Today is the birthday of William Griffith, better known in hip hop circles as Rakim, also known as Rakim Allah, a.k.a. the microphone fiend, a.k.a. the God MC, a.k.a the Greatest MC of ALL TIME in my humble opinion. He is turning 47 today.
Rakim took his name from Sun God RA and the ancient Egyptian kingdom of KIM. He was one of the first MCs to move from simplified verses into a style that blended complex metaphors with internal and multisyllabic rhymes culminating in a laid back delivery. At a time when other contemporaries like LL Cool J, KRS-One, and Run-DMC. delivered their vocals with screams and force, Rakim defied those conventions by developing a flowing style capable of verbally deconstructing an opponent all while making it seem like he wasn’t even breaking a sweat.
When he released the track “Follow the Leader” and I heard how complex verses could be inter-weaved with social and cultural issues, all while still retaining the bold and braggadocious style that defined hip hop, I could never truly look at MCs the same way again. He single-handedly changed the game and sent me back to the lab to rebuild my own style. I tore up my book of rhymes and started again from scratch. I both loved and hated him for that. The R was no joke! Rakim to me was the Robert Frost of Hip Hop.
Happy Birthday Rakim! Long live the King.