I have a 12 year old cousin who says my taste for music is incredible, so I let him listen to this rather than listenin' to new school shit!. Rakim 4ever.
@tommyboston508 Im 42 yrs old and I listen Rakim on a wkly basis. By far the best MC of ALL TIME. I listen 2 this song b4 I go 2 the gym....if this doesnt get u amped up ur heart aint pumpin!
"Stop buggin' a brother said "Dig him", I never dug him; you couldn't follow the leader long enough so I drug 'em..." "I've been from state to state, followers tailgate, keep coming but you came to late so I'll wait"...and this needs to be posted in every so-called studio today..."RAP IS RHYTHM AND POETRY, CUTS CREATE SOUND EFFECTS" People have forgotten about the poetic aspect of this art form! I grew up in the South and Rakim has always been my favorite rapper. He is the G.O.A.T.!!!!
There's a verse in dis track where he say's "Guide you outta triple stage darkness" dat was over 2 decades ago, cats 2 dis day have no clue wut he's talkin bout!!!!! Serious meaning, only curtain individuals know!!!!!! Do ur research!!!!!! Way ahead of his time!!!!!!!!!!
"A Fearafied Freestyle," Lyrics of Fury" My third eye make me shine like jewlery. Your just a rent-a-rapper ya rhmes are minute-maid I'll be here when it fade, watch it flip like a renegade I can't wait ta break & eliminate on every trader & snake so stay away. "So follow &follow because the tempo's the trail. The stage is a cage the mic is a third rail" Lyricism @ it's best. PEACE GOD!!!!!!!
@transitnephil83 absolutely nothing. this track came out in 88, nas was first heard on mc serch's solo album in 93. nothing against nas, but if he was never born, rakim would still be a legend. btw, what up with the 2:28? nas is never mentioned in this song.
dude little wayne is terrible he is literally gay with birdman. faggot ass lil wendy. And he sounds like he had a stroke or something everytime he talks. Fucking retard get off of lil waynes dick.
People don't get it. Everybody loves Rakim. Most don't realize Eric B is one of the illest. The production on this is disgusting. Made in 88. Could have been made today.
You might wanna check your info, or get you some brand new pair of ears, cause you either deaf or dumb, g. Gayne can lick Rakim's Air Force One's, that would be only good use of his mouth which makes that pussy-ass sound.
@KindredKunoichi you mean 100% of todays wackness, music done got so wack now I done got to a point to where I dont even listen to the radio OR watch suck ass bet anymore, I dont know about ANY of the new songs or artists I just listen to my own shit.
@danthedonHBB hell yeah I really don't like the techno pop crap the so called hip hop of today has gotten into, that and the fact that there are no skilled or real emcees
@RAthaPunisher yeah, i just dont like the new sound, i liked the old raw, electronic sound, original mantronix etc. but the new stuff sounds shit to me. i think sample clearance laws havent done hip hop any favours but it could sound a fucking whole lot better than the bullshit coming out today
@Staaan1000 for sure electronic sound can go well with Hip Hop (Electro Hop) when used correctly, Electric Circus is one of my favorite albums ever and one of the greatest Hip Hop albums as well
here we go again do i really have to feel like the realest? lil wayne is his own artist w his own style he made classics rakim was from a different era dumbasses.. listen to misunderstood from lil wayne if u wanna grow ur balls back haters..
hey i would really appreciate if you were to check out my channel im just a rapper that's trying to make it and give people good quality music to feel and listen to
It is great when art can illicit such passion and emotion, whether a great painting, architecture, Beethoven's fifth, or Rakim's smooth vocals taking you on a journey through space and time. There seems to be a lot of angst and arguing over where hip hop is heading, but hip hop will be fine, there are plenty carrying the torch. The other stuff is just bubble gum pop music, stuff for the clubs, it will not stand the test of time. Mylie Cyrus is not bringing down rock and roll either..
as the title of the track says it all...follow the leader- there still aint no rapper that has ever came close to this master....and by the sound of rap nowadays there will never be a man that can better rakim.....the man was a pure genius..
Teddy- very well put, he was a leap forward artistically and lyrically that still holds up today. Their music still makes my spine tingle the way it did when I first discovered it as a young teen age white kid who was not really into much music at all. Now I am 36 and have a broad musical interest, from classic rock to blues to modern rock, but this still strikes a chord in me that is unparalleled. Who raps for 5 minutes straight with barely a hook? He and KRS-1 blazed a trail...
@a2mfkhomeboy Can you imagine I was 27 the first time I heard I aint no joke and I remember I just felt like I was having a out of body experience almost, seriously. And today I'm 52 and you know it' still affects me today just as it did then. I mean he was pure Genius. Never called women bitches, never swore,but he made you think, especially when you look at the lyrics. I'm just speechless and to think these days morons walk around with their pants sagging I just don't get it.
can u beleve my stupid fuckin friends say that lil wayne will out rap rakim!?!?!? hahahaha i laughed in their faces, took his cd and smashed it then gave him a copy of songs such as ATCQ, slick rick, rakim, doug e fresh, naughty by nature etc and said here is REAL HIP HOP for you........
@chucho9263 thank you..... it was these rappers who paved the way to see these after taste rappers come along and ruin the true flavor that rappers like rakim krs one chubb rock publc enemy established. They had flow and skill. Lil wayne beat Rakim? Its like a baby trying to teach a grownup how to talk. Rakim is the Muhammed Ali of rap. He could knockout any one on the mic. you laugh for me next time that was the best rap
the set You throw a laugh in there for me too!!!!
