I must say I am happy to hear about the return of Rakim, being a Long Island native I grew up on his music. My uncle Robert Garcia used to Dj for Rakim and my parents, aunts and uncles all went to school and grew up around him. Over the past 15 years so many rappers have used the Central Islip, New York native’s lines as their own, now Rakim has returned to take back hiphop.

“(Rakim) is back into the spotlight of a genre he helped revolutionize”- New York Post

Check out the official press release from my girl Linda Lee over at Cornerstone Promotions:

After months, if not years of Internet speculation and rumor, the man many call The God MC’s management and label officially confirm that Rakim Allah will release his long awaited new album The Seventh Seal on November 17, 2009. Guest artists include Busta Rhymes, Jadakiss, Maino, Tracey Horton, IQ, Styles P, and others, including Destiny Griffin, Rakim’s own daughter. The artist’s Ra Records shares the imprint in a joint venture with Tuscan Villa and SMC Recordings and is distributed through Fontana/Universal Music Group.

Since its release, the album’s set-up single “Holy Are U” has won praise from critics and fans alike. USA Today states, “The God MC previews his long-awaited The Seventh Seal with a lyrically adept reminder of how he earned the name,” with Billboard proclaiming “Rakim is in top form, richly merging self-mythologizing reflections on his legacy with religious imagery.” The album’s lead single, “Walk These Streets,” produced by Needlz for Dry Rain Entertainment and featuring Maino and Tracey Horton was released on October 27, 2009.

His first full album of new material in almost a decade, The Seventh Seal is Rakim’s contemporary observation of the Hip-Hop culture he helped define. While staying loyal to his New York roots, Rakim has created a body of work that encompasses the very best of regional, underground and mainstream styles that are reformed and delivered through his intricate lyricism and the seemingly effortless flow for which he is revered. He has enlisted a slew of production talent including Needlz, Nottz, Jake One, Nick Wiz, Ty Fiffe and more on the album’s well-rounded tracks.

The artist states, “The Seventh Seal is my own revelation…my way of taking the best of what Hip-Hop has to offer, what we as a culture and a community have to offer, putting my stamp on it and leading us forward while constantly respecting what we’ve already accomplished. When you’ve been blessed with a career like mine, you develop a deep relationship with the music, and that love is recognized by the true heads that share it with you. You’ll see us keep building as we break through each Seal…showing the best of what I can do in many forms, bringing the energy and having fun, but first I’m laying that foundation and give my longtime fans the conscious fire they expect.”

TRACK LISTING:
1. How To Emcee
2. Walk These Streets (featuring Maino & Tracey Horton)
3. Documentary of a Gangsta (featuring IQ)
4. Man Above (featuring Tracey Horton)
5. You And I (featuring Samuel Christian)
6. Won’t Be Long (featuring Tracey Horton)
7. Holy Are U
8. Satisfaction Guaranteed
9. Working For You
10. Message In The Song (featuring Destiny Griffin)
11. Put It All To Music
12. Psychic Love
13. Still In Love
14. Dedicated

ABOUT RAKIM ALLAH:
Universally referenced as one of the Masters of the Microphone and an influence and inspiration to his peers and followers alike, Rakim first exploded onto the scene with the release of iconic Eric B. is President in 1986 with long time collaborator Eric B. The single marked a turning point in the Rap world – raising the bar for future emcees and revolutionizing the way rhymes are delivered. Rakim’s intricately, intellectual lyrics draw their force from his worldly experience, inner faith and progressive contemplation, fueled by a deep understanding of not just Hip-Hop, but also the Jazz and R&B influences that have surrounded his family since his youth. Rakim’s recordings – including the all-time classics, Paid In Full, Follow the Leader and The 18th Letter – have sold in the multi-millions worldwide. Billboard, Rolling Stone, MTV and a host of others consistently refer to Paid in Full as “the greatest Hip-Hop album of all time” – a claim often repeated in audience polls. The Seventh Seal marks the first album under his own imprint, Ra Records, allowing a true freedom in creative control unparalleled since his monumental first recordings.

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