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Eric B. & Rakim - "Move The Crowd"
Posted on August 12, 2005 4:03 PM
Fuck Bush! It's Election Day for Hip-Hop!
This week's edition of "Throwback Thursday" takes us back to the mini-era that belonged damn near exclusively to a nigga the world was not ready for. With turntablism and street muscle effectively handled by DJ Eric B., Rakim was free to wreak havoc on an unsuspecting, and still developing world of rap. "Move The Crowd" [watch it now] was his inauguration.
Following the leader all the way to the ballot box is quite the ironic concept. If rocking the vote this was Rakim's plan to stay on top, then his early-mid 90s disappearance certainly has an explanation. Y'all know black people don't vote!
Seriously though, Rakim's presence as a political figure in this video is a shocking image to mainstream America and an eerie testament to hip-hop's increasing influence at the time.
If only we had such conventions in real life, we could change some shit, huh? I think more people in my hood watched the Shady National Convention than actual political coverage last year. Hip-hop artistry (especially lyricism) is a powerful tool that could effectively serve as a voice of the people. Maybe if we wised up and had a little more to talk about than the trinkets dangled in front of us, we could use it to change some shit.
Enjoy the video. Embrace some history. Go read something.
Questions? Comments? Requests? Concerned about the leader you're following? ronnie_mexxx@yahoo.com
Comments
It's legendary enough said!
at least theres still people out there that recognize THE GOD RAKIM as the greatest of all time. Looking forward to the new album, if it does come out.
It's A Shame What Hip Hop Has Come Too.....Ra Will Forever Be The Greatest MC Lyrically...Noone Could See Him Back Then....Or Now...He's Still The G.O.A.T.
F*** A Cool J...
RAKIM WILL ALWAYS BE THE NUCLEUS OF WHAT REAL HIP HOP IS AND WAS. ITS SAD TO SEE HIM REDUCED TO HENNESY ADS AND GUEST APPEARANCES ON LIL NIGAZ VIDEOS. I WISH HE WOULD DROP A MIX TAPE OR SOMETHING THAT WOULD BRING NIGGAZ BACK TO THE DAYS OF ROPE CHAINS AND 4 FINGER RINGS! IN YOUR RISH TO CROWN JAYZ, NAS, BIG OR EVEN 50 AS DA KING OF NY...FIRST GIVE PROPS TO ONE OF ITS FIRST RULERS.... DA GOD RAKIM.
Thanks Ronnie!! This is the pick me up I needed (had wisdom teeth out). I'm glad to read that people still appreciate Rakim and what he's done for Hip Hop.
You all have just given someone the hope that Hip Hop can come back, and that lyrical content is more important than the club banger.
Rakim will always be the lyrical genius. There is no one seeing him. I just wish he hurry up and come back and show these wack rappers how it suppose to be done. Rakim you will always be the greatest in my book.
Rakim is a GREAT MC, but BEST of ALL time? I am not trying to take ANYTHING away from what he did for hip hop, but if he was or is the greatest WHY has'nt he come back to save the hip hop industry? RAKIM is HIP HOP, but to say he is the best is a strech, he WAS at one point the best MC out of NY. This may come as a shock, but I don't think there is a GREATEST MC, because on ANY given day any given mood a nigga might say KRS ONE is the GREATEST or Chuck D or 2Pac or Bigge or Redman or Nas or Jay-Z or Emeniem or Easy E I think it all depends on your mood there ALL GREAT but lets cut the crap about the greatest of all time, and if so how are we basing him as the greatest? We know we are not talking records SOLD and we can't be talking about freestyling? So what makes HIM the greatest? What about RUN D MC? Don't any of you QUICK to call a nigga a hater say i am hating i am just saying RAKIM is a LEGEND but not the BEST EVER!!! And I want to know more details on his deal with aftermath? He had a record coming out?? What happen? He could have saved Dr Dre from ruiens with this 50 cent Fag.
