BY Nas Dawud
I couldn’t think of a better way to set the tone for this
new endeavor with my fellow sacred cow throat chopper, Humanity Critic, then
reiterating my line in the sand argument.
Rakim Allah is the GREATEST Emcee of all time.
I originally wrote this piece in 2000, and have not wavered
an inch on my declaration. Since the
original writing many an Emcee has made a splash, many more have made money
spitting bullshit, and far too many, an ass of themselves. But NONE have come
anywhere near removing the crown of greatest from the GOD Emcee, Rakim Allah.
At the time of the original writing Nas and Jay were at the
height of their battle with many intimating one of the two could possibly
retain the moniker of best Emcee. This was also during the height of the hyperbolic
and still all too often employed argument contending that possibly BIG or Pac
to be the greatest.
Simply stated, save that shit. Not a damn thing has changed.
Rakim is STILL the greatest.
Some may have come close but none have surpassed.
The
question of just who is the greatest MC of all time has been in the forefront
of my mind over the last six months. This quandary has no doubt been spurred by
the recent verbal battle between NAS and Jay-Z, BET Rap City’s notarization of
the 50 greatest MC’s, and the remembrance of Big’s passing. Now I'm a fan of
Biggie, and think that as an entire package, Tupac is one if not the greatest
entertainer to come out of the Hip-Hop nation. However, when the discussion turns
to who is the greatest MC of all time, Jay, Z, Nas, Biggie, and Tupac although
legends, still fall short of the moniker “greatest.” I know BET has deemed
Tupac the greatest and The Source in
a recent anniversary issue dubbed BIG the greatest. BET, however, also put
Nelly in their top twenty. Now I'm not one to hate and I appreciate that Nelly
is doing his thing by bringing his Midwest swing to the game, but the brother
only has one album with average lyrics that breaks no new ground, and placing
him in the top twenty would seem to belie the ages, and apparent limited
histrionics of hip-hop lyrists of those who compiled the list of the 50
greatest MC's hence the reason I believe so many current artist were so high on
the list.
With all due respect, the greatest MC did
not die on March 9th, or Sept 13th, but is indeed alive
and well. In this era of revisionist’s Hip-Hop history it appears that the
greatest MC of all time is slowly but surely being relegated to the margins of
historical recall. Similar to the many civil rights activists such a Fred
Shuttlesworth, James Bevel, and Bayard Rustin who profoundly influenced their
more famous brethren Dr. King, Rakim Allah is becoming all but forgotten as the
greatest lyrist in the young history of rap music. In conjunction with giving
rappers the courage and blueprint to put forth philosophical, theological, and
social concerns on wax, Rakim also changed the way rappers could flow. His
slow, deliberate, and unique delivery provided the foundation for post 87, hip-hop.
Until Rakim came on the scene most rappers
performed with an over the top style, utilizing dancers, outfits, and other
props that were quite reminiscent of 60's Motown. And with good reason, these
first generations of hip-hopers grew up on the music of Motown, and were
consequently influenced by the style of groups like the Temptations and Four
Tops. Even though they were on the cutting edge of a musical development they
were still mimicking, style wise, prior generations in show production. In
quite a number of ways Rakim is to rap what Charlie Parker and Dizzy were to
Jazz. Although the art form already existed and was relatively young Byrd and
Dizzy introduced Bee-Bop and changed the sound, style, and direction of Jazz
music forever. Rakim is the same in the world of rap music.
In any endeavor especially in sports and
entertainment, one need not necessarily a large but a reasonable size body of
work to climb the mantle of the “Greatest.” Ali was not considered the greatest
boxer of all time simply because of his two victories over Sonny Liston. No it
took time, failure, and recapturing of glory for pugilist enthusiast to grant
him such a title. In my opinion Biggie has too limited of a body of work, and
lack of originality to anoint him the greatest. Lets be honest, as intelligent
and clever as Biggie was, he simply put an East Coast perspective on so-called
“gangsta rap.” The “R” was dropping mob references and pushing the gangsta
style in 88-89 with Follow the Leader. Tupac, although great at combining the
thuggish with the conscience, was also working within a parameter already set
by Rakim. It was Rakim who could “put on the phat gold chain” while reminding,
“with knowledge of self there’s nothing I can’t solve.” Although Jay-Z now has
an extended body of work, and is as clever a story teller and employer of
metaphors as anyone to ever play the game, his over use of others’ rhyme
schemes and style leaves him devoid of any real claim on the title of greatest.
Rakim, however, embodies every part of what these aforementioned brothers are
individually great at. Rakim was and remains an original largely due to his
understanding of how to straddle the line between thuggish, materialistic, and
divine, while never indulging to the point of appearing overly criminal,
hedonistic, or self-righteous.