Yes. Rakim pioneered what became the basis of all modern hip hop. The way his rhymes create the flow of the track. Even the greats like Soulsonic Force and friends had their vocal lines follow the progression. Rakim introduced the style where the 'flow' was everything, not the progression. I still think Rakim's records are the hands-down best until PE came out. (not that they beat him, but damn, they're great too :-)
if u want to go indepth to see how Rakim makes rhymes and flows, theres a book published with direct interviews with Big Daddy Kane, Kool G Rap, Chuck D, Masta-Ace, AZ, Q-Tip, Black Moon, sooo many of hip.hop's greates emcees....
the book which i'm talking bout is -- HOW;,TO, RAP,
Not one foul language, amazing!. True skills.. Delivery god like and he wrote his own lyric.
Something often neglected when discussion about rap is education!, listen to what he says in his rhymes you had to be good reader and writer to elevate your skills. Back then I knew duds who would literately go through the dictionary looking for new word to their vocabulary.
Too all the old heads. be patient with the young one s for they only know what’s being put in front of them.
@ern363 false, that sort of determinism is fatalist and boring. the "young one's" have every avenue and access to break out of the boring. its up to them to do it through exploration instead of being tools of capital (as everyone knows).
@ern363 Thanx 4 that insight on the younger generation. My patience w/ Generation "WHY" gets very thin @ times when they talk of the lyrical prowess? of today's hot spitters. Drake, Wayne, Gucci can't hold Ra's cable chain
Follow The Leader - The Stage is a Cage !! " The MIC is a Third Rail "... I'm Rakim the Fiene of the Microphone... I'm not him , so leave the MIC alone.... As soon as the Beat is felt... I'm ready to Go.. So fasten your seat belt's, cause I'm about to Flow.. No need to Speed.. Slow down and let "The Leader Lead" ,. Word to > Daddy Indeed.. The "R" is a Rollin Stone so I'm Rollin.. Directions was told then.. The rhymes are Stolen... > Word to>( Big "Daddy" Kane)... The Rhymes are Stolen..
I've tried so many times...I can NOT keep up without taking an extra breath when eric doesnt.. I think he has an extra lung or something that lets him breath while rapping......modern rap is horrible compared to this...they are all following the leader
simply classic....what ever made these 2 seperate should of been worked out...Erics beats with RAKIMS WORD PLAY hasnt been matched..I was at rock the bells in San Bernardino this past summer but missed Rakims set...after the show I got into the artist trailer area and stole the paper off his trailer that said..RAKIM...I t would of been an honor to have met him
@trurhyme909 actually, hip hop lore says that large professor aka xtra-p ghost produced EVERY beat rakim ever rhymed over in those days. i tend to believe it due to other eric b. stories that i recall from the late 80's.
@jdbankshot I don't think it was Large Professor, i know that he worked on ''Let The Rhythm Hit 'Em'', the album, but he did it after the death of Paul C. i think he was the one that produced this album.
@trurhyme909 actually, hip hop lore says that large professor aka xtra-p ghost produced EVERY beat rakim ever rhymed over in those days. i tend to believe it due to other eric b. stories that i recall from the late 80's.
@Africanslick cuz dumb media fucks classify drake as hip hop when it's club dancefloor, jiggy, bling, empty-v, top 40, commercial, mall-rat rap.... that's why. call it pop hop or hip pop or raptertainment, cuz it's not hip hop.
@jdbankshot I mean there is a certain appeal that he has to appeal to make money without completely ALTERING his rapping style. Have you heard the guy's mixtapes b4 he got big? Listen to those and tell me that he isn't hip hop. Isn't hip hop when you get a beat and spit rhymes on it that's exactly what he does, listen to a body of work and not judge what joints you hear by him on the radio.
@dublinrupepupkin Man I don't like to compare to artists whom I both like- It's hard to compare ANYONE to the Rap God Ra. I just go by generations- Ra was the best of his and Eminem is the best of his but I will admit Ra had one of the sickest flows ever.
@Midwaytyrant Check out Sage Francis, he's insane. I'd say best of this generation. I'm really glad I looked Eric B & Rakim up, it's good to expand my rap collection. This is awesome.
@dublinrupepupkin "The day Eminem writes a song called "Follow The Leader" better than this one is the day he can be considered above Ra." <100% cosign. and that goes for even NAS, and JAY-Z, too. RAKIM is the greatest emcee of all-time. that's why he's called 'THE GOD EMCEE'.
Do you want to learn what enlightenment really is?Want something different than the same old information about it everywhere?paranormal powers, psychic readings, it is all possible.THE-HIDDEN-SPIRITdotCOM It is time to lift the veil.
man.. hes good lyrically.. but im jus not used to his flow.. it needs some time.. this is my 1st rakim time.... but im not hatin... my top 10 1. Eminem 2. Dr. Dre 3. The Game 4. NOTORIUS BIG 5. Ice Cube 6. 50 Cent 7. DOC 8. T.I. 9. Snoop Dogg 10. Wiz Khalifa honorable mentions NWA Obie Trice Lloyd banks Jay-Z MC Ren I got mixed opinions of Eazy..... Hate to: Lil Wayne Soulja Boy Gucci Mane Waka Floka OJ Da Juiceman Drake (kind of)
@therealjohnn Rakim changed the sport of rapping. Innovative and inspirational, nobody rapped like this before Ra. MCs were loud and hyped up on the mic like Chuck D, LL and Run. Ra showed everybody that you didnt need to get hyped up on the mic to blow the spot. He was like a an assassin nobody could see. The smoothness of his voice, the level of intelligence in his rhyme structure was never heard before and was instantly copied by the majority. Dude is No.1, no doubt.
@therealjohnn oh yeah, Rakim has insane flow, and his wordplay is not of this world. this is your first time listening to him? I'm surprised your head didn't explode. check out some of his other jams, you won't regret it
@therealjohnn oh my god, dre 2nd best on the mic?? 50nosense as #6? you don't need time, you need a time MACHINE!!! krs-one is not in your top 3, rakim's not even there, how can you expect ANY tru hip hop head to take you seriously? turn off empty-v & check R.A. the rugged man, immortal technique, diabolic, aesop rock, reef the lost cause, vinnie paz, rhyme asylum... that's modern.... now, go back & peep kool moe dee , big daddy kane, public enemy, slick rick, kool g rap, masta ace, etc....
