What the hell has Rakim been up to?

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July 22, 12:09 PM

by Ben Westhoff, Music Examiner

 

 

Getting an interview with legendary emcee Rakim was not easy. My piece for Boston Phoenix, which you can read here, was due at the beginning of July, and I started talking with his manager about setting it up in mid-May. For six straight weeks our interviews were canceled; Rakim was either "in the studio," "out of commission," or "mourning his mother-in-law," his manager said. (Okay so that last one was understandable.)

Still, I grew increasingly frustrated and began to get worried I was going to have to go all Alanis Morissette on his ass. I was even more worried I'd have to tell my editor I couldn't get the story, which was problematic since I'd already spent the money on Hawaiian Punch and promethazine cough syrup in an effort to be more like Lil Wayne.

But the day before my deadline Ra came through, and he was very apologetic and gracious in interview. We talked about his current relationship with Eric B., his failed collaboration with Dr. Dre, and the current timeline for The Seventh Seal, the solo album he's been working on for the past 85,000 years.

Here are some highlights:

On your recently released rarities album, The Archive: Live, Lost & Found (Fastlife), you rap the altered lyrics, “I came in the door, I’ve said it before/No, I ain’t down with Eric B. no more.” Does that imply there’s bitterness, or are you just sick of people asking about it?
Back in ’98, when I did that song, that was the question, “Are you still down with Eric B.?” But there ain’t no bitterness, I speak to him from time to time when I see him. It was the truth, you know what I mean? Just me being who I am and letting the world know what it is. Eric is not my competition nor my consumer. There’s no reason I should be bitter with him. What it was is what it was. We had a nice little jump-off with the group, and that’s what made me who I am today. So big up to that dude.

But you’re not at a point where you’d do shows together?
Nah, we don’t break bread. I wish him all the love in the world, but I don’t break bread with him.

Are you content with the quiet life living in Connecticut, or do you miss the spotlight?
No doubt. It’s like Mike Vick watching a football game. I can’t watch a video, can’t hear a record, can’t do nothing without thinking about spitting 16 [bars] and four million people hearing it. I’m still a fiend, man; I think I’ll be a fiend for the rest of my life.

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