[Revisited] RAKIM - "The Seventh Seal" (2009)

Damn, a few years ago I stumbled across an extremely rare Rakim track by some DJ that had uploaded it to YouTube that was absolutely bonkers but I forgot to post it for y'all and know I can't find it anymore. I'm gonna get my detective on, but in the meantime I want to get on some throwback shit while discussing his LP "The Seventh Seal". Said album is a good LP in my book, the rhymes are definitely there and it features personal future classic like "Walk These Streets", "Still in Love", "Dedicated" (say what you want about that No Doubt sample, that shit was heartfelt as hell), "Workin' For You" (whew), "Holy Are You" (oh my god) and "Man Above". Then there were the good (and in a few cases even great) but not outstanding masterpieces like "Documentary Of A Gangsta", "Won't Be Long", "Satisfaction Guaranteed", "Put It All To Music", and so on. The only joint I felt was outright wack juice was the cringe worthy rock influenced "How To Emcee" with kicked off the album nontheless and I'm sure gave a lot of heads a bad taste right from jump.

Now don't get me wrong, "The Seventh Seal" is a solid album and it's a lot better album than many claim it to be, but after a eight year hiatus following a somewhat overrated album called "The Msater" (yet it's underrated in many circles as well) I had definitely hoped for more although at the time I tried to tell myself it was a better album than it really was. It needed more bangers, it needed more New York grit, and in many cases it needed better beats. Lyrically it was all there and as Rakim, along with a very select few others (Nas, KRS-One, Ghostface) are able to keep your interest over a mediocre beat it's a worthy addition to his discography and I sure it's not his last. He did some dope records on Aftermath that has subsequently leaked but as he has explained the chemistry with Dre wasn't there so that's understandable, though I would liked for him to include "After You Die" and "Welcome to the Hood" on the album, as well as the four studio tracks that appeared only a few months before on that Live & Unreleased CD.

It became even more apparent that Ra had lost some of his impeccable ear to the streets when it was revealed that "What's Wrong", his collaboration on Marco Polo's "Newport Authority 2" was actually a scrapped joint from "The Seventh Seal". Like WTF, along with "Holy Are You" and perhaps "Still In Love", that would have been the real boom bap banger the album was in such a despeare need for. Add to that not only that but that also a slamming, hard grooving posse cut laced by Ty Fyffe called "Euphoria" was scrapped from the album in favor of being some Mp3 exclusive it just left a sour taste in my mouth. I know you have heard these joints before, but consider this tracklist for "The Seventh Seal" and tell me it's not would have made for a stronger album. Ra definitely need a good executive producer these days, and to tell you the truth he has needed one since he and Eric B. split up. And that is not to say that he's not still the God MC and has put out PLENTY of hot wax throughout the years but as far as albums goes his legacy would benefit from one classic disc. Check this tracklist brothers and tell me this wouldn't be a lot closer to an album fitting of this great of the greats legacy? Considering that the album has been out for so long I took the libery of uploading this version, if Ra or any from his camp feel this is a violation I will take it down immediatly, and either way it won't be up for long - I just want to give a chance for my beloved readers to get a chance to what in my opinion could have been. Feel free too comment! To me this is a much, much better balance of Ra's spiritual side which he conveys great on many of these songs, but strays to far away from his cassic styles when it comes to balancing the smoother joints with the boom bap his fans have come to expect. Please comment after listening - all songs on this was done and most likely at one point considered for "The Seventh Seal". Also having Nick Wiz, the ultra unterrated producer and long time Ra collaborator, produe just over half the tracks gives this exclusive Lost Tapes version a more coherrent feel to my ears. What do you think?

01. "What's Wrong" [prod. by Marco Polo] [*]
02. "Walk The Streets" (Ft. Maino)
03. "Documentary Of A Gangsta" (Ft. YQ)
04. "Man Above" (Ft. Tracey Horton)
05. "Hip Hop" [prod. by Nick Wiz] [*]
06. "Love For Sale" [prod. by Nick Wiz] [*]
07. "Holy Are You" [prod. by Nick Wiz]
08. "Working For You"
09. "Word On The Street" [prod. by Nick Wiz] [*]
10. "Message in The Song" (Ft. Destiny Griffin)
11. "Love For Sale" [prod. by Nick Wiz] [*]
12. "Euphoria" (Ft. Busta Rhymes, Jadakiss, Styles P & C. Chanel) [*]
13. "Psychic Love" [prod. by Nick Wiz]
14. "Still in Love" [prod. by Nick Wiz]
15. "Dedicated" [prod. by Nick Wiz]

RAKIM - "The Seventh Seal" [c7 update]

[Video] RAKIM x RAMMSTEIN Session (?!)

