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Rakim

Profile via TMDB · Courtesy of TMDB

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Rakim

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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

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via Open Library + Wikidata

Film & TV

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

DiscogsStream

via MusicBrainz · CC0

Listeners · Last.fm

Listeners
651,279
Total plays
6,408,620

Tags

Hip-Hoprapold schoolnew yorkhip hop

Rakim (pronounced rah-KIM) (Born William Michael Griffin Jr. on January 28, 1968 in Long Island, New York, USA) is an American rapper and pioneer of the musical genre of hip hop. He is consistently cited as one of the most skilled (and top amongst the most influential) MCs of all time due to his exceptional flow and complex lyrical craftsmanship, he revolutionized hip-hop lyricism with his complex flow, elaborate metaphors and rapid delivery. Together with Eric B, he released a number of classic

via Last.fm · Rakim

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

Instance of
human
Given name
William
Family name
Griffin
Gender
male
Citizenship
United States
Place of birth
New York City
Occupation
rapper
Languages spoken
English language
Religion
Islam
Field of work
music industry
Genre
gangsta rap
Instrument
voice
Record label
Island Records
Official website
www.rakim.com
Image
Rakim at Paid Dues 4 (cropped).jpg
Show 8 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
member of
Eric B. & Rakim
Sources (5)

via Wikidata · CC0

~21 min read

Encyclopedic overview

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

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)

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!"

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Rakim” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

Gallery (7)

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