Rakim

Genres:	Urban & Rap
Descriptive "tags":	hip-hop • rap • hip hop • old school • new york
Decades Active:	1990s • 2000s
Links online:	MySpace • Wikipedia

Biography

William Michael Griffin Jnr., 28 January 1968, Wyandanch, Long Island, New York, USA. Between 1987 and 1992, Rakim released four influential albums in partnership with Eric B that have accorded him the status of one of rap’s greatest figureheads. His complex, cross-referencing lyrics and relaxed delivery style inspired a new generation of hip-hop artists in the 90s, including the hugely successful Wu-Tang Clan, Nas and Dr. Dre. Following the duo’s split in 1992, Rakim worked on the soundtrack to Gunmen before disappearing into seclusion for five years. He returned in 1997 with the long-awaited The 18th Letter, a smooth soulful album that earned praise for Rakim’s imaginative and intelligent rhyming on tracks such as ‘The 18th Letter’ (‘Nobody’s been this long-awaited since Jesus/I heard the word on the street is/I’m still one of the deepest on the mike since Adidas’) and ‘The Mystery (Who Is God)’. The album...

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