Rakim

William Michael Griffin Jr., known professionally as Rakim, is a rapper from Wyandanch, New York. Widely and universally recognized as one of the greatest, most influential, and most technically innovative MCs in the entire history of hip-hop, Rakim essentially invented the vocabulary, rhythmic structure, and lyrical complexity of modern rap. As one half of Eric B. & Rakim, he released four consecutive masterpiece albums between 1987 and 1992 — "Paid in Full" (1987), "Follow the Leader" (1988), "Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em" (1990), and "Don't Sweat the Technique" (1992) — that permanently redefined what rap could be. His internal rhyme schemes, multi-syllabic rhymes, laid-back delivery, and sophisticated vocabulary were revelatory innovations that every rapper who has followed him — from Jay-Z and Nas to Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole — cites as foundational. His Muslim faith and Islamic philosophy inform his work with an intellectual weight unprecedented in the genre. "Paid in Full" was ranked by Rolling Stone as one of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Rakim is, simply, The God MC.