The God MC.I am fortunate enough to have a job that provides me many musical opportunities. None has or probably will ever come as close as my brief meeting with Rakim. He came through Minneapolis on his way to the west coast to tour and promote his upcoming album, The 7th Seal due out November 17th.
He came through and played some new tracks and gave some background on each record and the holistic vision of the album. Afterwards he had some time for questions from the small group and then went through the routine of signing and taking pictures with some of my fellow co-workers.
When asked what emcees he believes are currently carrying the torch of conscious and positive rap he only named two: Lupe Fiasco (named first) and Nas (though he was quick to point out that while Nas isn't always the most positive, in most of his records there's an underlying drive for good).
I asked what it's like when new emcees meet him, a legend and source of inspiration for many, for the first time. In particular, I asked how it went when Brother Ali met him and rocked a show at First Ave with Ali. I know that Ali is a huge fan and shares the same Muslim faith. Rakim said that having emcees display their appreciation and love for his work face-to-face is the greatest compliment - even more so in hip-hop since the root of all of the elements, especially rap, is braggadocio and being better than the next person. He called Brother Ali a "throwback" and appreciates his music and approach to it. Rakim never travels or performs with artists that don't share his same values. He said that it wasn't a difficult decision to work with Ali.
The last group question asked was if there was one moment in his career that stood out or he couldn't believe happened. He talks of a day at home with his kids running around the house and getting a call from his manager. His manager always gassed him up, so he was preparing for some more hot air. The manager said, "Have you seen the new issue of The Source? They ranked the top emcees of all time. Guess where you ranked?" Rakim figuring that his manager had an inflated view of his artist guessed: "I dunno. 13? 10? Haha, 8?" "You were ranked number one!" Tears welled up in his eyes in disbelief and joy. His kids instantly recognized that something was wrong. They stopped what they were doing perplexed at their fathers' tears having never seen him cry. "Dad, are you crying?" Rakim says that at that moment all of his years staying true to himself and not going after the money by putting out "gangster" albums were realized. What's more, the hip-hop community respected that and recognized it formally. He was never recognized through album sales, but amongst the hip-hop community he will always be known as the greatest. And Rakim wouldn't ask for anything more.
The highlight of it all, though, was getting my own little moment with Rakim Allah. A few months ago at a record show I came across a Ruth Brown record and picked it up on the recommendation of the vendor. I instantly fell in love with this phenomenal blues and R&B singer. The morning that I was to meet Rakim I did a quick internet search to see if there was anything that I didn't already know about him. It turns out that Rakim is the late Ruth Brown's nephew. I thought my Ruth Brown LP would be a good, albeit small, token of my appreciation for Rakim's visit and body of work. As my turn with Rakim one-on-one came, I handed him the record. I asked if he already had the album and he said that he didn't. As he inspected it I tried to assure him that though the sleeve wasn't in mint condition, the vinyl was. He was quick to deny my comment about the 1972 sleeve's condition. "Nah, I know what records go through and this is in GREAT shape." After turning the LP over a few times he slowly set it down and withdrew into thought for a second. He went into a little story about his aunt.
"I remember her babysitting us many nights. We were a bunch of rugrats causing trouble. She was always so calm. She would often sit in the kitchen and sew some ruffles and glitter on her dress and shoes. It wasn't until I was older that I fully appreciated what was going on. Here she was sprucing up an old dress and shoes and babysitting hours before she went out to perform at The Cotton Club! That humbleness and refusal to change her style greatly influenced my approach to music and the industry."
It was an honor to share in Rakim's reflection on his aunt who he obviously loved and who was a major influence on him. It was also very special to see how much he appreciated my gift. I later heard from his manager that he told him he was genuinely "touched."
After getting a promo 12" of "It's Been A Long Time" signed, a few pics taken, a handshake and an urging to "not let vinyl die" I spent the rest of the day on a natural high unlike any.
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