Line-up

Headliner
Rakim Last time in Los Angeles (LA): 8 months ago

Venue

Blue Note Los Angeles

6372 W. Sunset Blvd., 90028, Los Angeles (LA), CA, US

www.bluenotejazz.com/la/

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Additional details

Doors open: 19:00

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Rakim biography

William Michael Griffin Jr., or better known by his stage name Rakim, is an American hip-hop artist from Long Island, New York.

Griffin was born on 28 January 1968 and at the age of 18 became involved in the New York hip-hop scene. At first he was known as Kid Wizard, but took the name Rakim Allah when he joined The Nation of Gods and Earths. He teamed up with Eric Barrier (aka Eric B) and together the pair recorded and released four albums before parting ways in 1992.

From 1995 through 1996, Rakim recorded several demos/songs by himself, and in 1997 released “The 18th Letter.” Two years later he also released “The Master” which, along with “The 18th Letter” was very well received. Rakim was then signed to Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment record label in 2000, however, due to numerous changes in artistic direction and personnel the album that he had been working on had been delayed several times. This resulted in Rakim leaving the label in 2003.

Rakim retreated to his Connecticut estate to work leisurely on music, and it wasn’t until 2009 that he released any new music. Because he was able to retain the tracks he had made with Dr. Dre, Rakim released “The Seventh Seal” in 2009 on his own label, and it was followed shortly by a live album. In 2011, Rakim performed Paid in Full in its entirety at the Blue Note Jazz Club in New York City, and in honor of its 25th anniversary Rakim and Erib released a special edition of the record.

Live reviews

Hip hop isn’t a genre known for the modesty of its musicians, but to be fair to Rakim, describing himself as the ‘God MC’ probably isn’t unreasonable. Put simply, he’s one of the most influential rappers of all time, with his collaborative classic with Eric B, Paid in Full, one of the defining works of the genre. Two years ago, respected hip hop magazine The Source named him the greatest lyricist of all time, and he’s widely considered to be one of, if not the, greatest MC in hip hop history. The more you think about it, the more the bravado in that self-ascribed moniker seems totally fair. He continues to play live, too, although his fear of flying means he doesn’t make it over to the UK all that often; his last visit, in 2011, saw him open the Science of Speech tour that also featured De La Soul and Black Star. His set was a straightforward, fifty-fifty affair; decked out in camo gear, he split his performance between Eric B & Rakim classics, and numerous cut from his most recent album, The Seventh Seal, which was released in 2009, and that he continued to promote to the crowd between songs as well as during them. He might not be topping the bills these days, but no true hip hop fan would pass up the opportunity to see him; he’s one of the genre’s genuine icons.

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