This is a funny little video I stumbled across on YouTube a while ago that I think some of y'all might find interesting. The six minutes long clip was posted back in 2010 and documents the recording sessions of a collaboration between the one and only Rakim and Richard Z. Kruspe, guitarist of Rammstein. Of course the song was never released and it doesn't sound especially dope either, but the video is worth watching for a laugh and to hear some new Ra bars.

[DJ Mix] DJ REVOLUTION - RAKIM Tribute @ Wake Up Show

Damn, it feels good being back and updating like crazy, catching up on all the gems I've been missing onsince I barely even checked my mail for a week. This hit the net eight days ago (though t was recorded in 2014) but as The God MC only makes purely timeless music that should be obligatory listening for anyone that dare to call him-or herself a hip-hop fanati. The fast fingered legend DJ Revolution took hold of the turntables on The Wake Up Show and kicked off a masterful 30 minutes deep tribute to The 18th Letter. While any self-respectiing  hip-hop head should be very familiar with these jams it's a great mix, and if you against all odds ain't that familiar with Ra's work it's a perfect introduction to the man and his work. A majority of the selections comes from the Eric B. & Rakim albums but there's joints spanning all the way to ... TURN IT UP!!

[Throwback] RAKIM / NIGO / DJ MURO - "Once Upon A Rhyme in Japan"

Underground hip-hop has always been HUGE in Japan, and while I have never been there, speaking to Japanese hip-hop fans and reading interviews with some of the underground's finest  artists emcees like the D.I.T.C. crew, Biz Markie or even Swedish greats like LoopTroop are seemingly being treated as royalty amongst Japanese heads who knows what time it is. This has resulted in those very same rtists showing love back, releasing incredible albums, compilations and singles (on both wax, CD and cassette) for the Japanese market only that goes for absolutely ridciolous prices in the Western world on sites like Discogs. Good examples is the "All Love" and live album put out by DITC (the former being the third and final version of their '99-'00 debut that's just fantastic), 12" singles by producer Nigo featuring GZA/Prodigal Sunn ("Kung Fu Fighting 2000") and Rakim ("Once Upon A Rhyme"), exclusive mixtapes by Pete Rock and Lord Finesse, or the Next Level Recordings sampler EP which features exclusive music by Biz Markie/DJ Premier, OC/Lord Finesse, Showbiz/Zeebra, Da Beatminerz/Rino, Sadat X, Rhymester/Buckwild and Zeebra/DJ Premier. It's a beautful thing though of course you can get a bit jealous that you don't have a chance to cop these amazing records without shelling out a fortune.

This post focus lies on the aforementioned "lost" classic that is "Once Upon a Rhyme in Japan" (not to be confused with Ra's '95 song "Once Upon a Rhyme" as they have little in common beside the artist and the similiar title). Nigo is these days, since 2004, a founding member of the Teriyaki Boyz which is a bit suprising considering the vast differences in sound between them and Nigo as a solo producer. In 2000 he released a mini album called "Shadows of the Ape Sounds" via Toy's Factory, featuring collaborations with Biz Markie, Beatnuts, Flavor Flav, GZA/Prodigal Sunn, and of course Rakim. "Once Upon a Rhyme" makes use of some traditional Japanese/oriental instrumentation, the sitar, and most importantly agressively hard bass and drum combination that's absolutely perfect for The God MC. While I definitely don't feel his "The Master" LP is even half as bad as many people try to make it, this experience was unbelivable, this is that true headbanging shit you've been fiending for with Ra, through his commanding voice that are never drowned out by the loudness of the beat and lyrics so strong he really gives you that "Oh Shit" feeling, while hanging on every syllable Ra utters, It's a real shame this maxi-single was never released overseas

As if the in-your-face punch of the original wasn't enough the always impeccable DJ Muro got the chance to remix the song for a single release, and the version which takes a totally different stand still manages to be just as good. DJ Muro is probably more of a strict hip-hop producer than Nigo, especially siince he almost since the beginning of his career, and still, has worked with a lot of US heavyweights. The BPM is much more laidback in typical hip-hop fashion, somewhere around 85-90, which manages to put Ra even more at the forefront of the composition. Muro cooks up a lovely Rhodes sample over a pounding, yet somber drum- and bass-combo that I'm very well familiar with, but at the time of writing I actually can't place it for some reason - it's definitely not something I have in my record collection but I believe I've heard someone else use it. It's a good thing how different these two remixes are, and depending on my mood, I could really go with either one of these bangers that NEED to be heard by any serious fan of Rakim. Both songs are in 320 kbps and ripped form CD sources; there's no instrumental or accapella though, unfortunately this was released as two separate singles both on vinyl and CD, with one containing the original (plus instro and acapella), while the other featured Muro's remix (plus intro and acapella). They sound great together though so pless play while we eagerly await new music from Mr. R to the M.

