Rakim

Here begins the somewhat tumultuous story of two hip hop legends. One is known as The God MC and the other is known as God’s Son.

That’s right, I’m talking about Rakim and Nas. You may remember that Nas did a song called “Unauthorized Biography of Rakim” that was featured on his 2004 2-disc album, Street’s Disciple.

You may have thought the song was a nice and well-deserved tribute to Rakim, and that it was a predecessor to Kanye West’s “Big Brother,” similarly dedicated to Jay-Z.

Well according to Rakim, you were wrong.

Rakim, my favorite rapper’s favorite rapper, recently recorded a video interview (courtesy of TheUrbanDaily) saying that he is suspicious of Nas’s intentions with the song and felt that Nas exposed a lot of his personal business by recording it.

Here’s the video for your viewing pleasure:

First of all, the song was not very long and did not delve into much of Rakim’s personal life at all. The song is more of an admiration of his career than a document chronicling his relationships or children, and only gives minimal background about his upbringing and family ties.

Secondly, consider the fact that Nas has never shied away from his admiration and love for Rakim. What exactly would be the ulterior motive for Nas to pay homage to one of the greats, then? What did he stand to gain from it besides the satisfaction of thanking a man who inspired him?

Notice that at 1:21, Ra says that Nas never asked him for his reaction to the track and says that he hasn’t talked with Nas about the song “[to] this day.” I take issue with that statement, and not just because Nas is my favorite rapper. I also have the actual proof to discredit this statement in the form of a joint interview that they filmed together (had to dig in the crates for this).

Aha! It is plain to see that the two of them have spoken about the song, among many other things. In the joint interview, the two express mutual admiration and respect for each other while discussing the impact and influence they both had on each other as well as hip hop overall.

Basically, it was a love fest. On top of that, Rakim expresses his appreciation for the song and the love that came with it. The interviewer calls the song “the ultimate compliment” and Rakim seems to agree.

Nas even goes so far as to commend Rakim for being so “cool” – unlike other hip hop legends who seem to let their egos get the best of them (you can watch the entire interview by clicking here) .

It is truly amazing how times have changed.

Here are the obvious questions of the day:

Where was that suspicion of Nas’s intentions during that interview? Most importantly, after Nas expressed his admiration for Rakim and his motives for recording the song in those videos above (shot in ‘06) – why is this still an issue in 2009? How can Rakim say that he and Nas have never spoken on the matter when they quite clearly and obviously did?

That’s just one instance of the two of them uniting. Here’s another one. Remember this?

Here’s the bigger issue:

What is going on with celebrities and legends suddenly stepping forward to air out dirty laundry or to reveal bad feelings that they have kept secret for so many years?

This seems to be a growing trend, especially in the urban community, with similar stories occurring between Bobby Brown and Whitney Houston as well as Magic Johnson and Isaiah Thomas. Even with Michael Jordan’s Hall of Fame speech, we saw and heard things that led us to the following conclusion.

Unfortunately, it appears that some of our biggest and brightest stars are also some of our biggest babies, complainers, and grudge holders.

I find it perfectly reasonable to expect fully-grown adults to handle their disputes, disagreements, and misunderstandings like sensible people. It seems to me that a person who openly criticizes or disputes with a mentor, friend, or colleague tarnishes his own image and reputation just as much as the other person’s.

What’s your opinion on the matter? Do you think either, both, or none of these guys is ruining his legacy? Hit up the comment section and let us know where you stand.

Main Image: Rasha Entertainment

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