@therealjohnn i'm a hip hop head. i don't dig corporate formula commercial empty-v rap. pac, big, eazy & em are not exactly talentless, but fucking suck compared to all the ones i mentioned.... for fuck's sake, you got T.I. in your top 10...!? the game at #3? the hip hop created in the 80's & early 90's will never be topped, that's fact, not opinion. it's like telling a funk, soul, real r&b fan to ditch motown, or telling a rock fan to get out of the 60's. krs squashes all your faves with ease
@therealjohnn you tell me to get out of the 80's, yet 3 of the 4 you mention are dead, & em is a total fuckin sell-out. including boogie down productions, krs has 25 albums (at least). his self titled second solo album, released in 1995, eclipses all the combined recordings of tuwac, piggie, sleazy e, & feminem any day of any week of any year. did you know that tuwac was dancing for digital underground while wearing mc hammer pants ONE year before his first l.p. ? oooooh, so thug-ish.
@therealjohnn any true hip hop head over the age of 27 that has not been brainwashed by the machine KNOWS FOR A FACT that pac & big were the hulk hogans' of hip hop..... the biggest "STARS" with minimal skills. complete poseurs, acting tough, adopting the corporate formula... " talk niggaz, bitches, cash, guns, & i'll be rich n' famous !" popularity does not equal quality. pac & bigs popularity reflects the weakness of the mainstream masses. pac & big were phonies, pure fact.
@therealjohnn the fact that they were poseurs doesn't mean that they had no talent, that's what makes it so frustrating.... they coulda been so much more if they didn;t care about empty-v & the club dancefloor. after biggies' death, lance "un" riviera said, and i quote, " if you told big that he could make 2 million$ from rapping about what's in that garbage can over there, he woulda done it"... they were all about money & fame.
@therealjohnn i got tons of folk on my side when it comes to this... true heads that create classic, boom bap hip hop beats without caring about the latest trends. they create those beats for mc's that won't settle for the accepted standard, true poets, like rakim. pac & big are maybe, MAYBE, in the area of rakims' toenail clippings in terms of lyrical & vocal talent. all the graf-writing b-boys i know are aware that pac & big were rap stars, not hip hop artists. big diff.
@jdbankshot damn u can ride on yo hip hop boom bap all day but the outdated beats and terrible audio quality will always thro people off.. AND rakim iz a legend after i listened 2 him more... and i like gangsta rap.. mayb dats y
@therealjohnn what u refer to as outdated is the classic shit that will never die. that right there tells me that u r unworthy of debating a tru old school hip hop head like myself. & also, don't blame the technology of that era for shoddy sound. i happen to love that warm, grainy, analog sound. stevie wonder recorded on the same gear, it ain't my fault that you kids were raised on everything hi-def.... gangsta rap is fine, if they aren't poseurs adopting a corporate formula just for cash.
@therealjohnn rakim, or the fans of true hip hop, don't need your confirmation of rakims' status as a legend. it's like you think that your approval of rakim is what makes him legit. i've been around & paid my dues, i know what i'm talkin about. you're obviously easily influenced by the media powers that order the masses to consume entertainment as opposed to art... good hip hop still exists, but we'll never hear it at 3 am in a pizza place, only lili gaynus & the wack eyed cheese & lady gagag.
@therealjohnn "dissin 2pac and biggie and eminem aint cool.. i got people that can back me up on dis 1.." Aint cool? They aren't cool in the first place they suck, biggies good, pac & eminem are garbage.
@VaginalVador tupac wrote hail mary in 10 minutes most of his songs are written under 30 minutes tupacs all eyes on me was written composed and released in 2 weeks he was a genius and a poet
@chickenmaster66 Still doesn't make him cool. I titled him garbage due to him being overrated. I never doubted his talent nor skill. C'mon big guy, catch up.
@VaginalVador how is he over rated? and lots of amazing hip hop artiest have died and not gotten good attention like biggie and tupac did there death didnt to shit they were popular before their deaths
@VaginalVador you titled Tupac garbage because he's overrated, but you admit that he has talent and skill? sounds like an ignorant minded comment to me. Yeah he may have been overrated but there's a reason for that. You won't see his lyricism as deep as Rakim here, but he has passion and deep poetry meanings in his songs. Thats talent that shouldn't be labelled as trash. Instead of calling a man trash because of how other people see him as, give me a real reason.
You're an idiot. What do you mean "who gives a shit?" That was a big no no in hip hop back then. This obviously shows you are a noobie to this art. Get off this page. You have no knowledge of this art form to even be posting on a Rakim page.
Word to "Daddy Kane" Indeed, The "R" is a Rollin Stone, so Im Rollin, "Directions were told Then", "The Rhymes Are Stolen".
I want to see who keep Following and swallowing, Taking the Makings , Biting And Borrowing. "Rhymes Are As Deep As X-Rays". Far as The Eye could See, Not even A Satelite. No One On Rakim's Level.
THIS MAN WAS THE KING OF NEW YORK FOREVER. They tried to cast Rakim in the movie King of New York but he was busy.lol....You NEVA heard of other rappers beefing with Rakim. NEVER
i get high when listening to this song, the G.O.A.T
mj4ever001 2 days ago
tune
wheeler134 3 days ago
makes me think of the revolution ERIC B, RAKIM WE'LL FOLLOW YOU! :p
GQSmoke 5 days ago
"...This is a lifetime mission...".
topperlongo 1 week ago
I have a 12 year old cousin who says my taste for music is incredible, so I let him listen to this rather than listenin' to new school shit!. Rakim 4ever.