01. "Once Upon a Rhyme in Japan" [Original]

02. "Once Upon a Rhyme in Japan" [DJ Muro Remix]

NIGO / RAKIM - "ONCE UPON A RHYME IN JAPAN"

[Comp/Article] RAKIM - "The Last Platoon: The Lost Rakim '95"

A couple of years back I did a a three part compilation series for Rakim's guest spots, unreleased tracks and B-sides. The first installment in the series focused on the year's between "Don't Sweat The Technique" and "The 18th Letter", without a doubt the numer one era in which fans have been able to hear unreleased songs, radio rips, and alternative/original mixes, thanks to bootlegging and underground radio. Why I've heard rumours before that Ra was working on an album around '95 that was eventually scrapped, the fact was recently confirmed from a very official source. I wasn't very suprised considering the amount of material from '93-'96 that is as good as any album cut but has never appeared in any official capacity.

The quest to do a sort of "Lost Tapes" album for Rakim, focusing on the years mentioned above, came when B.I.G. producer Dominic Owens of Hi-Class who released three previously unreleased singles (and in some cases alternative versions from what we previously had heard) that he revealed he had recorded with Rakim at his Hi-Class Studos sometime durng 1995. This was followed by the official source that revealed the scrapped album, which appeared in Robbie Etterson's excellent interview with Domingo @ Unkut (great read if you haven't checked it out already). Domingo revealed that he produced "Original Style", the original mix of "Bring It On" and an untitled track that unfortunately never was completed; all sessions taking place in 1995. With that said, there was no longer a question in my mind that the world needed to hear this scrapped album, or at least what's still available on the net and bootlegs from it.

As I had done with the original "The Lost Album", I was well aware that there were plenty of heat rocks recorded around '95/early '96 While I there included some guest spots from Ra like Barrry Leinson's "Murderer", while I here only wanted the solo joints that I would imagine very likely were part of that shelved album. These solo tracks are all classic Ra and include jams like the Marley Marl produced "We All Got Plans" - a track that was premiered as an exclusive on Future Flavaz in January '96, and is to my knowledge the first time William Graffin and Marl has collaborated since the original "Eric B. is President" 12". This song was released on a white label 12", so I have updated the links thanks to the kindness of Letter_D's rip which doesn't feature any J-Love or DJ shouts. Other stellar tracks include Pete Rock's "Living For The City", Buckwild's "Last Resort", Easy Mo Bee's "Shades Of Black", Nick Wiz's "Once Upon A Rhyme", and much more. There's also original versions of "Remmber That" (whch made mixtapes rounds as early as '95), a more rugged version of Wiz's "Show Me Love" and Owen's "I Get Visual" track which is an early incarnation of "When I'm Flowing".

All in all, with its 40 minutes running time, this album is pretty much as good as "The 18:th Letter",. Had the best songs from both "albums" been combined in a quality way, there's no question that this would be a true hip-hop classic in the book of a majority of Ra heads. While there's a couple of tracks that didn't make "The Master" and "The Seventh Seal", this shelved, lost album is on another level. I've listened to the 12 tracks, 40+ minutes album plenty of times by now and it truly felt like a natural extenction of the Eric B. & Rakim joints with it's hard knocking beats and jazz samples; yet pointing towards the sound of the mid-'90s that the God MC would come to embrace on his solo debut. If you want to get the ultimate version of Ra from this time, why not add the songs on here with the finest from the retil album like "The 18:th Letter", "New York (Ya Outta There)", "The Saga Begins", "The Mystery" and "When I'm Flowin'" (which would replace "I Get Visual" as the Pete Rock remix is one of the best Ra' joints of all time in my book).

