Rakim

Also known as William Michael Griffin, Jr.

William Michael Griffin Jr. (born January 28, 1968), better known by his stage name Rakim (), is an American rapper. He is one half of golden age hip-hop duo Eric B. & Rakim, with whom he released four albums: Paid in Full (1987), Follow the Leader (1988), ''Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em (1990), and Don't Sweat the Technique (1992). He also released five solo albums: The 18th Letter (1997), The Master (1999), The Seventh Seal (2009), G.O.D.'s Network: Reb7rth'' (2024) and The Re-Up (2025)

Person · Open Library

Works: 4

Top works

21. yüzyıl yaklaşırken Beyoğlu ve İstiklâl Caddesi (Cadde-i Kebi, Grande rue de Pera)
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Film & TV

Acting · New York City, New York, USA

William Michael Griffin Jr. (born January 28, 1968), better known by his stage name Rakim (/rɑːˈkɪm/), is an American rapper. He is one half of golden age hip-hop duo Eric B. & Rakim, with whom he released four albums: Paid in Full (1987), Follow the Leader (1988), Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em (1990), and Don't Sweat the Technique (1992). He also released four solo albums: The 18th Letter (1997), The…

Known for

Sean Combs: The Reckoning — Self (archive footage)2025
All Up in the Biz — Self2023
The Crossover: 50 Years of Hip Hop and Sports — Self2023
A GRAMMY Salute to 50 Years of Hip-Hop — Self2023
Off-Time — Mack Griffin2022
You're Watching Video Music Box — Self2021
Biggie: I Got a Story to Tell — Self - Hip-Hop Artist (archive footage)2021
The Last O.G. — The Siz2018
Word is Bond — Self2017
From Scratch: The Birth of Hip Hop — Self2017

via TMDB

Music · MusicBrainz

Type: Person
Gender: Male
Origin: United States
Active from: 1968

east coast hip hophip hopserver name

Discography

Member of

Discogs Stream

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Listeners · Last.fm

Listeners: 651,279
Total plays: 6,408,620

Recent publications · Crossref

5 total works indexed

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Key facts

Musical artist.name: Rakim
Musical artist.image: Rakim at Paid Dues 4 (cropped).jpg
Musical artist.caption: Rakim performing in 2008
Musical artist.birth_name: William Michael Griffin Jr.
Musical artist.alias: The God MC • Kid Wizard • The R • The 18th Letter • Rakim Allah • Ra • Microphone Fiend.
Musical artist.birth_place: Wyandanch, New York, U.S.
Musical artist.discography: Rakim discography
Musical artist.past_member_of: Eric B. & Rakim
Person.embed: yes
Person.signature: Rakim sig.svg

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Official website: www.rakim.com
Image: Rakim at Paid Dues 4 (cropped).jpg

Show 7 more facts

Commons category: Rakim
date of birth: 1968-01-28
start of work period: 1986-00-00
pseudonym: Rakim
name in native language: Rakim
birth name: William Michael Griffin Jr.
social media followers: 13601

Sources (5)

via Wikidata · CC0

~21 min read

Article

18 sections

Contents

Early life
Career
Pairing with Eric B. (1985–1992)
1986–87: Beginnings and classic debut
1988–89: Sophomore peak
1990–92: Final albums and dissolution
Solo-career (1993–present)
1993–2003: Legal issues, solo debut, and Aftermath stint
2007–2009: ''The Seventh Seal''
2011–present: Reunion with Eric B. and ''G.O.D.'s Network: Reb7rth''
Artistry
Legacy
Discography
Studio albums
See also
References
Further reading
External links

Rakim is considered a transformative figure in hip hop. He helped to pioneer the use of internal rhymes and multisyllabic rhymes, and was among the first to demonstrate the possibilities of sitting down to write intricately crafted lyrics packed with clever word choices and metaphors rather than the more improvisational styles and simpler rhyme patterns that predominated before him. Rakim is also credited with creating the overall shift from the more simplistic old school flows to more complex flows. Rapper Kool Moe Dee explained: "Rakim is basically the inventor of flow. We were not even using the word flow until Rakim came along. It was called rhyming, it was called cadence, but it wasn't called flow. Rakim created flow!"