Harvsey 2 weeks ago
If a rapper of 2day tried to do this song w the exact same lyrics it would take them 25 min just 2 spit the whole thing
smd426 2 weeks ago
@tommyboston508 Im 42 yrs old and I listen Rakim on a wkly basis. By far the best MC of ALL TIME. I listen 2 this song b4 I go 2 the gym....if this doesnt get u amped up ur heart aint pumpin!
smd426 2 weeks ago
This is pure. A tempo to move to and a voice to follow to the very end and beyond. Play on, Rakim!
terinatum 2 weeks ago
"Stop buggin' a brother said "Dig him", I never dug him; you couldn't follow the leader long enough so I drug 'em..." "I've been from state to state, followers tailgate, keep coming but you came to late so I'll wait"...and this needs to be posted in every so-called studio today..."RAP IS RHYTHM AND POETRY, CUTS CREATE SOUND EFFECTS" People have forgotten about the poetic aspect of this art form! I grew up in the South and Rakim has always been my favorite rapper. He is the G.O.A.T.!!!!
unc75503 2 weeks ago
Flip, now its a daily word. Follow me...
Dactuck 3 weeks ago
I love Urban Black music like this.
OleMartyMar 3 weeks ago
how the FUCK this only got 128,700 hits fuckin kids aint up on music..so ahead of there time.
JKHRIST730 3 weeks ago
I AM 37 YRS OLD..AND THIS IS STILL THE ILLEST JAM EVER...NOTHING OUT TODAY CAN HOLD A CANDLE TO THIS SHIT....ILL ASS BEATS!
TOMMYBOSTON508 3 weeks ago 3
6 people have no direction
hewitt718 4 weeks ago
Comment removed
hewitt718 4 weeks ago
Mastery!
windtwist 4 weeks ago
hey can someone tell me which is the bpm of the track??
sharixs 1 month ago
@sharixs 116bpm
jdbankshot 2 weeks ago
Before Rakim it was rap. After Rakim it was hip hop. Nuff said.
roscoegino 1 month ago
This has been flagged as spam show
Be sure to check out the mistahoodstar channel! hot hot hot!
Mistahoodstar 1 month ago
This Brotha is Shakespeare to the rap game!
Fo dam sho a Rap/ Hip Hop hall of famer.
pepdogg513 1 month ago
master talented :)
IOPhaser 2 months ago
There's a verse in dis track where he say's "Guide you outta triple stage darkness" dat was over 2 decades ago, cats 2 dis day have no clue wut he's talkin bout!!!!! Serious meaning, only curtain individuals know!!!!!! Do ur research!!!!!! Way ahead of his time!!!!!!!!!!
Solar703 2 months ago
@Solar703 he says it in "I Aint No Joke" too
cibida1 1 month ago
"A Fearafied Freestyle," Lyrics of Fury" My third eye make me shine like jewlery. Your just a rent-a-rapper ya rhmes are minute-maid I'll be here when it fade, watch it flip like a renegade I can't wait ta break & eliminate on every trader & snake so stay away. "So follow &follow because the tempo's the trail. The stage is a cage the mic is a third rail" Lyricism @ it's best. PEACE GOD!!!!!!!
interestingtheory414 2 months ago
2:28 - the birth of Nas leads to immortalization of Rakim, so he says. How much did Nas rise have to do with Eric B and Rakim?
transitnephil83 2 months ago
@transitnephil83 absolutely nothing. this track came out in 88, nas was first heard on mc serch's solo album in 93. nothing against nas, but if he was never born, rakim would still be a legend. btw, what up with the 2:28? nas is never mentioned in this song.
jdbankshot 2 months ago
Bad to the bone !!!!
MrAPRO66 3 months ago
wow, i thought i would never find out the name of this song, why am i so stupid? it was easy to find dammit
kevenator12 3 months ago
lyrics to follow the leader are so fuckin sick to this day,the shit should be etched in stone.
johnjohnvilla06 3 months ago 5
holla if you loved the video... rakim gettin' a shave... haha gonna kill that guy for cutting him.
drstevenshirley 3 months ago
6 people aren't following along
frdwalter 3 months ago
6 people didnt follow the leader
c12dagreats 3 months ago
TURN IT UP!!!!!
1LETHALMC 4 months ago in playlist eric b and rakim
dude little wayne is terrible he is literally gay with birdman. faggot ass lil wendy. And he sounds like he had a stroke or something everytime he talks. Fucking retard get off of lil waynes dick.
dreamtheater626 4 months ago
why is Rakim so dope!?
joejoe98989898989 4 months ago
@joejoe98989898989 His voice and he always had a hard look about him..
Aonexia 1 month ago
love the photo,
ps donts let argue now
mspubquiz83 4 months ago
People don't get it. Everybody loves Rakim. Most don't realize Eric B is one of the illest. The production on this is disgusting. Made in 88. Could have been made today.
Digisthetics 4 months ago 4
Blew the doors of hip hop wide open, best track of the whole 80ties!!
najbjergpoulsen 4 months ago 2
This comment has received too many negative votes show
Wayne destroys these niqqa's career. PERIOD
LilWayneTheBestMC 4 months ago
@LilWayneTheBestMC LOL who is little wayne? shit. Rakim ain't no joke.
billyhowell24120 4 months ago
@LilWayneTheBestMC LOL who is little wayne? shit. Rakim ain't no joke.
billyhowell24120 4 months ago 2
@LilWayneTheBestMC your a funny one
thepaulypaul1 4 months ago
@LilWayneTheBestMC
You might wanna check your info, or get you some brand new pair of ears, cause you either deaf or dumb, g. Gayne can lick Rakim's Air Force One's, that would be only good use of his mouth which makes that pussy-ass sound.
RoZStal 4 months ago
@RoZStal dont feed the trolls man. ha get what im sayin?
NoneRealer831 3 months ago
@NoneRealer831
well, i can't tell if it's trolling or being dumb lol
RoZStal 3 months ago
@LilWayneTheBestMC you're taking the piss...?
danthedonHBB 1 month ago
Seems strange nowadays to hear a rap song where you really have to focus on listening to the lyrics.
