Nothing we haven’t heard before but its good to be reminded why this lazy, stubborn, sometimes extremely idiotic rapper was once the greatest we had in the 90′s.  It’s also a good testament to anyone who ever thought Jay-Z was a better rapper. Definitely a cool compilation for the weekend. Enjoy! –Philaflava

01. Queens Day feat. Run DMC & Prodigy
02. Can’t Fade Me feat. Cassidy & Quan
03. In Between Us feat. Scarface
04. Calm Down feat. Noreaga & Tragedy Khadafi
05. Verbal Intercourse feat. Raekwon
06. Fast Life (Buckwild Remix) feat. Kool G Rap
07. Live at The Barbeque feat. Main Source
08. Success feat. Jay-Z
09. Stay Chiseled feat. Large Professor
10. John Blaze feat. Big Pun, Jadakiss, Raekwon & Fat Joe
11. Eye For An Eye feat. Mobb Deep & Raekwon
12. Music for Life feat. J Dilla, Common, Busta Rhymes & Marsha Of Floetry
13. Rough Around The Edges feat. Busta Rhymes
14. How Ya Livin’ feat. AZ
15. Heartbeat feat. Nneka
16. Wake Up Show Anthem ’94 feat. Pharoahe Monch, Prince Paul, Ras Kass, Dred Scott, Shyheim, Chino XL & Saafir
17. Road to Zion feat. Damian Marley
18. Bring It To You Hardest feat. Slick Rick

Disc 2
01. Fast Life feat. Kool G Rap
02. Rich And Black feat. Raekwon
03. The Essence feat. AZ
04. Grand Finale ft. Method Man, DMX & Ja Rule
05. Dog Shit ft. Mobb Deep
06. Holla Back ft. Kool G Rap, AZ & Tito
07. I Do It For Hip Hop feat. Jay-Z & Ludacris
08. It’s Mine feat. Mobb Deep & Jadakiss
09. Letter to the King feat. Game
10. Analyze This (No Love Lost) feat. Jay-Z & Lord Tariq
11. Classic feat. Kanye West, Rakim & KRS One
12. Finer Things feat. Jon B
13. Don’t Stop, Keep Goin feat. Daz & Kurupt
14. Why (Remix) feat. Styles P, Jadakiss, Common & Anthony Hamilton
15. Gangsta Rap Made Me Do It (Remix) feat. Ice Cube & Scarface
16. Usual Suspects feat. Rick Ross
17. Give It Up Fast feat. Mobb Deep
18. Help Somebody (Remix) feat. Maxwell

Disc 3
01. Mo Money, Mo Murder (Homicide) ft. AZ
02. Win or Lose feat. Mobb Deep, Jadakiss & Jay-Z
03. The Saints feat. Killah Priest
04. We Major feat. Kanye West
05. Yacht Music feat. Scarface, Willie The Kid & Marsha Ambrosius
06. Must Be Nice (Remix) feat. Lyfe Jennings
07. What If feat. Jadakiss
08. U.S.A. (Aiight Then) (Original version) feat. Mobb Deep
09. Desperados II feat. The Firm & Canibus
10. Streets Of NY feat. Alicia Keys & Rakim
11. Back To The Grill feat MC Serch & Chubb Rock
12. Let My Niggas Live feat. Wu-Tang Clan
13. Some of ‘Em feat. Devin The Dude & Xzibit
14. Level 7 feat. Nashawn
15. Ice King feat. Res
16. One Plus One feat. Large Professor
17. Freedom Jazz Dance (Remix) feat. Miles Davis
18. Thank God I Found You (Remix) feat. Joe & Mariah Carey

Disc 4
01. Who U Rep With feat. 50 Cent & The Bravehearts
02. Gun 4 Gun feat. Killah Priest
03. Governmentalist feat. Joss Stone
04. Get To Know Me feat. Joe
05. Don’t Get Carried Away feat. Busta Rhymes
06. Be Ez feat. Capone-N-Noreaga
07. Show Discipline feat. Jadakiss
08. The Ultimate High feat. Nature
09. With Me feat. Capone-N-Noreaga
10. Why You Hate The Game feat. Game
11. Gimme Your’s feat. AZ
12. Let ‘Em Hang feat. Lake
13. Good Life feat. Nate Dogg
14. Topless feat. Eminem & Dr. Dre
15. Popular Thug feat. Kelis
16. Hot Boyz feat. Eve, Q-Tip, Lil Mo & Missy Elliot
17. Sincerity feat. DMX & Mary J. Blige

Download Vol. 1-4

Peace,
Employee

4. RAKIM

One of the greatest lyricists of all-time is the benchmark all rappers are measured to from a bar to bar perspective.

Material – 10/10 – Starting out with the debut album Paid in Full, which is still considered by most the greatest debut album ever. Rakim ushered in a new age lyricism for the next decade. As the slow, monosyllable style of rap died, Rakim’s faster, more complex, and flows were the blueprint of how to rap. Backed by production that let the MC shine, Rakim stole the show on his debut, and stamped his legacy. He continued to drop great albums like “Follow the Leader” (Arguably superior to his debut), Let the Rhythm Hit Em, and Don’t Sweat the Technique. All these albums are filled with showcases of great lyrical prowess, tremendous storytelling, and a command of the audience that very few MCs can compete with. As his material began to grow, content became more mature and more aggressive. Rakim came back with a strong album 18th Letter, which had some good new tracks, and some of his best older material. After that, Rakim began to struggle to find his sound again. As a new era of rap began to emerge, Rakim found himself trying to fit in to different styles, and expand his sound, and it really hampered his music. Even though Rakim may never be able to release another great LP, his first 5 albums are able to match up with anyone in history.

Longevity – 8/10 – Rakim – Rakim has been rapping for nearly 25 years, and while his star began to dimmer towards the end of the 90s, he still maintained a strong fan base. His signing to Aftermath records seemed to be the place to start a resurgence of the icon; however, creative differences with Dr. Dre ended that dream team. Rakim over the last few years continues to have a name in the rap industry, but in one of the only genre’s that doesn’t pay respect to its pioneers, he still has a hard time getting past the underground stage now. Rakim was never a major mover in terms of record sales, but they were all ways solid. He now is more of a act you go to see perform all his classic material from 15 years ago, rather than a rapper who’s latest music you run out to download or buy.

Influence – 10/10 – The most influential rapper of all-time. He paved the way for every “lyrical” MC in the game, and advanced the state of the game to an extent that no one can match. His impact if felt in some of the games most legendary rappers, and it can not be understated how important he was to turning rap into more than just a novelty act. While Rakim certainly wasn’t the FIRST great rap lyricist, he was the one that had the largest impact on a wide scale. In addition, he made it cool to actually say something clever in you rhymes.

Skills – 10/10 – Hard to make an argument for anyone else to being the most skillful MC ever. In terms of all aspects of MCing, Rakim is in a class by himself, when you add in all the factors. From pinpoint lyricism, to the sharpest flow, great delivery, storytelling, cadence, and voice, Rakim has all his peers beat. In his prime, Rakim spit some of the most mind blowing rhymes ever put down on wax, and he continues to be sharp with the pen. While nowhere near what he was at his peak now, Rakim is still pretty witty with his pen, and can still drop a hot song every once and a while. However, if you want to hear Mcing doing at the highest level, go listen to “Lyrics of Fury”.

38/40

Best Song: In the Ghetto
Best Album: Follow the Leader

Another track off The Seventh Seal. Album is scheduled to drop November 17 but at the rate these leaks are coming it might be sooner.

Rakim – Walk These Streets feat. Maino