Artist Thumbnail
Rakim
William Michael Griffin Jr., better known by his stage name Rakim, is an American rapper. He is one half of golden age hip-hop duo Eric B. & Rakim, with whom he released four albums: Paid in Full, Follow the Leader, Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em, and Don't Sweat the Technique. He also released four solo albums: The 18th Letter, The Master, The Seventh Seal, and G.O.D.'s Network: Reb7rth. Rakim is considered a transformative figure in hip hop. Rakim helped to pioneer the use of internal rhymes and multisyllabic rhymes, and he was among the first to demonstrate the possibilities of sitting down to write intricately crafted lyrics packed with clever word choices and metaphors rather than the more improvisational styles and simpler rhyme patterns that predominated before him. Rakim is also credited with creating the overall shift from the more simplistic old school flows to more complex flows. Rapper Kool Moe Dee explained that before Rakim, the term 'flow' wasn't widely used – "Rakim is basically the inventor of flow. We were not even using the word flow until Rakim came along. It was called rhyming, it was called cadence, but it wasn't called flow. Rakim created flow!" From Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rakim) under Creative Commons Attribution CC-BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/legalcode)

Songs

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1
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When I B On Tha Mic E
Rakim
2
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Don't Sweat The Technique
Eric B.
3
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Know The Ledge
Eric B.
4
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Guess Who's Back
Rakim
5
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BE ILL
Rakim

Albums

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PENDULUM SWING (DELUXE MAXI PACK) (feat. La The Darkman & Chino XL)

2024
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The Master

1999
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Live

2008
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G.O.Ds NETWORK - REB7RTH

2024
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The 18th Letter

1997
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Supa Trav vs. Rakim: Beat 4 Beat the Instrumentals

2024
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Don't Sweat The Technique

1992
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The Seventh Seal

2010
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Let The Rhythm Hit 'Em

1990

Singles & EPs

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Thank You New York Knicks (feat. Dave East)

Single • 2025
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GOD'S PLAYGROUND (feat. Fred The Godson & Skyzoo)

Single • 2024
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Walk

Single • 2016
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INTERNATIONAL (feat. Tristate)

Single • 2024
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NOW IS THE TIME (feat. Compton Menace)

Single • 2024
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No Mystery Presents: Don't Call Me (feat. Shontelle)

Single • 2013
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SIGN OF SE7EN (feat. Method Man & Big Twins)

Single • 2024
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BE ILL

Single • 2024
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PENDULUM SWING (feat. La The Darkman & Chino XL)

Single • 2024
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Walk

Single • 2016

Videos

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When I B On Tha Mic

Rakim • 36M views
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GOD'S PLAYGROUND (feat. Fred The Godson & Skyzoo)

Rakim, DMX & 38 Spesh • 50K views
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Rakim x B.G. x Hus KingPin feat. Compton Menace - NOW IS THE TIME [Official Visualizer]

Masta Killa, Rakim & Kurupt • 72K views
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Art Of Rap Freestyle

RakimVEVO • 425K views
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Walk These Streets

Rakim • 1.3M views
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RAKIM G.O.D.'S NETWORK - REB7RTH [ALBUM SAMPLER]

Rakim • 20K views

Featured on

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Essential '90s Hip Hop

Playlist • YouTube Music
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Bring Da Ruckus

Playlist • YouTube Music
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'90s Hip Hop

Playlist • YouTube Music
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Hip Hop Library ('88-'95)

Playlist • YouTube Music
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Back to the Block Party

Playlist • YouTube Music

Artist-made playlists

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The 18th Letter • Full Album Playlist

Playlist • Rakim • 18K views
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The Master • Full Album Playlist

Playlist • Rakim • 16K views
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Official Music Videos

Playlist • Rakim • 13K views

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