Some MCs rhyme. Rakim changed what rhyming meant. Before the “God MC” stepped to the mic, a lot of rap was loud, forceful and built to shake the block party. Then a kid from Long Island showed up with a calm voice and a stack of inside rhymes, and the bar moved for everybody who came after.

At HoodzRadio, we’ve been honoring the golden era since 2006, and Rakim sits at the center of it. Here’s the story.

Who Is Rakim?

Rakim was born William Michael Griffin Jr. on January 28, 1968, in Wyandanch, Long Island, New York. He’s best known as one half of Eric B. & Rakim, the duo that dropped Paid in Full in 1987, and he carried a solo career across the decades that followed.

The Musical House That Raised the God MC

Rakim’s ear didn’t come from nowhere. He grew up in a musical household. His mother sang jazz and opera, his brothers played a range of instruments, and R&B singer Ruth Brown was his aunt.

He played baritone saxophone in the Wyandanch High School band and cites John Coltrane as an influence. He also converted to Islam at age 16.

Our take: you can hear that background in how he treats words. His flow reads like a horn player’s phrasing. Think about that the next time you press play.

How Rakim Met Eric B.

In 1985, Rakim was performing as “Kid Wizard.” Promoter Alvin Toney connected him with DJ Eric Barrier, known as Eric B., who was looking for an MC while working with radio station WBLS.

The pair began recording in Marley Marl’s studio. Their first single, “Eric B. Is President,” was cut in 1986.

Paid in Full: The Album That Reset the Standard

Paid in Full arrived July 7, 1987, on 4th & B’way Records, an Island subsidiary. It was recorded in 1986–87 at Marley Marl’s home studio in Chestnut Ridge, NY, and at Power Play Studios in Queens. Eric B. & Rakim produced it themselves.

The singles tell the story of a whole movement:

  • “Eric B. Is President”
  • “I Ain’t No Joke”
  • “I Know You Got Soul”
  • “Move the Crowd”
  • “Paid in Full”

Rolling Stone includes the album in its 500 Greatest Albums of All Time and describes it as one of the first hip-hop records to fully embrace 1970s funk samples, citing “I Know You Got Soul” and “I Ain’t No Joke.”

Why Rakim Changed How Rap Flows

This is the question people search most, so let’s keep it plain. Rakim’s complex internal rhyme schemes and calm delivery over James Brown samples were a break from the louder, forceful style Run-D.M.C. had popularized. Jay-Z, Nas, Eminem and 50 Cent have all cited him as an influence.

What “internal rhyme” means for the culture

Instead of only landing rhymes at the end of a line, an MC can stack rhymes inside it. That gives a verse more density and more rhythm. Our take is that this shifted the idea of skill in rap. It wasn’t only about volume or energy anymore. It was about craft, and the writing had to be tight enough to hold up on repeat.

Rakim and the Class of 1986-87

The Ringer frames the “class of 1986-87” as the cohort that pulled hip-hop into its golden era:

  • Eric B. & Rakim
  • Boogie Down Productions
  • Big Daddy Kane
  • Kool G Rap & DJ Polo
  • Ultramagnetic MCs
  • Biz Markie
  • Public Enemy

It calls Rakim that class’s valedictorian. In a class that stacked, that’s a heavy title.

Follow the Leader and Let the Rhythm Hit ‘Em

The duo’s second album, Follow the Leader, was released July 26, 1988, and was recorded at Power Play in Queens. Its tracks include “Follow the Leader,” “Microphone Fiend,” “Lyrics of Fury” and “No Competition.” Author Jelani Cobb called it the high point of the Eric B.–Rakim collaboration.

Their third album, Let the Rhythm Hit ‘Em, was a 1990 MCA release. Its back cover is dedicated to Rakim’s father, William, and to producer Paul C., who was killed in July 1989. Large Professor finished Paul C.’s work on the album but went uncredited. That’s a piece of hip-hop history that deserves to be told.

In all, Eric B. & Rakim made four studio albums: Paid in Full (1987), Follow the Leader (1988), Let the Rhythm Hit ‘Em (1990) and Don’t Sweat the Technique (1992).

Rakim’s Solo Years and The Seventh Seal

Rakim signed with Aftermath Records in early 2002, then went independent. His third solo album, The Seventh Seal, came out in November 2009 on his own Ra Records, his first album in about 10 years. Producers included Nottz, Needlz, Jake One and Nick Wiz.

In a 2007 Billboard interview, Rakim said the number 7 has a lot of significance to him. Fitting, then, that this album carries the number in its title.

Dr. Dre let Rakim keep the songs he had originally produced during the Aftermath period, but Rakim recorded all-new material for The Seventh Seal. He told Billboard in 2009 that the unreleased Aftermath project was “locked down in the lab.”

The Reunion and the Rock Hall Conversation

In October 2016, Eric B. announced a reunion with Rakim after 23 years apart. The two performed together at Harlem’s Apollo Theater on July 7, 2017, 30 years to the day after Paid in Full hit shelves.

On the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame front, Eric B. & Rakim were first nominated for the class of 2012. They were nominated again for the 2024 class but were not inducted. That class included Mary J. Blige, Cher, Dave Matthews Band, Foreigner, Peter Frampton, Kool & The Gang, Ozzy Osbourne and A Tribe Called Quest.

Our take: plaques don’t define a legacy, and the music already settled this one. But the conversation keeps the history in front of a new generation, and that matters.

Why Rakim’s Legacy Still Matters

Rakim proved that restraint can hit as hard as force. Every MC who writes with intention, stacks syllables or lets a pocket breathe is working in a lane he helped pave. That’s the whole point of respecting the legacy: you hear it in the music that follows.

Sources

Respect the Legacy. Amplify the Movement. Listen live on HoodzRadio and hear the golden era and the next wave, back to back.