25 Best Rakim Songs

These signature cuts ain't no joke.

"Microphone Fiend" - Sampling the Average White Band's "School Boy Crush," this song puts Rakim's lyrical kingship front and center as he rhymed: "Music orientated. So when hip hop was originated, fitted like pieces of puzzles...complicated."  (Photo: Geffen Records)
"Move the Crowd" - This classic track blends Rakim's love of rocking the crowd with his religious duty to elevate the mind of his audience. "With knowledge of self there's nothing I can't solve," he concludes. "And 360 degrees I revolve."   (Photo: Facebook)
"Lyrics of Fury" - Accompanied by a blizzardous sample of James Brown's "Funky Drummer," Rakim's offers head-spinning proof that he is a lyrical master.  (Photo: David Corio/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
"Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em" - On this title song from his third disc with Eric B., Rakim matches the beat's furious pace with a rhyme that throws syllables like missiles.   (Photo: Geffen Records)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.

Next Gallery

Women's History Month: The Most Iconic Fashion Moments by Black Women

13 Photos

9 / 26

"Move the Crowd" - This classic track blends Rakim's love of rocking the crowd with his religious duty to elevate the mind of his audience. "With knowledge of self there's nothing I can't solve," he concludes. "And 360 degrees I revolve."  (Photo: Facebook)

ADVERTISEMENT