Rakim

RAKIM全稱Rakim Allah，原名William Michael Griffin Jr. ，1968年1月28日出生于紐約長島，黑人說唱歌手。
 
1968年1月28日出生的Rakim出生并在紐約長島成長，他的饒舌才能也是在那兒發(fā)展起來的。由于他是R&B 巨星Ruth Brown的侄子, Rakim在年輕的時候就活躍在紐約的HIP HOP舞臺。1984年的時候他成為了The Nation of Gods and Earths的一員，并且取藝名Rakim Allah。
 
1985年Rakim結(jié)識了搭檔并結(jié)為組合Eric B and Rakim，當即就成為了在Hip Hop歷史上最有名和又影響力的組合之一。在Rakim開始登上舞臺之前，Hip Hop的押韻仍舊保持著傳統(tǒng)的方式，用簡單的歌詞，帶有統(tǒng)一的強烈的韻，在每一個傳統(tǒng)的長度和位置上押韻（代表人物Run DMC , Kurtis Blow)。于其形成鮮明對比的是Rakim，他嘗試著在薩克斯爵士樂伴奏的情況下形成自己的押韻風(fēng)格。The All Music Guide作者Steve Huey曾說道，akim的 flow平穩(wěn)得像緩緩的流水，加上受到爵士樂押韻的影響，帶有毫不費力的爽快，聽起來覺得他根本都沒有疲勞過。他將MC的技術(shù)提高到了一個前所未有的高度。Rakim比喻的修辭方式和一大段式（相比于以前的過去簡單的歌詞版式）的歌詞相當?shù)挠杏绊懥Αitchfork Media 批評家Jess Harvell在2005年提到，Rakim的創(chuàng)新是讓人們接受了說唱中的令知識分子最感到可怕的內(nèi)容：盡說些關(guān)于你說唱水平比別人厲害的內(nèi)容，而Rakim本人就是rapping-about-rapping的最高詮釋者。而實際上盡管在歌曲主題的外表下有很多更深層的隱喻的意思在里面。簡單的說，Rakim就像是個精神道德上的老師，而聽眾就像是學(xué)生，而他在歌曲中diss的說唱歌手們就像是那些于真理為敵于智慧為敵的愚昧的人們。在動亂的80年代和90年代早期的紐約借都，很多歌手都把傳播精神道德的道理座作為自己創(chuàng)作的內(nèi)容，而Rakim則是用他字面字外的強大語言武器，當之無愧的站在了最前線。
 
”Scientists try to solve the context, Philosophers are wondering what’s next. Pieces are took to labs to observe them, They couldn’t absorb them, they didn’t deserve them; my ideas are only for the audience’s ears, for my opponents it might take years” -Rakim, Don’t Sweat The technique (1991).
 
“科學(xué)家在解釋已有的規(guī)律，哲學(xué)家在考慮未來的關(guān)系，一點點的細枝末節(jié)被他們翻來覆去的研究，他們不能理解，他們不配理解。我的目的僅僅是為了滿足聽眾的耳朵，而我的對手們卻為此苦苦思索若干年。”
 
by Steve Huey
 
Although he never became a household name, Rakim is near-universally acknowledged as one of the greatest MCs — perhaps the greatest — of all time within the hip-hop community. It isnt necessarily the substance of what he says thats helped him win numerous polls among rap fans in the know; the majority of his lyrics concern his own skills and his Islamic faith. But in terms of how he says it, Rakim is virtually unparalleled. His flow is smooth and liquid, inflected with jazz rhythms and carried off with an effortless cool that makes it sound as though hes not even breaking a sweat. He raised the bar for MC technique higher than it had ever been, helping to pioneer the use of internal rhymes — i.e., rhymes that occurred in the middle of lines, rather than just at the end. Where many MCs of the time developed their technique through improvisational battles, Rakim was among the first to demonstrate the possibilities of sitting down and writing intricately crafted lyrics packed with clever word choices and metaphors (of course, he also had the delivery to articulate them). Even after his innovations were worshipfully absorbed and expanded upon by countless MCs who followed, Rakims early work still sounds startlingly fresh, and his comeback recordings (beginning in the late 90s) only added to his legend.
 
Rakim was born William Griffin, Jr. on January 28, 1968, in the Long Island suburb of Wyandanch. The nephew of 50s R&B legend Ruth Brown, Griffin was surrounded by music from day one, and was interested in rap almost from its inception. At age 16, he converted to Islam, adopting the Muslim name Rakim Allah. In 1985, he met Queens DJ Eric B., whose intricately constructed soundscapes made an excellent match for Rakims more cerebral presence on the mic. With the release of their debut single, Eric B. Is President, in 1986, Eric B. & Rakim became a sensation in the hip-hop community, and their reputation kept growing as they issued classic tracks like I Aint No Joke and Paid in Full. Their first two full-length albums, 1987s Paid in Full and 1988s Follow the Leader, are still regarded as all-time hip-hop classics; Rakims work set out a blueprint for other, similarly progressive-minded MCs to follow, and helped ensure that even after the rise of other fertile scenes around the country, East Coast rap would maintain a reputation as the center of innovative lyrical technique. The last two Eric B. & Rakim albums, 1990s Let the Rhythm Hit Em and 1992s Dont Sweat the Technique, werent quite as consistent as their predecessors, but still had plenty of fine moments.
 
Unfortunately, their legacy stopped at four albums. Both Eric B. and Rakim expressed interest in recording solo albums to one another, but the former, fearful of being abandoned by his partner when their contract was up, refused to sign the release. That led to their breakup in 1992, and Rakim spent a substantial amount of time in the courts, handling the legal fallout between himself, his ex-partner, and their ex-label, MCA. His only solo output for a number of years was the track Heat It Up, featured on the 1993 soundtrack to the Mario Van Peebles film Gunmen. Moreover, a reshuffling at MCA effectively shut down production on Rakims solo debut, after hed recorded some preliminary demos. Finally, Rakim got a new contract with Universal, and toward the end of 1997 he released his first solo record, The 18th Letter (early editions contained the bonus disc Book of Life, a fine Eric B. & Rakim retrospective). Anticipation for The 18th Letter turned out to be surprisingly high, especially for a veteran rapper whose roots extended so far back into hip-hop history; yet thanks to Rakims legendary reputation, it entered the album charts at number four, and received mostly complimentary reviews. His follow-up, The Master, was released in 1999 and failed to duplicate its predecessors commercial success, barely debuting in the Top 75. Moreover, while The Master received positive reviews in some quarters, others seemed disappointed that Rakims comeback material wasnt reinventing the wheel the way his early work had, and bemoaned the lack of unity among his array of different producers. Seeking to rectify the latter situation, Rakim signed with Dr. Dres Aftermath label in 2001, and the two began recording a new album early the next year, to be titled Oh My God. In the meantime, to help heighten anticipation for the summit between two legends, Rakim guested on the single Addictive by female R&B singer and Aftermath labelmate Truth Hurts; Addictive hit the Top Ten in the summer of 2002, marking the first time Rakim had visited that territory since he and Eric B. appeared on Jody Watleys Friends in 1989.