Rakim
Halftimeonline: I know half the time it has to be flattery but other times you gotta be like come on man! You like the 15th dude that’s jacked me. Give me my check.
Rakim: Haha it’s all love I gotta take it as a compliment.
Halftimeonline: We always talk about you on an emceeing aspect but obviously you put in a lot of work on the production side. How did you start out producing?
Rakim: Dabbling in music and being in music when I was young I had my own view of what I thought music was whether it was jazz, r&b, or hip hop. Once I got into hip hop it started with telling the DJ put on the Pointer Sisters “Yes You Can Can.” Then it was like put this record on cut the beginning of the break and then put the second break on and go back to the beginning of it. What was going on was me producing the track and then taking the track and putting it together like yo put on “Get up and Dance” and cut up the beginning and then after you hear me say this then throw on the beat and that was formatting right there. It went from that to making beats. I had a little more freedom when I started sampling because you could actually do what you wanted to do. That took me as a surprise because before I went to the studio with Eric B I was just rhyming in the parks. I wasn’t putting together beats like that but I knew what I liked to rhyme to. It shocked me how easy it was for me to put together beats. Find a drum that sounded similar to a sample or find some horns from a different record to go with the sample. It was fun and at the same time surprising the way it was all popping off. That kept it extra fun.
Halftimeonline: With that these were major records you were doing production on on all of your albums with Eric B but you took a step back on the production side on your solo albums. What was it about the solos that had you not wanting to do as much production as you had in the past?
Rakim: At that point the label felt things were changing and they wanted to put the album in producer’s hands. At the time there were a lot of freelance producers starting to spring up. Before that a lot of crews were handling their own production. Then you had a string of producers that started to come out that weren’t attached to an artist so that was big then and the label felt that times were changing and they wanted to put other producers in charge of the album. That goes to show you what major labels do to the artist. So to the young artists that are checking out this interview when you come in the building with your guns don’t take them off. Keep your guns on and don’t let anybody tell you how to load your guns or bust ya guns. The only reason I’m using gun terminology is because I want you to stick to your guns man. Ya’ll love the gun play and gun talk so much this is the one time when you handle ya business stick to your guns. Do what you do don’t let the label tell you to do something else.
Halftimeonline: Our readers would kill us if we didn’t ask about the Dre situation with Aftermath. Obviously things didn’t go as planned. What were some of the things that started happening at Aftermath where you felt like this may not be a good situation?
Rakim: I’ve been doing this for so long I know what I like rhyming to and I know who I am so it got to the point where the production of the album wasn’t going the way that I wanted it to go. The thing is I’ve been doing this for so long and Dre’s been doing it for so long you have a set way of doing things and if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. I respect Dre because he’s got his M.O. but I got my M.O. too. It wasn’t working for me and I think neither one of us wanted to sacrifice which is good that’s what artists are supposed to do. They are supposed to stick to they guns. I didn’t burn any bridges over there. We’re still good. He said if I needed any production on this album to come holla at him but I call it trying to mix day with night. It don’t go.
Halftimeonline: After that whole Aftermath situation I’m sure you probably made some more connections being out there but at the same time a lot of time passed. You know people have been waiting and then to put in that time and for it to not to come to fruition where was your head at the end of that situation?
Rakim: I never liked writing some shit that wasn’t gonna be heard. Every time I touched a notebook it ain’t no just to write rhymes shit. Every time I wrote in the notebook I was planning on writing some shit I wanted the world to hear. When you’re out there and you waste all of that time and you spilled all of the information out of your head and put together this fucking book it gets to the point where I gotta start all over now. So that was the main thing with me doing all of our research and putting so much effort into saying what I felt needed to be said and then at the end of the day it’s like I’m not sure any of this shit is gonna be coming out. So I just tried to take a step back and try to find some good out of it. It’s like when the milk spill you can knock the fucking refrigerator down or you could just pick up the spilled milk. So I didn’t want to make it worse than what it was.
Sure we could have stopped there and it would have been all good but this is Halftime kid. We got another hour with Ra coming next month where he talks more about Aftermath, another writing style, his family life and the concept behind the new album coming out called The Seventh Seal. See you next month!
July 8th, 2006
good looks. definitely a quality interview.
