Us exactly why many consider Rakim the greatest rapper of all time. Having scored major club hits in the run-up to 1997, including Junior.

Please join the Albumism team in celebrating Rakim’s musical legacy and share your personal memories of him with us in the comments below! Born: January 28, 1968 Biography ( ): William Michael Griffin Jr., better known by his stage name Rakim (born January 28, 1968), is an American rapper. One half of golden age hip hop duo Eric B. & Rakim, he is widely regarded as one of the most influential and most skilled MCs of all time. Although his solo albums received lackluster response in comparison to his first albums with Eric B. & Rakim's album Paid in Full was named the greatest hip hop album of all time by MTV in 2006, while Rakim himself was ranked #4 on MTV's list of the Greatest MCs of All Time.

Steve Huey of AllMusic stated that 'Rakim is near-universally acknowledged as one of the greatest MCs – perhaps the greatest – of all time within the hip-hop community.' The editors of About.com ranked him #2 on their list of the 'Top 50 MCs of Our Time (1987–2007)'. Rakim began his career as the emcee of the rap duo Eric B. & Rakim, who in 2011 were nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2012, The Source ranked him #1 on their list of the 'Top 50 Lyricists of All Time.’. Rakim is the nephew of the late American R&B singer and actress Ruth Brown. He grew up in Wyandanch, New York, and became involved in the New York hip hop scene at 18.

Brought him to Marley Marl's house to record 'Eric B. Is President'. Rakim, then known as Kid Wizard in 1985, made his first recordings live at Wyandanch High School. Rakim was initially introduced to the Nation of Islam in 1986, and later joined The Nation of Gods and Earths (also known as the 5 Percent Nation), and took the name Rakim Allah. First meeting in 1985, Eric B.

And Rakim went on to release four studio albums before their separation in 1992. The duo were described by journalist Tom Terrell of NPR as 'the most influential DJ/MC combo in contemporary pop music period', while the editors of About.com ranked them as No. 4 on their list of the 10 Greatest Hip-Hop Duos of All-Time. They were nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011, although they did not make the final selection. After Rakim responded to Eric B.' S search for 'New York's top MC', Eric B's friend and roommate Marley Marl allowed them to use his home studio.

The first track they recorded—'Eric B. Is President'—was released as a single on the independent Zakia Records in 1986. After Def Jam Recordings founder Russell Simmons heard the single, the duo were signed to Island Records and began recording the album in Manhattan's Power Play Studios in early 1987. On July 7, 1987, the duo released their debut album, Paid in Full, on the Island-subsidiary label 4th & B'way Records. The album peaked at number fifty-eight on the Billboard 200 chart and produced five singles: 'Eric B. Is President', 'I Ain't No Joke', 'I Know You Got Soul', 'Move the Crowd', and 'Paid in Full.” While its singles attained moderate success, the album performed better on music charts than Eric B.

& Rakim's debut album and reached number 22 on the U.S. Dr house saison 8 streaming. Billboard Pop Albums chart.