The unauthorized copy

Dedication to my children, my child, Destiny Jones

To my niece and nephews, Suree, Malik, JabariThe world is yours

Acknowledgements: first off I wanna thank God

And I wanna thank everybody for helping me out with this

Couldn′t do it without you. Chapter 1

January 28, 1968

Born into this world, William Griffin The Great

Chapter 1, Wyandanch, Long Island

Scientific rhyming invented a new style when

He met with Eric Barrier from East Elmhurst

The melody they created was the first

Burst on the scene 1986, with clap to this

'87 dropped a classic disc

The facts is the tracklist was like full

The vocals, the beats, according to Marley Marl

Recorded in my hometown Queensbridge

That′s why it's so relative

This biography was unauthorized

I spit it how it was given to author Nas

William changed his name at sixteen to Rakim Allah

Cause Clarence 13X had New York on lock

Gods on every block, jams in every park

I remember hearing Kurtis Blow saying

"It can't get better than this"

′Til Run DMC blew my brains to bits

From leather coats to shell toes to the Stan Smiths, to Dapper Dan kicks

First million-dollar deal ever in rap, 18th Letter did that

From 4th & Broadway to Uni to MCA

We followed the leader to Harlem′s Apollo Theatre

Supreme, Rap and the 50 that don't rap

Forte Green, Queens, Long Island wolfpack

Paid In Full posse, hot they was on

And Ra had his firstborn

With the next line I′mma be easy

His wisdom's name is Fifi

EPMD put a record out, was dope

Tension spread, and I quote "Smack me and I smack you back"

Sounded like the answer to the I Ain′t No Joke track

For a second it ain't look good

Little tension buzzing from Wyandanch to Brentwood

Misunderstood, all forgot at sixteen when I met Freddie Foxxx

Toting burners, the whole coast′s most concern was

How has Rakim's flow made Christians convert with Islamic ways

Let The Rhythm Hit 'Em was the third LP

A sophisticated mean one, before similar voices were King Sun

A few others, but sooner or later, the game was Ra′s kingdom

At sixteen, son was watching him, mesmerized

Respect, not jocking him, was so amazing, besides

He came on the stage with lasers in his eyes

Walk with me now

Unauthorized Biography of Rakim

Epilogue: Mother was a jazz singer

Nephew to R & B legend Ruth Brown

Discography: Paid In Full, Follow The Leader, Let The Rhythm Hit ′Em, Don't Sweat The Technique

That′s the end of the group, went on for solo

Dropped The R, then The 18th Letter, then I think something, The Master

Was signed to Aftermath

Scheduled to release an album Oh My God with Dr. Dre

The album was dismantled because of creative differences

The end

To the new beginning, yeah

Next book, KRS-One. Peace