Rakim

Rakim has a son with Nicole Smith, however, the two never married.

Currently, he lives in Connecticut with Fee, his childhood sweetheart with whom he has three children, Destiny, Jabar, and Tahmell.

Rakim is credited with expanding the vocabulary of rap music and introducing complex similes and metaphors in an age when many of his counterparts lacked the necessary imagination.

Rakim was born as William Michael Griffin Jr. on January 28, 1968, in Wyandanch, Long Island, New York, to a family that was artistically inclined.

While his father, William Griffin Sr. was a soft-spoken and sensitive man, his mother sang opera and jazz, and his brothers played various musical instruments. His aunt, Ruth Brown, was a well-known actress and R&B singer.

Rakim attended the Wyandanch High School, where he played the baritone saxophone for the school band. He also was an active member of a number of new rap groups at school, including ‘The Love Brothers’ and the ‘Almighty 5 MCs’.

Even at that early age, he showed a precocious musical talent as is evident from a recording of a 1985 school performance along with Biz Markle who later became a star himself. This is perhaps the first performance where he is billed as Rakim.

At the age of 16, he converted to Islam, adopting the name Rakim Allah subsequent to joining the movement ‘Five-Percent Nation’. With time, he emerged as the most vocal spokesperson for ‘Five-Percent Nation’; his faith luminescent in his lyrics.

Rakim met Eric B., a Queens DJ, in 1985 and the next year they released their first ever single, ‘Eric B. Is President’. The ‘Zakia Records’ single recorded in the home studio of Eric’s friend, Marley, was a major hit and propelled the duo to instant stardom in the hip hop community.

Enthused by the single, Russell Simmons, the founder of ‘Def Jam’ persuaded ‘Island Records’ to sign on the duo. In early 1987, they began recording at the ‘Power Play Studios’ in Manhattan.

‘Paid in Full’, their debut album was released on July 7, 1987, on ‘4th & B'way Records’. The album that had five singles, including ‘Eric B. Is President’, peaked on Billboard 200 chart at #58.

Rakim and Eric B. signed on with ‘Uni Records’, an MCA label, and recorded their second album, ‘Follow the Leader’ at the same ‘Power Play Studios’ they had used earlier. The album, released on July 26, 1988, was averagely successful, ranking 22 on the U.S. ‘Billboard’ Pop Albums chart.

'Follow the Leader’ went on to sell more than 500,000 copies in America and was certified gold. With Rakim’s lyrics at their aggressive best, it is now regarded as among the most influential hip hop albums in the history of the genre.

‘Eric B. Is President’; his very first single was responsible for getting his talent noticed.

‘Paid in Full’; his first album with Eric B., made him famous in the hip hop world.

‘Follow the Leader’; is considered to be among the most important hip hop recordings ever.

‘Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em’; is included in the list of ‘100 Best Rap Albums’ by ‘Source’.

‘The 18th Letter’: wowed the public and received a gold certificate from ‘RIAA’.