The First Time I Heard Rakim...

The God MC made an unforgettable impact on these rappers.

Rakim - If you’re known in hip hop circles as “God MC,” then you know you’re special. Only a chosen few can be named amongst the elite group of hip hop forefathers and Rakim just happens to be one of them. With a career that spans more than 25 years, Ra’s musical DNA is in just about every one of today’s rap stars. BET.com caught up with some of hip hop's most influential lyricists to share their earliest memory of The R.

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Rakim - If you’re known in hip hop circles as “God MC,” then you know you’re special. Only a chosen few can be named amongst the elite group of hip hop forefathers and Rakim just happens to be one of them. With a career that spans more than 25 years, Ra’s musical DNA is in just about every one of today’s rap stars. BET.com caught up with some of hip hop's most influential lyricists to share their earliest memory of The R.

Juvenile - "The first time I heard Rakim was when he dropped 'Paid In Full.' I was in the sixth grade. I had to play it back a few times to understand what he was saying, but that beat went off straight out the gate."(Photo: Courtesy Myspace/A-Lot Records)

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Juvenile - "The first time I heard Rakim was when he dropped 'Paid In Full.' I was in the sixth grade. I had to play it back a few times to understand what he was saying, but that beat went off straight out the gate."(Photo: Courtesy Myspace/A-Lot Records)

Warren G - "The first time I heard Rakim, I was in junior high school. The song was 'Eric B for President.' It was a song my older brother Dre [Dr. Dre] use to mix when he was on K Day. From that day on I became a fan and it inspired me and my best friend Snoop [Dogg] to try and become a rap duo. He was Rakim and I was Eric B. From there we did a demo and sent it to the manager, who was Kara Lewis, but we never got a response. But we still loved his sound and how lyrically dope he was and to this day we're still fans of him."(Photo: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images)

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Warren G - "The first time I heard Rakim, I was in junior high school. The song was 'Eric B for President.' It was a song my older brother Dre [Dr. Dre] use to mix when he was on K Day. From that day on I became a fan and it inspired me and my best friend Snoop [Dogg] to try and become a rap duo. He was Rakim and I was Eric B. From there we did a demo and sent it to the manager, who was Kara Lewis, but we never got a response. But we still loved his sound and how lyrically dope he was and to this day we're still fans of him."(Photo: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images)

French Montana - "When Rucker Park was rocking, we used to go by Willie's Burgers on 145 Street back in like 1989. I was a kid, but [Rakim] that's what all the hustlers were bumping." (Photo: John Ricard / BET)

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French Montana - "When Rucker Park was rocking, we used to go by Willie's Burgers on 145 Street back in like 1989. I was a kid, but [Rakim] that's what all the hustlers were bumping." (Photo: John Ricard / BET)

A$AP Rocky - "I was two years old and my dad showed me 'Know the Ledge,' and I just felt a part of something because my Dad said that’s who we named you after."(Photo: Theo Wargo/Getty Images)

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A$AP Rocky - "I was two years old and my dad showed me 'Know the Ledge,' and I just felt a part of something because my Dad said that’s who we named you after."(Photo: Theo Wargo/Getty Images)

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Prodigy - "The first time I heard Rakim, it was like the summer of 1986, 'Check Out My Melody.' I've been in love with that song ever since. Rakim has so many great songs, but that's the one for me." (Photo: Mike Lawrie/Getty Images)

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Prodigy - "The first time I heard Rakim, it was like the summer of 1986, 'Check Out My Melody.' I've been in love with that song ever since. Rakim has so many great songs, but that's the one for me." (Photo: Mike Lawrie/Getty Images)

2 Chainz - "The OG Rakim is the original lyrical architect. He had that street flow, but had a finesse. His storytelling paved the way for other great artists, like Nas, Ghostface [Killah], myself and a host of others...he was so versatile." (Photo: Christopher Polk/Getty Images)

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2 Chainz - "The OG Rakim is the original lyrical architect. He had that street flow, but had a finesse. His storytelling paved the way for other great artists, like Nas, Ghostface [Killah], myself and a host of others...he was so versatile." (Photo: Christopher Polk/Getty Images)

No Malice - "The first time I heard Rakim, I knew instantly this was the new style! I was a Run-DMC fanatic, so I thought you had to yell to get your point across. Then here he [Rakim] comes with 'Competition is none/I remain at the top like the sun/and I burn whoever come in the chambers of torture/I caught ya you shoulda bought ya neighborhood to support ya...' Ever since then, my life has never been the same."(Photo: John Ricard / BET)