July 11th, 2006
To theGOD RAKIM ALLAH.I am a 34 year old father of four.My oldest is my daughter Destinee
July 11th, 2006
THE GREATEST MC EVER BAR NONE
July 13th, 2006
Best interview I’ve read all year - got me HEAVILY anticipating pt. 2. Absolutely dope. Keep up the good work, star.
July 14th, 2006
Yo, this is one of the illest interview with The God, yet! Real dope man, real dope.. can’t wait for the second part. Props to Halftime and especially to Ra..
July 15th, 2006
Damn that’s an interesting interview. Props to Jbutters.
July 19th, 2006
This was flawless! Cannot wait for that pt. II. (Big shouts to my dude Jesse for putting me on to this) Keep up the great work. Peace
July 27th, 2006
Good man great interview, up front Rakim. Everything coming out the truth baby.
July 31st, 2006
This interview was WHASSUP! Rakim, man I love you and keep being real. P.S. You DO still look good!
August 1st, 2006
Thats a good interview, so where’s part 2?
August 2nd, 2006
damn 90% of the production?
August 4th, 2006
I went to school with this brother since the 1st grade “The Jackson 5″ smile!
and he knows he’s got the support of the ENTIRE neighborhood.
later pop
August 9th, 2006
Who’s number 1?, If not best, then better? Here’s a hint, the 18th Letter! Hands down the “Greatest Emcee” ever to touch a MIC.
August 28th, 2006
I feel blessed with the knowledge that Ra just dropped in this interview. Thanks a lot to Halftimeonline.com for bringing this incredible series.
September 25th, 2006
FREDDIE FOXXX VS RAKIM?
FROM MTVNEWS.COM
http://www.mtv.com/bands/m/mixtape_monday/092506/
Someone is getting ready to do the absolutely unthinkable: call Rakim out on a record by name. It’s not going to be anything like the subliminal sparring that was rumored to be going on between Rakim and Big Daddy Kane in the ’80s. This person is going to dis the God, one of the greatest MCs ever. Who has enough courage to do so? None other than Mr. Fearless himself, Freddie Foxxx a.k.a. Bumpy Knuckles. The song is called “The King Is Down” and appears on his new LP, Amerikkkan Black Man.
“I will eat Rakim’s ass alive on any record, any stage,” Bumpy Knuckles asserted recently. “When I finish with him, every bit of legendary status he had is gonna go out the window. I swear on everything I stand on, I will eat that n—a alive, bar by bar. I’ll tell him to his muthaf—in’ face.”
So now you’re gasping for air, and wondering why Freddie — a legendary hip-hop figure in his own right, who’s earned respect for street pedigree as well as rap skills — is going at Ra. Well according to Foxxx, it goes back to the ’80s in Wyandanch, New York, where Foxxx’s rap team Supreme Force used to be competitive with Ra’s team the Love Brothers. This was pre-Eric B. and Rakim.
“We got a history, you know. We got a real long history,” Foxxx explained. “We from the same part of town. Ra has always had an attitude towards me that he was better than me — on the mic and more successful. How dare he think he can out-rhyme me. He has one style, that’s all he’s ever had.”
What really got Foxxx upset, he said, was a Q&A with Rakim he read on hip-hop Web site Halftime Online. Rakim was asked about a battle that supposedly took place back in the day between the Love Brothers and Supreme Force squad.
“I never f—ing turned down a battle with that muthaf—er!” Rakim is quoted as saying. “Foxxx wasn’t ferocious like that. Foxxx had two other cats that used to rhyme with him. They were a good group, but Foxxx wasn’t ferocious like that baby pa.”
“I read the article and it set me off,” Foxxx said. “He said I’m ‘not ferocious.’ How dare he? His ego kicked in. I said I’m gonna let the world who he really is. People are only calling him a legend because of what he did with Eric B. Everything after that was wack. Nobody will say it to his face.”
Foxxx said he’s not sure when the dis record will be coming out, but his LP is slated for sometime in February. WWE champion John Cena and Talib Kweli rap on a record called “Give it to the A&R,” while the Alchemist, Pete Rock, DJ Scratch and DJ Premier produced a myriad of the records.