With that being said, "The Last Platoon: The Lost '95 Album", is not only interesting for the immaculate music and expert lyricism it provides. It's also one of the few, if not only, time that fans of The God MC has been taken behind the scenes of his process. Having recorded a full album that would most likely satisfy his clientele, he started out by remixing several cuts (bboth Owens and Domingo took a stab at "Bring It On" (see below), while "Once Upon A Rhyme" and, "New York to Cali" both went through at least one face lift before they were album ready. Add the fact that despite three songs from "The Last Platoon" actually  did appear on the retail they were so thoroughly remixrd that only the vocals were the only common denominator.- "Remember That", "Show Me Love" and "When I'm Flowing (I Get Visual)". The sheer amount of scrapped tracks., original versions,  and so on, I would be very suprised if "18th Letter" is in any way unique in that asopect but ratther Rakim's usual work method. We all remember the Dr. Dre / Aftermath situation, and even after he left that contract "The Seventh Sea" took many years to come - and it didn't feature some of the early street buzz singles like "I'm Back" and "It's Nothing". The former was also made in several versions before Ra settled on his favorite (although, for me - the seropior version was always the one with Lil' Fame. Then there was the blazing posse cut "Euphoria" which was listed as a digital bonus track, but with verses from Styles P, Jadakiss and Busta there's no question that this hardore song would do a great job in breaking up an often smootj album. Maybe even more unexpected when it came to cut tracks was when Canadian true school producer Marco Polo dropped his first single from hi prequel-album "Newport Authority 2" a couple years back. The song called "What's Wrong" was a soulful them e song on the dangers of capitalism that for all intents and purposes was Rakim solo. Marco revealed that it was a track left off "The Seventh Seal" almost came as a shock considering what could possibly have gone through his mind when deleting from the ultimate tracklist. Add to that the various bootlegged original versions of "Don't Sweat The Technique", "Pass The Handgrenade" and a few songs that didn't make the '92 album, and the question posed here gains a lot more weights.

So with that said, let's move on to the 1995 ompilation which I've choosed to call "The Last Platoon: The Lost Rakim '95" (The Last Platoon was actually  a crew that The R was rolling with at the time). Assembled amongst these tracks are an all-star line-up of mid-'90s producers royalty in the form of Dominc Owens/Hi-Class, Domingo, Easy Mo Bee, Gary G-Wiz of Bomb Squad, Nick Wiz, Marley Marl, Pete Rock, Buckwild and possibly Salaam Remi or Clark Kent (I'm not sure who in fact produced the original "Remember Dat" though some sources indiciate either Reemi or Kent) who are all featured here. In usual order I put a lot of thought and hard work into the sequenceing for this album so I really hope you'll at least give "The Last Platoon" a chance to bang it from font-to-back. As with any time with Rakim on the music, this is simply fantastic music; both from a lyrical perspective and from a beatheads point of view. As stated above the jazz samples, addictive breakbeats, horns and stand-up bass lines is a lot more reminiscent of the latter Eric B. & Rakim albums than what eventually become "The 18 Letter". Thereby it works as the perfect bridge between "Don't Sweat The Technique" and "The 18:th Letter"..TURN IT UP!!

01. "Bring It On" [Dominic Owens] (1995)

02. "Shades Of Black" [Easy Mo Bee] (1995)

03. "The Original Style" [Domingo] (1995)

04. "Last Resort" [Buckwild" (1995)

05. "Living For the City" [Pete Rock] (1995)

06. "New York to Cali" [Dominic Owens] (1995]

07. "We All Got Plans" [Marley Marl] (1996)

08. "Show Me Love" (Rugged) [Nick Wiz] [1996]

09. "Heat It Up" [Gary "G-Wiz"] (1993)

10. "Remember Dat" [Salaam Remi] (1995)

11. "Once Upon A Rhyme" [Nick Wiz] (1995)
12. *"Bring It On" [Domingo Mix] (1995)

13. "I Get Visual" [Dominic Owens] (1995)

RAKIM - "THE LAST PLATOON ('95)"
[[Mirror Link]] *

[Live Concert] RAKIM in NYC (2006)

This past week, when I had a chance to visit my apartment for almost a week starting this Wednesday, I've been heavy on my Rakim shit since I had my record collection available. This resulted in spinning all seven of his full-lengths at least twice. Beside listening to the retail albums in my collection I also managed to find several new Rakim tracks and even an exclusive live album. 

Having revisited "The 18th Letter", "The Master" and "The Seventh Seal" again for the first time in at the very least a year, I came to the conclusion that all three of these albums are actually a whole lot better than what both the media and critics originally gave them credit for. Especially "The Seventh Seal" is way too underrated as it's perhaps Ra's most mature album yet. A couple of years back I did a three volume compilation of the majority of Ra's guest spots and cut tracks from all the solo albums. "M.A.W." ('98-'02) still is complete, and the link is still up for grabs. Be sure to also peep the first volum which is called "The Lost Album". The only volume that's gone by now is no. 3, "Microphone Euphoria" which I will try to re-up soon. I am also planning to do a new version of "The Lost Album" as Domingo has revealed that Rakim actually did an album that he scrapped around '95, and I finally believe I have more or less all the songs recorded in those sessions... Definitely stay tuned for that!

