[Intro]
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The unauthorized copy
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Dedication to my children, my child, Destiny Jones
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To my niece and nephews, Suree, Malik, Jabari
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The world is yours
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Acknowledgements: first off I wanna thank God
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And I wanna thank everybody for helping me out with this
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Couldnt do it without you
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Chapter 1:
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[Verse]
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January 28, 1968
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Born into this world, William Griffin The Great
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Chapter 1, Wyandanch, Long Island
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Scientific rhyming, invented a new style when
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He met with Eric Barrier from East Elmhurst
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The melody they created was the first
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Burst on the scene, 1986, with “clap to this”
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87 dropped a classic disc
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The facts is the tracklist was like full
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The vocals, the beats, according to Marley Marl
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Recorded in my hometown Queensbridge
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Thats why its so relative
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This biography was unauthorized
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I spit it how it was given to author Nas
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William changed his name at sixteen to Rakim Allah
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‘Cause Clarence 13X had New York on lock
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Gods on every block, jams in every park
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I remember hearing Kurtis Blow, saying “it cant get better than this”
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‘Til Run DMC blew my brains to bits
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From leather coats to shell toes to the Stan Smiths, to Dapper Dan kicks
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First million-dollar deal ever in rap –
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18th Letter did that
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From 4th & Broadway to Uni to MCA
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We followed the leader to Harlems Apollo Theatre
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Supreme, Rap, and the 50 that dont rap
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Fort Greene, Queens, Strong Island wolfpack
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Paid In Full posse, hot they was on
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And Ra had his firstborn
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With the next line Ima be easy –
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His wisdoms name is Fifi
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EPMD put a record out, was dope
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Tension spread, and I quote
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“Smack me and I smack you back”
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Sounded like the answer to the “I Aint No Joke” track
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For a second, it aint look good
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Little tension buzzing from Wyandanch to Brentwood
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Misunderstood, all forgot
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At sixteen, when I met Freddie Foxxx
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Toting burners, the whole coasts most concern was
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How has Rakims flow made Christians convert with Islamic ways
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Let The Rhythm Hit ‘Em was the third LP
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A sophisticated mean one
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Before, similar voices were King Sun
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A few others, but sooner or later, the game was Ras kingdom
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At sixteen, son was watching him, mesmerized
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Respect, not jocking him, was so amazing, besides
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He came on the stage with lasers in his eyes
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Walk with me now
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[Outro]
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Unauthorized Biography of Rakim
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Epilogue: Mother was a jazz singer
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Nephew to R&B legend, Ruth Brown
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Discography: Paid In Full, Follow The Leader, Let The Rhythm Hit ‘Em, Dont Sweat The Technique
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Thats the end of the group, went on for solo
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Dropped “The R,” then The 18th Letter, then I think something, The Master
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Was signed to Aftermath
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Scheduled to release an album, Oh My God, with Dr. Dre
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The album was dismantled because of creative differences
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The end
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To the new beginning, yeah
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Next book: KRS-One
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Peace