“I’m too old to be chasing publicity,” Foxxx said when asked if he really has a legitimate gripe with Rakim or if he’s just doing it for hype for his album. “I don’t need the publicity. I ain’t no hater. But when I see he’s so quick to always shoot me in the foot, enough is enough. Why would I want to get recognition on Rakim? He’s nothing to me. Y’all see him differently than I do. On the song, I never called his name. We used to call him ‘Pop’ back in the day. I don’t call him ‘Rakim’ on the record, I call him ‘Pop.’ ”
Bumpy Knuckles also said he dares Rakim to come back at him on wax. “Turn your mic on, B,” he said defiantly. “I want him to put me in my place.”
Rakim is on tour and could not be reached for comment.
September 26th, 2006
[…] “I read the article and it set me off, ” Foxx said. “He said I’m ‘not ferocious.’ How dare he? His ego kicked in. I said I’m gonna let the world know who he really is. People are only calling him a legend because of what he did with Eric B. Everything after that was wack. Nobody will say it to his face.” […]
September 29th, 2006
Freddie Foxx is straight garbage compared to Rakim. No that’s wrong, he’s non existent. His style has always seemed OLD AND OUT DATED. ALWAYS. Even on its the Militia, I love the song and I like Foxx but he has never impressed me lyrically, musically or topic wise. He said Rakim has one style if so then explain the different styles from Microphone fiend and follow the leader. Or Let the Rhythm hit him with Punisher. Foxx on the other hand has never displayed anything remotely different than his one dimensional delivery and flow. Foxx, I understand this is something that dates back to Pre-Eric B days…but honestly Rakim? Come on, FF, stay in your place…which is in the trash.
October 15th, 2006
PEACE GOD
I HEARD THAT FOXX TRACK .THAT SHIT WAS WACK . JUST EAT THAT ASS UP TO SHUT HIM UP .I WAS IN LORD ISLAND BACK IN THE DAYS GOD AND I NEVER SEEN HIM ON WYDANCE DAY CATHING RECK .FOXX STOP IT. ANY WAY GOD CIPHER DIVINE JUST CHEW THAT ASS UP WE CAN`T HAVE NOBODY DISSING.
POWER EQUALITY ALLAH SEE EQUALITY
FATHER DIVINE 7
October 19th, 2006
This guy is like the Marvin Gaye of Rap. His music never grows old.. He needs to comeback and show the world what hip hop is all about. Cats like Rakim, EPMD, AN UNDERGROUND Group call Donald J and ez with the zoom, zoom zoom. People don’t know any thing about that. ( kING sUN, K-sOLO, STETSASONIC, and the list goes on.
October 30th, 2006
Lawd have mercy. I live in, Trinidad in the Caribbean and I’ve been following the Leader, from the very first day I heard him. I’m just glad, that he’s taking the time now, to get in touch with his people (I ain’t no fan). What Ra, got to know though, is if he doesn’t do an album, I don’t have anything to listen to! And that’s Real! I’d like to hear a lil bit more about his Knowledge of Self transition, as I think it would be instrumental, in assisting some of these other rappers, in assessing, what material they put out there.
Karma is not a bitch, but the reflection of, ones thoughts, words and deeds!
Peace!
December 1st, 2006
Rakim..Could you please drop an album man? Please? I get tire of listenin to all this bullshit out here.
December 8th, 2006
I have to agree with “FATHER DIVINE 7″ I’m sick of the half ass rappers talking junk. I was at Wyandanch day for years every body was supposed to be there to catch wreck. If FF wanted it with Ra he had all the opportunity to do his thing. But no FF no Kane they didn’t want it then and now you 40 dog let it go. I know every pawn whats to be king but damn.
November 6th, 2007
Its funny to hear fox talk this shit. I actually like foxx,he had a couple verses i thought was tight. I grew around ra peoples,when rumors was going around saying it wasnt him rhyming on the first album. The GOD is the best even today in his content,period!
August 22nd, 2008
This I think is the greatesst interview I ever heard Rakim do because someone FINALLY asked him the question I always wondered about….did Ra & Kane ever battle. I heard that they actually did battle, but I’m glad Ra confirmed everything and set it straight once and for all….NICE!!
December 1st, 2008
Foxx is a nut, what has he ever made that has people saying this dude is top notch, I’ll tell you what, NOTHING!!! Everyone knows the story about how Eric B chose to make records wit Rakim instead of this clown, and that’s why he’s salty, but get over it ock. The fact of the matter is you are not even close to Rakim when it comes to lyrical skills. You better get some help from G-Rap and Kane nigga, because that’s the only way you can compete, straight up nigga you WAAACK