The reason for this post however is the release of a live album by Rakim released exclusively on the US iTunes. It's called "Rakim: SoHo Sessions" and was both recorded and released in 2010, which sees to have fly over most people heads. I became aware of it through a super positive tweet by the great Chuck D who called it the best live hip-hop album ever recorded; not containing a single fuck up, small or large, in the entirety show. He also said that it sounds like a jazz live album. which is something I'm a real sucker for. You can read Chuck's Twitter status here. I've been struggling all day to get a copy but unfortunately it's only available in the US for about 7 USD. I've been really fiending for this LP so if anyone have a link please hook me up, I would love to pay Rakim for this but I can't do it since I'm in Sweden, Until then you can check out two HQ YouTube videos of Rakim Live in New York '06, and Vancouver, Canada 2010, respectively!

RAKIM - "MADIBA"

The GOD is back! Complex Magazine just got the go ahead to let loose of a brand new track by Rakim, that's most likely the sickest shit he has rhymed over since "Holy Are You". With a verbal biography over the life of the great late South African president, Nelson Mandela, Ra shows that he's still the Greatest Of All Time. As the song pays homage to the great freedom fighter, it is also a promotional track for the movie about Mandela's life "Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom" which is out in the US on December 25.

[Documentary] "MEMORIES OF PAUL "C" McKASTY

People who follow this blog and know me know I'm a hugely fascinated with the work of Paul C McKasty; the pioneering producer/engineer in the early to late '80s that was behind some fantastic Music like "Give the Drummer Some", Main Source stuff, much of Eric B. & Rakim's arguably best album "Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em" and Organized Konfusion's 1989 demo (although his spiritual fingerprints where all over their classic 1991 self-titled debut, two years after his untimely passing). On top of that he was Large Professor's nr #1 mentor and Large Pro is like the spiritual predecessor to Paul C as he started really building his career when the Young but super innovative producer/engineer was tragically murdered (Large Pro still to this day is calling his production copany Paul Sea productions in an homage to his old master). This one hour documentary features interviews with many of his closest collaborators; including Rakim Pharoahe Monch, Ced Gee & TR Love of Ultramagnetic MC's, Mikey D, Rahzel, Super Love C and Cassanova Rud to name a few. A must Watch for anyone fascinated with hip-hop and legends that lef the physical way too early, but his Music still has an extreme impact on any true old-school fan, so ENJOY and TURN IT UP!!! Spotted @ EgoTripLand.com and by extension this WordPress.

 

PART 1 @ VIMEO

PART 2 @ VIMEO

DMX / Rakim / Alex D - "Don't Call Me"

DMX used to be so dope back during his first two-three albums but his many legal and drug problems have made him quite a far cry from that, although he still kicks the occassional dope verse (and of course he still has that amazing voice). But what's really crazy about this joint is the opening verse of The God MC who does a great job with his guest verse here... Additional vocals are supplied by Shontelle (who I always liked) and Alex D (who?). Check it out for yourself to see what you think below where you can download a HQ rip of the Mp3.

Marco Polo & Rakim - "What's Wrong"

There's nothing quite like new Rakim, and here's a new banger with Marco Polo from the latter's upcoming "Newport Authority 2". Called "What's Wrong", the track was originally recorded for The R's 2009 comeback LP "The Seventh Seal"; to me it's an absolute mystery how this didn't make the final cut. If the song won't embed at the bottom of this post, click here.

Marco Polo is coming out with the sequel to his severely sick debut "Port Authority" later this spring on Soulspazm Records. Again we can look forward to an extremely ill line-up with features from Organized Konfusion, OC, Inspectah Deck, Gangrene, Large Professor, DJ Premier, Ill Bill, Styles P, Nature, Talib Kweli, Masta Ace, Posdnous and many more. "Newport Authority 2" is the prequel and includes a lot of dope music that didn't fit on the finished LP, such as this joint with Rakim and new music from Lil' Fame, Das EFX, Big Daddy Kane, Artifacts, Torae, Ruste Juxx and more so that should be pretty crazy as well. Stay tuned for more info on both projects...

Marley Marl breaks down "Eric B. is President"

Marley Marl takes a stroll down memory lane for an installment in a new video series called "Classic Recipes". Here he gives a real detailed breakdown of his production work on the impeccable "Eric B. is President" which speaks volume of Marley's genius in the studio... That's how classics are made! I'll definnitely keep you updated on further clips in the series.

