Rakim

Rakim is, without question, one of the most technically gifted MCs to ever pick up a microphone, and I say that with zero hesitation. Growing up in Long Island, New York, he teamed up with DJ Eric B. and basically rewrote what rap lyrics could be — Paid in Full in 1987 dropped like a bomb, and Follow the Leader a year later cemented the duo as untouchable. His internal rhyme schemes and measured, almost hypnotic delivery were so far ahead of the curve that rappers were still studying his blueprints decades later. They don't call him "The God MC" for nothing. If hip-hop has a patron saint of lyrical craft, it's Rakim — end of conversation.

This take was written by generative AI, one per person, from publicly reported facts (editorial policy). It is a reading of the record, not reporting.

Name (English)

Rakim

Name (Japanese)

ラキム

Reading

らきむ

Born

January 28, 1968 (age 58)

Zodiac / Chinese zodiac

Aquarius / Monkey

Origin

New York City, New York, United States

Occupation

rapper / songwriter / record producer / manufacturer / poet

• Official sitehttp://www.rakim.com/
• Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/thegodrakim/
• Xhttps://x.com/rakimgodmc
• Wikipedia (English)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rakim
• Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%A9%E3%82%AD%E3%83%A0
• Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q364214

Tags

• New York
• rapper
• songwriter
• record producer

Last updated

2026-06-02

Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.