Rakim flat-out tells us he wished he was in Inglewood for the Pop Out and called Kendrick's command over the 2024 Rap Wars great for the hip hop culture overall.
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00:00I
00:02Looking back at your career, you know a lot of you don't really have you may you might have some battle raps
00:07But a lot of people wouldn't didn't challenge the are you know, they never came at you crazy, you know, is that because you think you?
00:15Intimidated emcees with your raps
00:20Cuz they detested at the Jay-z LL Cooger everybody got tested but you look at rock him it hasn't really been a lot of friction
00:28I think it's a couple things man. I think the way the way I move, you know what I mean people
00:36Respect the way I move man a humble cat
00:39Walking my chest out. I might rhyme with my chest out a little bit
00:43but but I think I think they understand that's just me showing my skills and
00:49Confident cocky little egotistical, you know, I mean with it little narcissistic with it
00:55But that's what it takes to make you know a great MC
00:59I do you turn on hip-hop, you know, like especially like some of the underground guys like yeah, that sounds like me
01:03Do you hear yourself even throughout the 50 years of hip-hop?
01:09Um
01:11Trying to be humble
01:14Coming from a humble cat like myself man, you know what I mean? But but but yes, man
01:19I hear I hear my influences. I hear my you know phrases
01:23I hear my
01:27You know the
01:29The technique that I started, you know what I mean and where they took it, you know, I mean
01:34but it's a blessing man to be able to
01:37Have that impact man, you know hip-hop is a real
01:42it's a real feisty genre man, and
01:46You know, it's hard to get love from your peers, man
01:49But um, you know, I I hate uh, I hate uh, you know resemblance, but I also feel the love, you know what I mean?
01:58No, what's your what's your what's rockin his favorite verse? What's the one that you know still makes you go? I did that
02:05man, good question my brother, uh, I
02:10Think for me it gotta be
02:13The 18th letter and I don't know how many of my listeners heard that or but yeah
02:19That's that's one of the joints that that I love listen to. I love the state of mind. I was in at the time and
02:27If you was asked me what song will I play?
02:30To somebody to help them understand who I am. That might be the first joint. I play the 18th letter always
02:38Okay, what was your reaction to seeing like the Kendrick Lamar pop-out concert and all the all the surprises and
02:46You know just hip-hop
02:47euphoria
02:49Don't don't you know what? I mean? Like it shows it shows
02:55Shows power it shows
03:00You know what a rap artist can do man when when he gets love and he puts his mind to it
03:06I'm
03:09You know looking at all the footage
03:11You know, I mean, you know, I wish I was there man
03:14You know what? I mean?
03:15It was like, you know a moment in hip-hop the the battle with him and Drake was was I think important
03:23You know what? I mean? Like you got two icons in the game at the top, you know
03:28Oh, they are their career and they went at it. You know what? I mean? It was good for hip-hop man
03:35We've seen a lot go on
03:37and the funny thing about it is
03:40When the AI technology first came out, I was like, oh man, come on this this is you know
03:46What I mean is it's gonna be too much, but I can't front the way the way Drake did it. It was entertaining
03:53So, you know, I mean I was like, okay. I can't be mad at that that that was entertaining man, but
04:00it's dope man that them brothers went at it and and just
04:05You know got it off their chest. A lot of things was put in
04:09perspective as far as
04:10What you listening to so I salute them brothers and um, yeah, man the Kendrick did the Kendrick
04:19Performance concert was crazy. I seen something they was doing at Harlem
04:23I've seen a body in Harlem, you know out in the hood, you know, I mean we gonna be alright
04:28So, you know, it's you know powerful vibe, you know going on right now
04:33You know the movement is crazy. And again, I think it was well-needed for hip-hop nice speaking of the West Coast
04:40Do you still have any dr. Dre collaborations from back in the day in the vault?
04:44Drake
04:46Well, yeah, I got a couple but I was talking to Dre Dre told me don't tell nobody what's going on
04:51So I can't tell nobody
04:56They got trade school man word up peace and love