[EPK] Rakim's "The 18th Letter"

"The 18th Letter" might not be the classic album that many expected from the greatest emcee of all time's solo debut. But with the songs "It's Been A Long Time", "When I'm Flowing", "New York", "The Mystery", "The Saga Begins", the title track, "Remember That", and "Guess Who's Back", the majority of the album was a powerful excercise in lyrics and beats that still sounds fresh fifteen years after its original 1997 release. This EPK that Universal Records released in promotion of the then forthcoming album features interviews with Ra himself as well as hip-hop giants like Pete Rock, Jam Master Jay, AZ, Fredro Starr, Busta Rhymes, Rampage, Coolio, and more paying their respects to the man who influenced them all. All thanks to Afro Gwada for the YouTube upload and shouts to Jammin for spreading the word!

King Myers / RAKIM - "Thing Called Life"

Family is a beautiful thing, so it's only right that Rakim blesses his godson with an excellent 16 for the latter's debut single, "This Thing Called Life". I ain't crazy about the actual track but any new music from The God MC warrants a post of course. King Myer's full-length album "Kingology" is set to hit stores sometime in November this year, and boosts guest features from Ra, Bumpy Knuckles and Fred the Godson.

Rakim x Biz Markie x DJ Rob Swift - "Wyndance"

Here's is a straight up incredible piece of hip-hop history, taking it back to the mid-'80s with Rakim and Biz Markie rocking it at Whyndance High School. The tape has circulated on the net before, but DJ Rob Swift and Gudtyme of THE GUDWORD stepped in and hooked up a fresh remix for 2012.

RAKIM: Still The Greatest

For me the holy trinity of rap is probably KRS-One, NaS and of course The God MC; Rakim. Ten days ago, Rakim's groundbreaking breakthrough debut with DJ Eric B, "Paid in Full", celebrated its 25th birthday last week; a huge event considering that it's one of the absolute most influential hip-hop releases of all time. I had been meaning to put something together either dealing with the album in question, or something else regarding its performer, but I kept pushing it back. As they say, better late than never, as I'm now using this time to post a superb new interview with Wax Poetics discussing both the aforementioned LP, as well as much regarding his latest project (the highly underrated ("The Seventh Seal"), and touch on the future of Ra. A definite read for any serious hip-hop head.

Up top you'll find another interesting piece of the puzzle that is Rakim, in the form of a 10 minutes BET documentary that premiered last week. Lots of interesting interviews and classic footage, so don't sleep!

RAKIM @ WAX POETICS 

RAKIM Interview @ Roots Picknick 2012

There's no denying that Rakim is one of, if not the, greatest rhyme sayer of all time. Yet he's never been a very  public figure, so an interview with the man is generally very interesting stuff. This six minutes conversation filmed at this years' The Roots Picnic, courtesy of AllHipHop.com, sees the God MC speak on his love for The Roots crew, naming Black Thought a top 5 emcee (gotta agree there) as well as some hints about a future Rakim album and possibly even his own record label.

Beastie Boys' MCA Dead at 47

Adam Yauch, also known as MCA of the Beastie Boys; legends, pioneers and innovators who always remained open  to push the envelope of this hip-hop game. Yauch was not only an emcee, but also played a damn good bass and produced with his brothers in his group. Back in 2009, the public learned about the artist's battle with cancer. After going through treatmeant, the word was that things started to look more positive, but unfortunately today he lost the battle and returned to the essence. Through his large catalouge, which includes amazing albums like "Check Your Head" and "Paul's Boutique", his legacy will continue to live on; Rest in peace Adam Yauch. Check out these choice words from Rakim about MCA's and Beastie Boys' importance to hip-hop.

"There have been a lot of people who have molded the face and history of Hip Hop over the years, but no one can deny that my three dudes from New York City were paramount in taking it from a local thing and breaking it world wide. Last saw my man at the [Vh1] Hip Hop Honors Awards and he was upbeat, gracious and spiritual as always. R.I.P. to MCA...see you in the next one, brother." - Rakim

[Comp] Rakim - "Microphone Euphoria"

The third and final installment in my Rakim compilation series is called "Microphone Euophoria" and features non-album tracks recorded between 2006 and 2011. It then of course centers around the time of Ra's "The Seventh Seal" which hit the world in 2009 and sadly remains a severely underrated album. As heard all over that project as well as the fifteen tracks represented on the tape below, Ra has always remained an incredibly talented emcee, always calm and in total control of his intense flow which runs smooth as water. In terms of themes and concept songs, "The Seventh Seal" is the artist's most well balanced and consistant album since the split with Eric B. in 1992. Here, Rakim really went deep with his storytelling rhymes as he, to great effect, saddled the roles and perspectives of the struggling working man, the thug on the corner, the real life gangster, the man deep in love, the father, the hip-hop purist and, of course, The God MC. "The Seventh Seal" is a real lyricist's album if I ever heard one.