DavidofThe 4 months ago
One of my favorites. His flow (and beats) are what made him tops.
coolroski 4 months ago
The golden age of hip-hop! How I miss it so.
DarkCelticPrince 5 months ago 6
You could take the accapella version of this Album, update the production & it would still be destroying 99.9% of the game!!!
KindredKunoichi 5 months ago 49
@KindredKunoichi you mean 100% of todays wackness, music done got so wack now I done got to a point to where I dont even listen to the radio OR watch suck ass bet anymore, I dont know about ANY of the new songs or artists I just listen to my own shit.
illmatic826 5 months ago 4
@illmatic826 same here, idk why i still even got a radio n tv
Damian702lv 4 months ago
@KindredKunoichi -str8 up dog!
synodontiseupterus 2 months ago
@KindredKunoichi 100%
dbg581 1 month ago
@KindredKunoichi nahh... the production on this song sounds far fucking better than almost all of today's stuff
danthedonHBB 1 month ago
@danthedonHBB hell yeah I really don't like the techno pop crap the so called hip hop of today has gotten into, that and the fact that there are no skilled or real emcees
RAthaPunisher 1 month ago 2
@RAthaPunisher yeah, i just dont like the new sound, i liked the old raw, electronic sound, original mantronix etc. but the new stuff sounds shit to me. i think sample clearance laws havent done hip hop any favours but it could sound a fucking whole lot better than the bullshit coming out today
Staaan1000 1 month ago
@Staaan1000 for sure electronic sound can go well with Hip Hop (Electro Hop) when used correctly, Electric Circus is one of my favorite albums ever and one of the greatest Hip Hop albums as well
RAthaPunisher 1 month ago
@KindredKunoichi 100% of the game :)
YewTubeUsername 2 weeks ago
fuck todays so called music
illmatic826 5 months ago 3
Respect
bballer10590 5 months ago
theres a book put out recently to try to build up
the skills of real emcees, book has insights direct
from all the legendary hiphop emcees to teach the new guys, book is--
:;.. H-O.W...:; ..TO.. ::.. R-A.:P::..
that-book is filled with info from Big Daddy Kane, G Rap, Tribe Called Quest, Public.Enemy, Pharoahe-Monch, Pharcyde,+more
Thedarkheritage1 5 months ago 17
@Thedarkheritage1 Christmas gift for Lil Wayne & Soulja Boy?
NewEraKidd0323 1 month ago
3:26 Kool G Rap diss
3:48 Kane diss
3:57 EPMD diss
4:05 RUN diss
djt2012 5 months ago
rakim is in fact a pioneer in hip hop though doesnt mean future hip hop can't live.
tyus29 6 months ago
here we go again do i really have to feel like the realest? lil wayne is his own artist w his own style he made classics rakim was from a different era dumbasses.. listen to misunderstood from lil wayne if u wanna grow ur balls back haters..
tyus29 6 months ago
George Clinton (godfather of funk music) describing this track: "This shit is untouchable."
classof77 6 months ago 2
PEACE TO MAN WOMEN AND CHILD!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hundredrounds 6 months ago
In my 25 years of rap, is there a better track? I am yet to hear one..
ptdavison 6 months ago 4
@ptdavison
I was born in 74 and have been listening to rap forever it seems. . haven't heard one better than this.
TusPapi 6 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@ptdavison "In my 25 years of rap, is there a better track? I am yet to hear one.." : 100% COSIGN.
insanemacbeth 6 months ago
@ptdavison true that id go with this or commons i used 2 love her as the greatest track of all time
intent100 5 months ago
if it wasnt for masters like Rakim, rap may never have took off.
stonedpaw 6 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
hey i would really appreciate if you were to check out my channel im just a rapper that's trying to make it and give people good quality music to feel and listen to
ApolloDior 7 months ago
dis sht just proves us that we should not follow minors like lil wayne
tkwk1433 7 months ago 3
How to rap was boring, just listen the rhymes study the artists
kb7254 7 months ago
I won't lie, I was not feeling this song when it first dropped. I wasn't ready yet.
illadvised50 7 months ago
the title says it all...
jumboyarm 7 months ago
THE REAL HIP HOP
SOTAdiPhariseDestroy 7 months ago
It is great when art can illicit such passion and emotion, whether a great painting, architecture, Beethoven's fifth, or Rakim's smooth vocals taking you on a journey through space and time. There seems to be a lot of angst and arguing over where hip hop is heading, but hip hop will be fine, there are plenty carrying the torch. The other stuff is just bubble gum pop music, stuff for the clubs, it will not stand the test of time. Mylie Cyrus is not bringing down rock and roll either..
a2mfkhomeboy 7 months ago 4
@a2mfkhomeboy wow. fuckin a. fuckin a wow. i couldn't have put it better myself. thank you.... a lil bit of ludwig van....
jdbankshot 7 months ago
as the title of the track says it all...follow the leader- there still aint no rapper that has ever came close to this master....and by the sound of rap nowadays there will never be a man that can better rakim.....the man was a pure genius..
jumboyarm 7 months ago
@jumboyarm You said it better than anyone on earth, it's great to know believe the same thing I do. AMEN!
fruityblack 7 months ago
@fruityblack all these new boys are just ther to take the cash ..rap my garn does it better than most of them now..lol
jumboyarm 7 months ago
Teddy- very well put, he was a leap forward artistically and lyrically that still holds up today. Their music still makes my spine tingle the way it did when I first discovered it as a young teen age white kid who was not really into much music at all. Now I am 36 and have a broad musical interest, from classic rock to blues to modern rock, but this still strikes a chord in me that is unparalleled. Who raps for 5 minutes straight with barely a hook? He and KRS-1 blazed a trail...
a2mfkhomeboy 7 months ago 2
@a2mfkhomeboy Can you imagine I was 27 the first time I heard I aint no joke and I remember I just felt like I was having a out of body experience almost, seriously. And today I'm 52 and you know it' still affects me today just as it did then. I mean he was pure Genius. Never called women bitches, never swore,but he made you think, especially when you look at the lyrics. I'm just speechless and to think these days morons walk around with their pants sagging I just don't get it.
