Archive for July 2009
Praise Be The Lord
Of all the legacies from Hip Hop’s “Golden Age,” Rakim’s legacy is the most enduring. One of the major factors is because he’s one of the most technically gifted MC ever: Rakim has always been equipped with an immaculate voice, perfect enunciation, and a flow as smooth as syrup.
But for nearly a decade, he hasn’t released any albums. And while he has has made a few excellent, yet sporadic, guest appearances it doesn’t excuse his extensive absence. And after his collaborative album with Dr. Dre (supposedly titled “Oh My God!”) was dismantled, Rakim made even fewer appearances. But last week, he released his first solo song in years, “Holy Are You.”
First off, “Holy Are You” is vintage Rakim. Even in his youth, Rakim’s mind wandered beyond the ghetto as he pondered the nature of what’s beyond the universe as he had “visions of Neffertiti” and he “traveled at magnificent speeds” until “planets became small as balls of clay.” “Holy Are You” picks up from there as Ra speaks on everything from the Big Bang theory to the pyramids.
There were other lyrical heavyweights who could go bar for bar with “The God MC” during his prime–most notably Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane, LL Cool J, and The DOC–but none of are as revered today as they once were. Consider MTV’s wholly unscientific “22 Greatest MCs of All Time” list which allowed fickle fans to vote on the greatest MCs of all time and Nelly and DMX ranked above KRS-One and LL Cool J (Not to mention that Lil Kim ranked Top 10). Where was Rakim on this list? Number 6. Only behind the likes of Nas, Jay-Z, Eminem, Biggie, and 2pac.
Simply put, interest in Ra may have rapidly declined in the mid 90s but that small level of interest in him continues to this day. And let’s not forget that 1999′s The Master is one of the most underrated hip hop albums ever. With all that being said, lets hope that the sun, the stars, and the moon can all line up once again for the return of one of the best to ever do it.
