I'm going to be very pissed if it doesnt drop this year.

I'm going to be very pissed if it doesnt drop this year.

last i heard it was supposed to drop 7/7/07.

last i heard it was supposed to drop 7/7/07.

I heard that too, but it's almost may, and there's no single, nothing. I'm almost certain that it won't come out as scheduled.

I heard that too, but it's almost may, and there's no single, nothing. I'm almost certain that it won't come out as scheduled.

i know, it wont....im begining to doubt rakim has even begun working on the project.... he's been lazy for 10 years, no reason to stop now.

i know, it wont....im begining to doubt rakim has even begun working on the project.... he's been lazy for 10 years, no reason to stop now.

It'll be sad if his last piece of work is The Master.

It'll be sad if his last piece of work is The Master.

depressing.....

7/7/07 8 diagrams from Wu Tang!

It'll be sad if his last piece of work is The Master.

Yeah, especially considering how **** the cd was.

I would be surprised if this album is anything close 18th Letter. But I honestly have lost interest, becuase he should have released an album at some point in the last three years.

Yeah, especially considering how **** the cd was.

Well I think it was for him. It probably would have been better than average for most other artists.

I think it is not only laziness but also the difficulty of finding someone who would grant him creative freedom. Dre didn't do it and tried to turn him into some kind of gangster.

This **** isnt happening, if I hear nothing about this album by june, I will officially give up on waiting on Rakim ever dropping an album again.

This **** isnt happening, if I hear nothing about this album by june, I will officially give up on waiting on Rakim ever dropping an album again.

He actually premiered a single from what they said was his new album on the Hip Hop Honors show but I haven't heard anything since.

Well, it's almost July, it's painfully obvious that Rakim will never drop another album again.

Well, it's almost July, it's painfully obvious that Rakim will never drop another album again.

unless he drops some under the radar ****.

Last i heard he was on duck down records. He should have plenty of creative freedom on that label.
He needs to get back with eric b.

Uhh.. Rakim is a *****.
Islam ruined him.

Uhh.. Rakim is a *****.
Islam ruined him.

What the **** has that gotta do with any thing u stupid fool!!!!!!!

Can't you keep your childish comments to yourself!!!!

What the **** has that gotta do with any thing u stupid fool!!!!!!!

Can't you keep your childish comments to yourself!!!!

After he became a 5%er, he sucked.

After he became a 5%er, he sucked.

lol well then you must mean he was cool back in 84' before he had released any albums. He became a five percenter before his professional career started, which is why he changed his name to Rakim Allah in the first place. Also five percenters aren't really muslims, what they believe is blasphemy by muslim standards.

After he became a 5%er, he sucked.

shut up honky

Today marks the day, I believe that Rakim will never release another album.

I'll believe it when I see the tag on it in a store.

http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.7358/title.rakim-preps-the-seventh-seal-for-fall-release


Rakim Preps "The Seventh Seal" For Fall Release
July 22nd, 2008 | Author: Omar Burgess

After a brief stint on Aftermath Records that saw his highly anticipated collaborative album with Dr. Dre permanently shelved, it would be easy to assume Rakim picked up that nasty habit of only releasing a new album every six years. While most us of were scrambling to hear the limited amount of leaked material from Oh My God via the Internet, Ra promised what he felt was a less compromised sound via his own label.

With Hip Hop’s Digital Age in full effect, Rakim Allah has the arduous task of proving he can continue to evolve and adapt. During a brief encounter backstage at Rock The Bells, Ra explained the delay with The Seventh Seal and the process of seeing sounds.

HipHopDX: What’s going on with The Seventh Seal?
Rakim: You can expect that two to three months from now. I’m going hard on that and I’ve got some surprises on there. I’m really ready to just let the world hear it.

DX: You listened to jazz and played saxophone as a child. How did that influence your style and your ear for music?
R: I think it let me see music a little more and let me see more colors. My moms and my pops loved music. Coming up being around jazz and the Motown sound, and letting that soak in [helped]. I played the sax and the drums a little bit and that just helped me see the music a little more.

DX: You have such an extensive catalog, but you’re still creating music. As much as you respect your classics, is there ever a point where you want people to pay more attention to the newer material?
R: The old stuff is what got me here though. That’s like my foundation. I love that for what it is, and that’s what makes people understand me. They need that to know what I’m about to do next. So, in no way do I shrug my shoulders at the old stuff. That’s my legacy.

DX: With the industry the way it is with low sales and all the downloading, what would you consider a success for this project?
R: Well I have my own label [Ra Records] now, so I want to be a success in terms of sales. But, more importantly, I have to keep my integrity and hit that Rakim standard. If I can hit that standard I’m cool. I was never a big-selling artist. I was sort of underground my whole career, but eventually my albums touched platinum. So I still consider myself underground. Like I said, I just want to reach that Rakim standard and have everybody understand that I’m still that dude. If people see that I’ve progressed with it and I’m mature with it, then that’s my success.

DX: You’ve worked with some of the best producers out and you are rumored to have a very discriminating ear. What does a producer need to bring to put you in that zone?
R: You know what’s difficult for me? I hear music differently, so a lot of times I won’t pick the beats that are the norm. I don’t pick what people expect a rapper to rap on. I pick the more intricate beats, where as soon as I hear them I can see something—a title or a mood.

That’s what influenced me so much about jazz. A lot of jazz records didn’t have words, but as soon as you played them it put you right in the mood. You could almost see the smoky bar and the jazz players around you. So, when I can see the music before I even start to write to it, that’s the direction I tend to lean toward. A lot of times it’s not the big million dollar seller or the club banger. It’s really just something I can mess with to make people say, “Okay, that’s that Rakim classic thing right there.” So, yeah it’s a little difficult picking beats with me.

rakim>>your favorite rapper....smh @ some of the response in this thread