Contrary to Nas's claim in Ether, it is Rakim's name that should be
put forward in the question “name a rapper I didn't influence?” Since 1987, no
other rapper has had the same profound affect on the music as Rakim. The most
immediately recognizable change Rakim brought to the game was his style of
flow. Until the arrival of Rakim most rappers flowed in exaggerated cadence
just short of a yell. For many of the pioneers this was quite necessary since
Hip-Hops genesis was in the parks of the Bronx and they had to compete with the
DJ's sound system to be heard. Not to mention the point of the MC at the time
was to hype the crowd at the party. Rakim, however, was the first MC to
understand that in the studio one did not have to rhyme in a manner that was
competing with the music, but like Frank Sintra, Rakim became an instrument in
the song. Rakim's smooth and laid back flow was something that was practically
unheard of in Hip-Hop when Paid in Full
dropped. In fact, the first time I heard him I wasn't quite sure what to make
of it. I recall reading a piece in which I believe MC Shan was working in the
same studio as Rakim while he was recording Paid
In Full. Shan recalled in the
article commenting to someone that he thought this guy’s flow was too eccentric
to ever make it. But like most forms of art that aren't immediately understood
it was the beginning in a shift in phenomena that would forever reshape the
landscape.
The second innovative twist Rakim brought
to the fold was the incorporation of serious philosophical and socio-political
reflection utilizing both street and academic lexicon. Granted groups such as
Grand Master Flash, and Run DMC produced some songs with relevant issues such
as The Message, and It's Like that, but
none took it to the level Rakim did. Flash and DMC songs highlighted the
struggles of growing up black in inner city America, specifically New York.
Rakim however, not only reflected upon what was going on, but also engaged his
audience to look beyond their immediate circumstance. Rakim, before P.E.,
X-Clan, Paris, and even BDP, was also providing knowledge of Black world
history. It was Rakim that introduced an entire generation of hip-hoppers to
the religion of Islam by discussing his five percent lessons on wax (I am
completely aware of the claims and counter claims that the Five Percent Nation
is not a sect of Islam per se but is often classified as such because of its
use of Islamic vocabulary and its growth out of the Nation of Islam so for now
I digress). Many of us who may had ignored, were unaware, or had a passing
interest in the religion of Islam soon were out researching the religion and eventually expanding this
pursuit of knowledge to numerous other intellectual endeavors.
It was Rakim in a song called The Ghetto who not only reflected on the
blight of poverty-stricken life but also pondered on how it got that way. It
was Rakim who prophesized in the track Casualties
of War, the after affects of the war in Iraq and American Middle Eastern
polices:
…Now I’m home
on reserves and you can bet when they call, I’m going AWOL
Cause it ain’t
no way I’m going back to war
When I don’t
know who or what I’m fighting for
So I wait for
terrorists to attack
Every time a truck
backfires I fire back
I look for
shelter when a plane is over me
Remember Pearl
Harbor? New York could be over, G
Kamikaze,
strapped with bombs
No peace in
the east, they want revenge for Saddam… 1992
In most of Rakim's songs one will find
not only musical genius but also social genius the likes of post What's Going On, Marvin Gaye. All of
which gave birth to the rich tradition of groups like Public Enemy, Jungle
Brothers, PRT, Paris, The Coup, Dead Prez, etc. Groups who utilized the
blueprint laced by Rakim and were inspired to unapologetically put their
politics on wax and utilizing the music not only as entertainment, but
edutainment, to coin a phrase form KRS-1.
Rakim's, dark flow and lessons from the
Nation of Gods and Earth's also opened the gates for a new generation of
rappers. Groups like Mobb Deep, Nas, EPMD, and yes-even Biggie are direct
descendents of Rakim's innovation. All of these MC's in one form or fashion
employ a part of Rakim. Mobb Deep has continued the legacy of proselytizing the
lessons of the 5% nation and utilization of melancholy beats and lyrics in
narrating their travel through urban life. Nas has carried the torch of the
Philosophical, knowledge, and street side (unlike Rakim NAS has often found
himself loss in the abyss of hedonism). Jay-Z has continued the tradition of
vivid storytelling and clever metaphors, a penchant many claim he got from Big,
but both are a direct result of Rakim's influence. No one since the foundation
layers of the art has anyone had as much of a direct influence on the game and
a particular coast except arguably NWA. Rakim’s most telling attribute has been
his ability to never betray his commitment to the culture. All of the
aforementioned MC’s- no matter how real they have been- has at some point
sacrificed their art for money, record sales, or being positive ambassador for
the culture. Rakim maybe because of his aloofness has never seemingly revealed
himself to be anything other than an MC committed to the mic as sincere as
Malcolm was to the people.
Though Rakim lacks the notoriety that
many other artist have those in the business and aficionados of classical
hip-hop music know very well what Rakim means and continues to mean to the art
of lyricism. I think most would agree that although Kenny G has out sold and is
better known than John Coltrane, no one would argue that Kenny G was as
innovative and influential as John Coltrane on sax players. Rakim is indeed the
John Coltrane of Mc'ing, although he did not invent the art form, he has been
unafraid to create and explore all the reaches of his mind creating a unique
sound that is indeed “a Love Supreme.
Biggie, Pac, and those other contenders sure to come will all go down in the
annals as great but Rakim will remain the Gretzsky of rap “The Greatest.”