fruityblack 7 months ago 3
Yo! Thanks for posting. I was just completing the 11th grade at James Monroe High School in The Bronx late spring/early summer '88.
oldschoolbx1970 8 months ago
4 people got lost out of ignorance
TheBlackrebels 8 months ago
can u beleve my stupid fuckin friends say that lil wayne will out rap rakim!?!?!? hahahaha i laughed in their faces, took his cd and smashed it then gave him a copy of songs such as ATCQ, slick rick, rakim, doug e fresh, naughty by nature etc and said here is REAL HIP HOP for you........
chucho9263 8 months ago
@chucho9263 thank you..... it was these rappers who paved the way to see these after taste rappers come along and ruin the true flavor that rappers like rakim krs one chubb rock publc enemy established. They had flow and skill. Lil wayne beat Rakim? Its like a baby trying to teach a grownup how to talk. Rakim is the Muhammed Ali of rap. He could knockout any one on the mic. you laugh for me next time that was the best rap
the set You throw a laugh in there for me too!!!!
MrJplayer1 8 months ago
RAKIM: the best
tcoreyb 8 months ago
Stage is a cage; Mic is a third rail.... NUFF SAID
dam2630 9 months ago
THE PINNACLE OF HIP -HOP .......
WilderelAchaiah 9 months ago
Yes. Rakim pioneered what became the basis of all modern hip hop. The way his rhymes create the flow of the track. Even the greats like Soulsonic Force and friends had their vocal lines follow the progression. Rakim introduced the style where the 'flow' was everything, not the progression. I still think Rakim's records are the hands-down best until PE came out. (not that they beat him, but damn, they're great too :-)
philcommon1 9 months ago 3
if u want to go indepth to see how Rakim makes rhymes and flows, theres a book published with direct interviews with Big Daddy Kane, Kool G Rap, Chuck D, Masta-Ace, AZ, Q-Tip, Black Moon, sooo many of hip.hop's greates emcees....
the book which i'm talking bout is -- HOW;,TO, RAP,
clarencejones07 9 months ago 5
@clarencejones07 Shove the book up your ass, i'm tired of you people mentioning that book.
VaginalVador 7 months ago 6
To all the old school and real hiphop fam\ns check out my channel for the rakim know the ledge remix...peace ad 1luv to hiphop universal..
niksugphiphop 9 months ago
Mind blowing!
iwillknifeya 9 months ago
This was in 1988 and I'm listening to this in 2011. I wasn't even born when this came out!
Helixthetiger 9 months ago
@Helixthetiger Well no crap -anything good was.
happybirthday47420 9 months ago
one of my favorite rap
TheBlackrebels 9 months ago
Not one foul language, amazing!. True skills.. Delivery god like and he wrote his own lyric.
Something often neglected when discussion about rap is education!, listen to what he says in his rhymes you had to be good reader and writer to elevate your skills. Back then I knew duds who would literately go through the dictionary looking for new word to their vocabulary.
Too all the old heads. be patient with the young one s for they only know what’s being put in front of them.
ern363 9 months ago 44
@ern363 Amen :)
DogmeUK 7 months ago
@ern363 false, that sort of determinism is fatalist and boring. the "young one's" have every avenue and access to break out of the boring. its up to them to do it through exploration instead of being tools of capital (as everyone knows).
XdoctorbutcherX 6 months ago
@ern363 Thanx 4 that insight on the younger generation. My patience w/ Generation "WHY" gets very thin @ times when they talk of the lyrical prowess? of today's hot spitters. Drake, Wayne, Gucci can't hold Ra's cable chain
mac06savant 6 months ago
@ern363 not all the young people are listening to the slop on radio they music
jadum1rollin1fresh 4 months ago in playlist 2000 and lower
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@ern363 not all the young people are listening to the slop on radio they call music
jadum1rollin1fresh 4 months ago in playlist 2000 and lower
i need this beat
coates27 9 months ago
why cut it off at the end. what a fail
eslubin 9 months ago
damn....I miss stuff like this. Rap just isn't the same anymore.
bigserg2 9 months ago 3
i get good kill/death ratio playing this on call of duty black ops
Apexed818 9 months ago 2
one if the best hip hop songs of all time
ThePantherhawk 10 months ago 4
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Follow The Leader - The Stage is a Cage !! " The MIC is a Third Rail "... I'm Rakim the Fiene of the Microphone... I'm not him , so leave the MIC alone.... As soon as the Beat is felt... I'm ready to Go.. So fasten your seat belt's, cause I'm about to Flow.. No need to Speed.. Slow down and let "The Leader Lead" ,. Word to > Daddy Indeed.. The "R" is a Rollin Stone so I'm Rollin.. Directions was told then.. The rhymes are Stolen... > Word to>( Big "Daddy" Kane)... The Rhymes are Stolen..
madboxing 10 months ago
True hip hop right here i love the nautilus sample, its been done in everything yet never gets old
RZAnataX 10 months ago 4
It doesn't get any better
101airbourn 10 months ago
I've tried so many times...I can NOT keep up without taking an extra breath when eric doesnt.. I think he has an extra lung or something that lets him breath while rapping......modern rap is horrible compared to this...they are all following the leader
joshgallman1 10 months ago
@joshgallman1 This is Rap, what they have now is hip hop, there's a big difference!
slimdaddy0714 10 months ago
One of the best ever. Dude don't cuss. Too many lyrics..
