- Born
- Birth nameWilliam Griffin
- Nicknames
- Rakim Allah
- The R.
- The God MC
- Kid Wizard
- Universally referenced as one of the greatest hip-hop artists of all time, Rakim first exploded onto the New York scene in 1986 with the iconic "Eric B. is President" single and album "Paid In Full." With its unprecedented lyricism and complex rhyme patterns, the release, alongside a carefully curated mixture of conscious spirituality, street wise braggadocio, and trend setting fashion and visuals, marked a turning point in hip-hop culture--raising the bar for future emcees and revolutionizing the globally expanding art form. Over the course of four albums with long time collaborator Eric B, three solo albums and countless singles and features, Long Island's microphone fiend has continued to garner accolades from his peers and his public with his intellectual content, uncanny innovation, and the impenetrable aura of the God MC.
- IMDb mini biography by: R&A
- SpouseFelicia(? - present) (3 children)
- Children
- Hip-hop MC; half of the duo Eric B. & Rakim.
- Converted to Faradian (as in W.D. Fard, Elijah Muhammad, the Nation of Islam, and the Nation of Gods and Earths) Islam at age 16, taking the Godly name of Rakim Allah. His lyrics often contain references to the Five Percenters and its Universal Language. Any coincidence between the Nation of Gods and Earths and traditional Islam is accidental, as this form of Islam, which is actually a social movement instead of a faith, a bacronym for I-Self Lord and Master, is a made-up religion that only has Islamic elements in it.
- Has consistently been called one of the greatest MCs of all time, the God MC, by the likes of Nas, Jay-Z, '50 cent', Busta Rhymes, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah and others. In the late 1980s he added a complex flow and fluid delivery to the art of rhyming that many said was ahead of its time.
- Nephew of Ruth Brown.
- Friends with Biz Markie.
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