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No Malice - "The first time I heard Rakim, I knew instantly this was the new style! I was a Run-DMC fanatic, so I thought you had to yell to get your point across. Then here he [Rakim] comes with 'Competition is none/I remain at the top like the sun/and I burn whoever come in the chambers of torture/I caught ya you shoulda bought ya neighborhood to support ya...' Ever since then, my life has never been the same."(Photo: John Ricard / BET)

8 Ball - "The first song I ever heard by Rakim was 'Eric B for President' on a mixtape I got from New York in like '88. I fell in love with Rakim's slow flow immediately! He had very intricate word play for his era and definitely gave me great hip hop lessons in the form of songs like 'Mahogany' and 'Check Out My Melody.'"(Photo by Rick Diamond/Getty Images)

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8 Ball - "The first song I ever heard by Rakim was 'Eric B for President' on a mixtape I got from New York in like '88. I fell in love with Rakim's slow flow immediately! He had very intricate word play for his era and definitely gave me great hip hop lessons in the form of songs like 'Mahogany' and 'Check Out My Melody.'"(Photo by Rick Diamond/Getty Images)

Photo By Photo by Rick Diamond/Getty Images

Bun B - "The first time I heard Rakim, I realized that you could be more than just cool as an MC. You could be a poet, a scientist, a historian or a minister, all within the realm of hip hop." (Photo: Isaac Brekken/Getty Images)

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Bun B - "The first time I heard Rakim, I realized that you could be more than just cool as an MC. You could be a poet, a scientist, a historian or a minister, all within the realm of hip hop." (Photo: Isaac Brekken/Getty Images)

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Curren$y - "I was wild young and I heard 'Paid in Full'... but when he did the 'Know the Ledge' from the movie Juice, I was going crazy..."(Photo: John Ricard / BET)

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Curren$y - "I was wild young and I heard 'Paid in Full'... but when he did the 'Know the Ledge' from the movie Juice, I was going crazy..."(Photo: John Ricard / BET)

Ghostface Killah - "['Eric B for President']. I was coming out of the store and my man had the gold box radio, and it sounded so chunky. He's a genuis. He's a wizard, B." (Photo: Fergus McDonald/Getty Images)

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Ghostface Killah - "['Eric B for President']. I was coming out of the store and my man had the gold box radio, and it sounded so chunky. He's a genuis. He's a wizard, B." (Photo: Fergus McDonald/Getty Images)

Sheek Louch - "I been hearing him forever, all my life. He's a monster still to this day. The R is hard body and he sounds just like the records.”(Photo: Bad Boy Records)

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Sheek Louch - "I been hearing him forever, all my life. He's a monster still to this day. The R is hard body and he sounds just like the records.”(Photo: Bad Boy Records)

Driicky Graham - "The first song I ever heard by Rakim was 'Don't Sweat the Technique' and I just knew instantly about the powerful message you can convey in rap as well as the history of how it all started. Rakim is definitely one of the most influential and most honorable." (Photo: Alexandra Wyman/Getty Images For BET)

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Driicky Graham - "The first song I ever heard by Rakim was 'Don't Sweat the Technique' and I just knew instantly about the powerful message you can convey in rap as well as the history of how it all started. Rakim is definitely one of the most influential and most honorable." (Photo: Alexandra Wyman/Getty Images For BET)

Photo By Photo: Alexandra Wyman/Getty Images For BET

Freddie Gibbs - "First time I heard Rakim was 'Paid In Full'... 'I used to be a stick up kid' was my favorite line [laughs]."(Photo: Vince Bucci/Getty Images for Capitol)

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Freddie Gibbs - "First time I heard Rakim was 'Paid In Full'... 'I used to be a stick up kid' was my favorite line [laughs]."(Photo: Vince Bucci/Getty Images for Capitol)

Photo By Photo: Vince Bucci/Getty Images for Capitol

Teyana Taylor - "The first time I heard Rakim's voice on "Microphone Fiend" coming through the speakers I instantly stood at attention and started nodding my head. It was like his style on the mic was so commanding! Like an army general or something. It singled me out, hey you! young lady listen up you need to hear this. I've been a fan ever since." (Photo: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)

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Teyana Taylor - "The first time I heard Rakim's voice on "Microphone Fiend" coming through the speakers I instantly stood at attention and started nodding my head. It was like his style on the mic was so commanding! Like an army general or something. It singled me out, hey you! young lady listen up you need to hear this. I've been a fan ever since." (Photo: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)