pstrscott 10 months ago
CLASSIC
ninostar74 10 months ago
Whoever dislike this, just go kill yahself
CaptNewAmerica 10 months ago
Thumbs up if u hate Vevo
andycf87 10 months ago 3
simply classic....what ever made these 2 seperate should of been worked out...Erics beats with RAKIMS WORD PLAY hasnt been matched..I was at rock the bells in San Bernardino this past summer but missed Rakims set...after the show I got into the artist trailer area and stole the paper off his trailer that said..RAKIM...I t would of been an honor to have met him
trurhyme909 10 months ago
@trurhyme909 actually, hip hop lore says that large professor aka xtra-p ghost produced EVERY beat rakim ever rhymed over in those days. i tend to believe it due to other eric b. stories that i recall from the late 80's.
jdbankshot 9 months ago
@jdbankshot there might be some true to that..i heard a recently produced Eric b beat and it was pure garbage..
trurhyme909 9 months ago
@jdbankshot I don't think it was Large Professor, i know that he worked on ''Let The Rhythm Hit 'Em'', the album, but he did it after the death of Paul C. i think he was the one that produced this album.
jerudoriginal91 5 months ago
@jerudoriginal91 well gosh darnit, you got me ! you're 100% correct. my bad. take care & P.E.ace.
jdbankshot 5 months ago
@trurhyme909 actually, hip hop lore says that large professor aka xtra-p ghost produced EVERY beat rakim ever rhymed over in those days. i tend to believe it due to other eric b. stories that i recall from the late 80's.
jdbankshot 9 months ago
simply classic....what ever made these 2 seperate should of been worked out...Erics beats with RAKIMS WORD PLAY hasnt been matched
trurhyme909 10 months ago
I mean I have ultimate respect for hip hop of b4 but why all the Drake hate?
Africanslick 11 months ago
@Africanslick cuz dumb media fucks classify drake as hip hop when it's club dancefloor, jiggy, bling, empty-v, top 40, commercial, mall-rat rap.... that's why. call it pop hop or hip pop or raptertainment, cuz it's not hip hop.
jdbankshot 9 months ago 3
@jdbankshot I mean there is a certain appeal that he has to appeal to make money without completely ALTERING his rapping style. Have you heard the guy's mixtapes b4 he got big? Listen to those and tell me that he isn't hip hop. Isn't hip hop when you get a beat and spit rhymes on it that's exactly what he does, listen to a body of work and not judge what joints you hear by him on the radio.
Africanslick 9 months ago
The day Eminem writes a song called "Follow The Leader" better than this one is the day he can be considered above Ra.
dublinrupepupkin 11 months ago 2
@dublinrupepupkin Man I don't like to compare to artists whom I both like- It's hard to compare ANYONE to the Rap God Ra. I just go by generations- Ra was the best of his and Eminem is the best of his but I will admit Ra had one of the sickest flows ever.
Midwaytyrant 11 months ago
@Midwaytyrant Check out Sage Francis, he's insane. I'd say best of this generation. I'm really glad I looked Eric B & Rakim up, it's good to expand my rap collection. This is awesome.
Dempsey94 10 months ago 2
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@dublinrupepupkin "The day Eminem writes a song called "Follow The Leader" better than this one is the day he can be considered above Ra." <100% cosign. and that goes for even NAS, and JAY-Z, too. RAKIM is the greatest emcee of all-time. that's why he's called 'THE GOD EMCEE'.
insanemacbeth 9 months ago
Those three fools MUST be DEAF, dumb and blind... THIS is lyrical perfection...
daboss88100 11 months ago
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MichelleRundell 11 months ago
therealjohnn 11 months ago
@therealjohnn Rakim changed the sport of rapping. Innovative and inspirational, nobody rapped like this before Ra. MCs were loud and hyped up on the mic like Chuck D, LL and Run. Ra showed everybody that you didnt need to get hyped up on the mic to blow the spot. He was like a an assassin nobody could see. The smoothness of his voice, the level of intelligence in his rhyme structure was never heard before and was instantly copied by the majority. Dude is No.1, no doubt.
dublinrupepupkin 11 months ago 2
@therealjohnn oh yeah, Rakim has insane flow, and his wordplay is not of this world. this is your first time listening to him? I'm surprised your head didn't explode. check out some of his other jams, you won't regret it
ShitSoda 11 months ago
@therealjohnn oh my god, dre 2nd best on the mic?? 50nosense as #6? you don't need time, you need a time MACHINE!!! krs-one is not in your top 3, rakim's not even there, how can you expect ANY tru hip hop head to take you seriously? turn off empty-v & check R.A. the rugged man, immortal technique, diabolic, aesop rock, reef the lost cause, vinnie paz, rhyme asylum... that's modern.... now, go back & peep kool moe dee , big daddy kane, public enemy, slick rick, kool g rap, masta ace, etc....
jdbankshot 9 months ago 3
@jdbankshot man get out tha 80s already.. dre aint number 2 but KRS isnt dat great compared 2 BIG and Pac and Eminem and Eazy
therealjohnn 8 months ago
@therealjohnn i'm a hip hop head. i don't dig corporate formula commercial empty-v rap. pac, big, eazy & em are not exactly talentless, but fucking suck compared to all the ones i mentioned.... for fuck's sake, you got T.I. in your top 10...!? the game at #3? the hip hop created in the 80's & early 90's will never be topped, that's fact, not opinion. it's like telling a funk, soul, real r&b fan to ditch motown, or telling a rock fan to get out of the 60's. krs squashes all your faves with ease
jdbankshot 8 months ago
@therealjohnn you tell me to get out of the 80's, yet 3 of the 4 you mention are dead, & em is a total fuckin sell-out. including boogie down productions, krs has 25 albums (at least). his self titled second solo album, released in 1995, eclipses all the combined recordings of tuwac, piggie, sleazy e, & feminem any day of any week of any year. did you know that tuwac was dancing for digital underground while wearing mc hammer pants ONE year before his first l.p. ? oooooh, so thug-ish.
jdbankshot 8 months ago
@jdbankshot ... dissin 2pac and biggie and eminem aint cool.. i got people that can back me up on dis 1..