What worked against "The Seventh Seal", however, was the time elapsed since his previous release almost a decade earlier which amounted to the insane hype surrounding his comeback. When the new project didn't sound much like what anyone expected (for example, no DJ Premier or Dr. Dre beats), many was quick to dismiss it without giving it the proper chance any Rakim album deserves. This, combined with some poor beat selections ("How to Emcee" being the most notable example in my opinion) made the album flop as soon as it dropped. I believe that it will be one of those joints that are heavily reevaluated over time as heads will get past their initial dissapointment and start to pay attention to the  impeccable lyricism and intense storytelling heard throughout the set. With some of the songs found on the compilation presented below, I must say that it's suprising why Rakim didn't choose to include bangers like "It's Nothing", "Word On The Street" and "Euphoria" in favor of some of the weaker moments on the actual LP though. Still, all these tracks are an important part of Rakim's discography and help prove the fact that Ra never left the absolute top of the hip-hop landscape.

In case you missed out on the two previous volumes in the series, they are still up for grabs - "The Lost Album" and "M.A.W. (Master @ Work)". With this last installment, I now have brought you all the essential non-album cuts in Ra's catalouge (there's a few more tracks out there which I cut for various reasons though, go look for them). I hope you'll enjoy these ill compilations as much as I do!

01. "Run: Intro"
02. "I'm Back" (Ft. Lil' Fame)
03. "King Tut" (w. Swizz Beats)
04. "Let The Rhythm Hit 'Em 2007" (w. DJ Z-Trip)
05. "Classic (Better Than I've Ever Been)" (w. KanYe West, Nas & KRS-One)
06. "In The Ghetto (Wake Up!)" (w. The Roots & John Legend)
07. "Rice Returns" (Interlude)
08. "Guerilla" (w. AZAD)
09. "Monster" (w. Drunken Tiger, Rakaa-Iriscience & Roscoe Umali)
10. "Getting Up Anthem Part One" (w. Talib Kweli)
11. "Hip-Hop"
12. "Love 4 Sale"
13. "Word On the Street"
14. "It's Nothing"
15. "Euophoria" (Ft. Styles P, Jadakiss & Busta Rhymes)

RAKIM - "MICROPHONE EUPHORIA"

[Comp] RAKIM - "M.A.W. (Master @ Work)"

After putting on my previous Rakim compilation, "The Lost Album", I decided that we definitely needed to take a deeper look into the God MC's catalouge of inspiring guest spots, soundtrack work and unreleased material. Last time around I wanted to focus on records from the period between the break-up of Eric B. & Rakim as a duo in '93 up to the release of "The 18th Letter", Ra's '97 Universal debut. For "M.A.W. (Master @ Work)" I'm putting the spotlight on the artists greatest non-album material recorded between '98 and 2003, covering work around the release of "The Master" and his unfortunate stint at Aftermath. 

Although often hailed as the most influential rapper of all time, Ra has been the target of a lot of negative critique since the late '90s which became especially audible with "The Master", his sophomore album on Universal Records. The LP saw Rakim take steps further towards a commercialized club sound, according to himself a result of falling in to pushes from the label. While these records clearly wasn't a good look for this particular artist, who's always been an underground hero, the image of "The Master" as a horrible document of a fall-off that it's often given is an unfair one in my opinion. I've seen several writers give the two DJ Premier joints a pass while writing off the remaining fifteen songs. These guys are missing a whole bunch of heatrocks as Ra is still iller and chiller than the large majority of the rap game at this time. If you forgot about the high points of this LP, give another chance to his work with Ultramagnetic MC's TR Love ("I Know"), Big Jaz and Rahzel ("It's A Must"), The 45 King's intense "How I Get Down" and his own "Strong Island" just to name a few, but far from all, good moments here.

It would take an entire decade before the world to get a new Rakim album, a result of unlucky business decisions rather than any break from the music industry. Only a year after "The Master", the artist announced his move to Dr. Dre's succesful Aftermath imprint, a deal that unquestionably sounded promising considering it packed together one of The West's most praised producers with The East's most hailed lyricist. After promises of an album "changing the game again", and an outstanding cameo on the huge hit single "Addictive" by female singer Truth Hurts, Ra was dropped from the label in 2003. It turns out these heavyweights champion just were to different from eachother when it came to making music, as Rakim didn't want to compromise his style to fit into any given gangsta persona. The material that was recorded for an album to be titled "Oh My God!" (check this article for an interesting piece on the recording), including production work by Dre, Mel-Man and DJ Premier, will not be released according to either part. Listeners will get a view of how that LP might have sounded with the songs "Welcome to the Hood", "After U Die", "R.A.K.I.M.", "The Watcher II" and "Cold Feeling", all included on this compilation. Anyone feeling that Rakim fell off after he went solo will hopefuly realize he's the one being way off after getting through the 17 tracks presented below. Enjoy!

