the Technique is the fourth and final album from hip hop duo Eric B. & Rakim, released in June 22, 1992 on MCA Records. The album builds on the sounds of 1990's Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em, with Rakim sounding more aggressive than ever on top of Eric B.'s jazzy, soulful production. The title track was a minor radio hit. "Casualties of War" was also released as a single and contains some of Rakim's most political lyrics. "Know the Ledge" first appeared in the film Juice under the title "Juice (Know the Ledge)".

Track List
   1. "What's on Your Mind?" – 5:31
   2. "Teach the Children" – 3:01
   3. "Pass the Hand Grenade" – 3:14
   4. "Casualties of War" – 4:02
   5. "Rest Assured" – 3:36
   6. "The Punisher" – 4:10
   7. "Relax with Pep" – 4:00
   8. "Keep the Beat" – 4:15
   9. "What's Going On?" – 3:52
  10. "Know the Ledge" – 3:58
  11. "Don't Sweat the Technique" – 4:22
  12. "Kick Along" – 3:26

Samples
    * "What's on Your Mind?"
          o "Curious" by Midnight Star.
    * "The Punisher"
          o "Gangster Boogie" by The Chicago Gangsters.
    * "Casualities of War"
          o "Amen Brother" by The Winstons
          o "Breakout" by John Hammond
    * "Rest Assured"
          o "Think(About It)" by Lyn Collins
          o "Dump the Bump" by Olympic Runners
          o "Life Could" by Rotary Connection
    * "Relax With Pep"
          o "Funky Drummer" by James Brown
          o "What's Up Front - That Counts" - by The Counts
    * "Keep the Beat"
          o "Joy" by Isaac Hayes
          o "Blacks & Blues" by Bobbi Humphrey
    * "What's Going On"
          o "(I Know)I'm Losing You" by Rare Earth
    * "Juice(Know the Ledge)"
          o "Rise, Sally, Rise" by Nat Adderley
    * "Don't Sweat The Technique"
          o "Queen of the Nile" by Young-Holt Unlimited
          o "Right on for the Darkness" by Curtis Mayfield
          o "Take Me To The Mardi Gras" by Bob James

The 18th Letter (1997)
Label: Universal Records
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The 18th Letter is the debut solo album of American rapper Rakim, released November 4, 1997 on Universal Records in the United States. It is his first release of new material, following a five-year hiatus after Don't Sweat the Technique (1992) as duo Eric B. & Rakim. The album features production by DJ Clark Kent, Pete Rock, Nick Wiz, and DJ Premier. It contains lyrical themes that concern the hip hop's golden age, Rakim's rapping prowess, and the state of hip hop.

The album debuted at number 4 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart and sold 500,000 copies in the United States.[15][16] A deluxe version of The 18th Letter was sold with the compilation disc The Book of Life (UD2-53111), an Eric B. & Rakim greatest hits collection. The Book of Life was also issued separately as a double vinyl LP in 1997.

Track List
1. Intro    0:12   
2. The 18th Letter (Always And Forever)    3:00   
3. Skit 1    0:23   
4. It's Been A Long Time    3:56   
5. Remember That    4:40   
6. The Saga Begins    4:22   
7. Skit    0:19   
8. Guess Who's Back    4:10   
9. Stay A While    4:24   
10. New York (Ya Out There)    4:04   
11. Show Me Love    4:18   
12. Skit    0:18   
13. The Mystery (Who Is God?)    5:20   
14. When I'm Flowin'    5:04   
15. It's Been A Long Time    3:58   
16. Guess Who's Back    4:10   
17. Outro

The Master (1999)
Label:  Universal Records
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The Master is the second solo album by American hip hop rapper Rakim, released November 30, 1999 on Universal Records. It serves as the follow-up to Rakim's debut solo album, The 18th Letter (1997).

Track List
   1. "Intro" (produced by Rakim)
   2. "Flow Forever" (produced by DJ Clark Kent)
   3. "When I B On The Mic" (produced by DJ Premier)
   4. "Finest Ones" (featuring DJ Clark Kent) (produced by DJ Clark Kent)
   5. "All Night Long" (produced by Punch)
   6. "State Of Hip-Hop Interlude" (produced by Rakim)
   7. "Uplift" (produced by Ron "Amen-Ra" Lawrence for The Hitmen)
   8. "I Know" (produced by TR Love)
   9. "It's The R" (produced by DJ Clark Kent)
  10. "I'll Be There" (featuring Nneka Morton) (produced by Naughty Shorts)
  11. "It's A Must" (featuring Rahzel) (produced by Big Jaz)
  12. "Real Shit" (produced by Ron "Amen-Ra" Lawrence for The Hitmen)
  13. "How I Get Down" (produced by The 45 King)
  14. "L.I. Interlude" (produced by Rakim)
  15. "Strong Island" (produced by Rakim)
  16. "Waiting For The World To End" (produced by DJ Premier)
  17. "We'll Never Stop" (featuring Connie McKendrick) (produced by Nick Wiz)

The Archive: Live, Lost & Found (2008) [compilation]
Label: Koch Records
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The Archive: Live, Lost & Found is a compilation album by emcee Rakim, featuring live performances, unreleased and rare material. It was released on March 4, 2008, by Koch Records. The album just managed to make it to the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, peaking at #99.

Track List
01. Hip Hop
02. Love 4 Sale
03. Word On The Street
04. It's Nothing
05. It's Been A Long TIme
06. My Melody
07. Don't Sweat The Technique
08. Follow The Leader
09. Ghetto
10. Guess Who's Back?
11. What's On Your Mind?
12. Remember That
13. It's Nothing
14. Saga Begins
15. Move The Crowd
16. Paid In Full
17. I Know You Got Soul
18. I Ain't No Joke
19. Juice (Know The Ledge)
20. Mahogany
21. Eric B. Is President
22. Microphone Fiend   

The Seventh Seal (2009)
Label: Ra Records
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The Seventh Seal is the third solo studio album by American emcee Rakim. Released November 17, 2009 after several delays on Rakim's own Ra Records, TVM, and SMC Recordings and distributed through Fontana and Universal Music Group. Considered a comeback album after a ten-year gap between releases, the album features the 2 singles, "Holy Are You" which was released on July 14, 2009, and "Walk These Streets" which was released on October 7, 2009. It features production from several renowned hip hop artists, including Nottz, Needlz, Jake One, and Nick Wiz

The album sold 12,000 copies in the United States by November 22 2009, according to SoundScan. Upon its release, The Seventh Seal received generally mixed or average reviews from most music critics, based on an aggregate score of 47/100 from Metacritic.

Track List
01. How To Emcee
02. Walk These Streets
03. Documentary Of A Gangsta
04. Man Above
05. You And I
06. Won’t Be Long
07. Holy Are U
08. Satisfaction Guaranteed
09. Working For You
10. Message In The Song
11. Put It All To Music
12. Psychic Love
13. Still In Love
14. Dedicate

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