therealjohnn 8 months ago
@therealjohnn any true hip hop head over the age of 27 that has not been brainwashed by the machine KNOWS FOR A FACT that pac & big were the hulk hogans' of hip hop..... the biggest "STARS" with minimal skills. complete poseurs, acting tough, adopting the corporate formula... " talk niggaz, bitches, cash, guns, & i'll be rich n' famous !" popularity does not equal quality. pac & bigs popularity reflects the weakness of the mainstream masses. pac & big were phonies, pure fact.
jdbankshot 8 months ago
@jdbankshot AMEN
fruityblack 7 months ago
@fruityblack thank you, i mean it. nice to know i'm not alone.
jdbankshot 7 months ago
Respond to this video... amen
fruityblack 7 months ago
@therealjohnn the fact that they were poseurs doesn't mean that they had no talent, that's what makes it so frustrating.... they coulda been so much more if they didn;t care about empty-v & the club dancefloor. after biggies' death, lance "un" riviera said, and i quote, " if you told big that he could make 2 million$ from rapping about what's in that garbage can over there, he woulda done it"... they were all about money & fame.
jdbankshot 8 months ago
@therealjohnn i got tons of folk on my side when it comes to this... true heads that create classic, boom bap hip hop beats without caring about the latest trends. they create those beats for mc's that won't settle for the accepted standard, true poets, like rakim. pac & big are maybe, MAYBE, in the area of rakims' toenail clippings in terms of lyrical & vocal talent. all the graf-writing b-boys i know are aware that pac & big were rap stars, not hip hop artists. big diff.
jdbankshot 8 months ago
@jdbankshot damn u can ride on yo hip hop boom bap all day but the outdated beats and terrible audio quality will always thro people off.. AND rakim iz a legend after i listened 2 him more... and i like gangsta rap.. mayb dats y
therealjohnn 8 months ago
@therealjohnn what u refer to as outdated is the classic shit that will never die. that right there tells me that u r unworthy of debating a tru old school hip hop head like myself. & also, don't blame the technology of that era for shoddy sound. i happen to love that warm, grainy, analog sound. stevie wonder recorded on the same gear, it ain't my fault that you kids were raised on everything hi-def.... gangsta rap is fine, if they aren't poseurs adopting a corporate formula just for cash.
jdbankshot 8 months ago
@therealjohnn rakim, or the fans of true hip hop, don't need your confirmation of rakims' status as a legend. it's like you think that your approval of rakim is what makes him legit. i've been around & paid my dues, i know what i'm talkin about. you're obviously easily influenced by the media powers that order the masses to consume entertainment as opposed to art... good hip hop still exists, but we'll never hear it at 3 am in a pizza place, only lili gaynus & the wack eyed cheese & lady gagag.
jdbankshot 8 months ago
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@therealjohnn "dissin 2pac and biggie and eminem aint cool.. i got people that can back me up on dis 1.." Aint cool? They aren't cool in the first place they suck, biggies good, pac & eminem are garbage.
VaginalVador 8 months ago
@VaginalVador ur an idiot
chickenmaster66 5 months ago
@chickenmaster66 Prove me wrong then, if you're so certain i'm an idiot.
VaginalVador 5 months ago
@VaginalVador well opinion and opinion right? i cant make u love tupac although i dont like eminem and i biggie is a great rapper
chickenmaster66 5 months ago
@VaginalVador tupac wrote hail mary in 10 minutes most of his songs are written under 30 minutes tupacs all eyes on me was written composed and released in 2 weeks he was a genius and a poet
chickenmaster66 5 months ago
@chickenmaster66 Still doesn't make him cool. I titled him garbage due to him being overrated. I never doubted his talent nor skill. C'mon big guy, catch up.
VaginalVador 5 months ago
@VaginalVador how is he over rated? and lots of amazing hip hop artiest have died and not gotten good attention like biggie and tupac did there death didnt to shit they were popular before their deaths
chickenmaster66 5 months ago
@VaginalVador you titled Tupac garbage because he's overrated, but you admit that he has talent and skill? sounds like an ignorant minded comment to me. Yeah he may have been overrated but there's a reason for that. You won't see his lyricism as deep as Rakim here, but he has passion and deep poetry meanings in his songs. Thats talent that shouldn't be labelled as trash. Instead of calling a man trash because of how other people see him as, give me a real reason.
doggyfizzle719 5 months ago
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PrAnG2000 8 months ago
@therealjohnn
Eazy??? Easy didn't even write his own rhymes. Check your facts first.
PrAnG2000 8 months ago
@PrAnG2000 who gives a shit his rhymes were still dope so whoever wrote that shit was good..
therealjohnn 5 months ago
@therealjohnn
You're an idiot. What do you mean "who gives a shit?" That was a big no no in hip hop back then. This obviously shows you are a noobie to this art. Get off this page. You have no knowledge of this art form to even be posting on a Rakim page.
PrAnG2000 5 months ago
@PrAnG2000 Man FUCK dat i aint like a long time ago... dre got ghostwriters too but he still dope wiz khalifa sucks and rakim is god
therealjohnn 5 months ago
Ahead of his time, truthfully....
RobertoFlackTV 11 months ago
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Word to "Daddy Kane" Indeed, The "R" is a Rollin Stone, so Im Rollin, "Directions were told Then", "The Rhymes Are Stolen".
I want to see who keep Following and swallowing, Taking the Makings , Biting And Borrowing. "Rhymes Are As Deep As X-Rays". Far as The Eye could See, Not even A Satelite. No One On Rakim's Level.
madboxing 11 months ago
THIS MAN WAS THE KING OF NEW YORK FOREVER. They tried to cast Rakim in the movie King of New York but he was busy.lol....You NEVA heard of other rappers beefing with Rakim. NEVER
palmares77 11 months ago
@palmares77 Kane?
MidlandKruiskade 11 months ago
3 people are deaf.
73dodge 11 months ago
fucking masterpeice
meatbawheed 11 months ago