01. "Welcome 2 The Hood"
02. "Buffalo Gals (Back to School)" (Ft. Hasaan 7)
03. "The Militia Pt. 2" (w. Gang Starr & WC)
04. "I'll Buss 'Em, U Punish 'Em" (w. Canibus)
05. "Concrete Jungle" (w. Bob Marley)
06. "Man With A Gun"
07. "Cold Feeling"
08. "I Am..." (w. G. Dep & Kool G Rap)
09. "Metaforce" (w. Art Of Noise)
10. "R.A.K.I.M."
11. "Take the Train" (Ft. Danny Saber)
12. "Game Of Life" (w. Ice-T & Chilli Mac)
13. "Milk & Honey"
14. "Once Upon A Rhyme in Japan"
15. "Streets Of New York" (w. Alicia Keys & NaS)
16. "The Watcher II" (w. Dr. Dre & Jay-Z)
17´. "After U Die"

RAKIM - "M.A.W. (MASTER @ WORK)"
(mirror link)

Bassi Maestro - "Seven Skills (A Rakim Tribute)"

Between 1997 and 1999 The Microphone Fiend dropped two albums for Universl Records; "The 18th Letter" and "The Master". Both had their moments but was far from the level of his four earlier classics although they both had their fair share of real hot tracks (incluing the later LP which caught a lot of flack from fans). One year later, Ra signed with Dr. Dre and Aftermath and started recording "Oh, My God", an album that still remains unreleased after The R was eventually dropped from the label, save for a few songs and some guest spots either produced by Dre or with Aftermath artists (on a side note, you can anticipate a Rakim/Aftermath compilation soon, featuring all leaked/released tracks from his time on the label). Instead all material recorded with Dre in L.A. was scrapped. Instead Rakim recorded completely new songs for "The Seventh Seal", his long delayed third solo album that was finally released in 2009.

I've read so many negative reviews of that LP which is nothing but a god damn shame if you ask me! Sure, it had a few questionable tracks, mainly on the productionn and hooks side, but there were enough of plenty of fat productions that both suited Ra's sound while keeping with the times (for example tracks like "Holy Are U", ""Walk These Streets", "Man Above", "Still in Love", "Euophoria" and "Won't Be Long"). And lyrically it might just be Ra's best solo album, maybe not flow wise but lyrically the album is filled to the limit with clever and well executed themes and concept songs, more so than any other Rakim album (even including the Eric B. joints). One of my favorite tracks on it are the perfectly executed "Working For You" which has an amazing soulful beat using the classic hip-hop sample source "I Forgot to be Your Lover", although it's in fact The Robert Cray Band's take on the composition rather than the original William Bell version used for classics by artists and producers including Alchemist/Dilated Peoples, True Master/Killah Priest and P.King/Ludacris.

On the sleeve for "The Seventh Seal" the production credit for "Workin' For You" was left blank. The story goes that Rakim somewhere along the line had been given a beat tape by someone and by the time the album were being pressed he had totally forgot who was behind the beat. Of course it didn't take long until Italian producer Bassi Maestro made everything in his power to make sure the world know that he was the one behind the song Ra rhymed over on his album. Just check Maestro's 2004 cut "Tu Non Mi Rispetti" for Italian artist Sano Business which clearly shows he's telling the truth in this matter. Since "Working..." is one of my absolute favorites of an album I always felt the need to defend against the unwarranted hate it drew upon itself, I found Bassi Maestro's tribute tape to Rakim very interesting and should definitely be heard by any fan of the song mentioned above. It's a dope remix tape that runs for about 25 minutes featuring exclusive Maestro beats put together with classic Rakim rhymes. Most of the songs are really ill though there's a couple I felt were very average. The only problem I have is why remix classics that don't need to be touched upon ("Follow the Leader"; although a tight version; and "I Know You Got Soul"). What I want to hear is Maestro's take on more recent Ra material which gives us an inside look of how Bassi Maestro's Rakim collaborations would've sounded if he the Italian had gotten mroe placements on "The Seventh Seal". Luckily, the continous mix features remixes of "Hip-Hop", "It's Nothing" and "Holy Are U". Since the mix is placed in one continious downloadable or streamable track, you can scroll down to the bottom of the Soundcloud page and choose to stream the individual joints.