Before there was Biggie, Pac, Jay, or Nas--the gods of the hip hop pantheon--there was Rakim. No one before or since has changed the rap game as much as Rakim--but why does it still feel like his legacy goes unrecognized by the majority? Why do the innovators and trailblazers of hip hop get relegated to the periphery of its history? What does it mean to be a paradigm-shifter within a given art form? Has hip hop lost sight of its roots? In episode 22, we're taking on all these questions and more, but mostly we're celebrating and discussing the work of the John Coltrane of hip hop, Rakim Allah.

Before that: remembering Kobe, and Dane continues to get disrespected by doormen.

Intro and break music courtesy of Chris Giuliano.

Works Cited:

Rakim: Sweat the Technique: Revelations on Creativity from the Lyrical Genius