November 15, 2009

7:30 pm

Rakim is one of the greatest MCs – perhaps the greatest – of all time. His flow is smooth and liquid, inflected with jazz rhythms and carried off with an effortless cool – when he entered the scene in the late ’80s he raised the bar for MC technique higher than it had ever been. Where many MCs of the time developed their technique through improvisational battles, Rakim was among the first to demonstrate the possibilities of sitting down and writing intricately crafted lyrics packed with clever word choices and metaphors. Even after his innovations were worshipfully absorbed and expanded upon by the countless MCs who followed, Rakim’s early work still sounds startlingly fresh, and his comeback recordings – the latest of which is called Seventh Seal – have only added to his legend. - The Black Cat
w/ Rhymefest

$23 Adv/ $25 DOS Mainstage 7:30