He got dropped from Aftermath.
I think people consider him the greatest because he literally changed the game. He IS the segue from old school to the way people rhyme now.
He also had the coldest voice and demeanor to match the talent... but yes, I agree, it was within a particular place in time.
But people seem to believe that there was no greater MC at any point in time than Rakim from 86-91. I think anyone who argues that point has a valid argument too.
But I feel you smokey... GOAT arguments are ignorant... will always be biased. people base greatness on different things, and everyone's flavor is different.
I respect Eazy-E and what he did for the genre, but I consider him a well-below par lyricist. But he had swagger and energy. That is more than enough for some. Plus he was funny as fuck.
Etc... I digress.
"I aint got no Muthafucking Friends!" "Sucka Ass" "That why I fucked your Bitch you Fat muthafucka" "Westside" "Bad Boy Killa's you know who the Realest is nigga's we bring it to ya" First off FUCK your Bitch and the click you claim westside when we ride coming equiped with game, you claim to be a playa but I FUCKED your wife we bust on Bad Boys nigga's Fucked for life, plus PUFFY trying to see me, WEAK HEARTS (Brave Hearts NAS) I R.I.P, Biggie Smalls & Jr Mafia are some Mark Ass Bitches. We keep on coming while we run for your jewels steady gunning keep on busting at them fools you know the rools! Lil Cease go ask your homie how I will leave ya cut your young ass up and leave you in pieces now be deased lil kim don't fuck around with REAL G's quick to snatch your UGLY ASS off the streets so FUCK Peace!Al let them niggas know it's on for life so let the westside ride tonight! Bad Boys murdered on WAX and Kilt fuck with me and get you Caps Pilt!
THe best lyric's of ALL time!!
Music is for entertainment, not for changing the world, idiot.
That's why Public Enemy, X-Klan, and Paris fell by the wayside. When they got too political people stopped listening.
There's already a forum for political change and its called elections.
Hip-Hop and Rap is the music we listen to when we want to relax, fantasize, party, and cruise. Even Pac's music, it's for partyin' and gettin crunk to, it's not for political inspiration, dumba**.
Oh yeah, that post above was adressed to anybody who thinks Hip-Hop/Rap is made to inspire political thinking, yeah right!
It's made to party to.
And that's about it.
You couldn't be more wrong.
Music is life. Art is life.
Sure partying is part of it. We all turn on records to escape, but in saying that music doesn't or can't have a role in social change is a little on the ignorant side. Music's influence alone proves that way of thinking wrong.
The records we buy have a societal, thus political influence. You cited 2Pac. If you think Pac is party music alone, you must have only been listening to a few songs. Pac had a political agenda that he got people to hop on board BECAUSE they loved his songs.
N.W.A. pushed the limits of free speech.
Sit down and reflect. As some rappers like to say... "It's more than music."
...for the sake of listening, that is.
P.S.: Politcially charged songs have been some of the greatest selling records of all time. Ask about some.
I'm back. After a 2 month hyatus from the blog game, I'm back.
Bayshiz: I don't believe you could possibly be a true hip hop follower to say something that unsensible, thats the same kind of oppressive attitude that anti-hip hop groups and organizations have held since rap's inception into the music industry.
You really need to reexamine your entire outlook on this culture because otherwise you're no better than the millions of suburban white kids who think they know something because they bought 50 cent's latest album.
Since the earliest days of hip hop, there have always been politically charged songs and mcs, noting especially KRS-One, Ice Cube, NaS, Common Sense, 2pac, Eminem, and even Redman.
Take a closer look at the evolution of hip hop, and you may come to realize that the essence of today's gangsta rap was born from political hip hop, where mc's (the most well known, N.W.A.) would narrate the state of affairs they lived in.
Politics always has and always will hold a tremendous significance within the hip hop culture.
Think about it.
Bayshiz you don't know music at all beyond hip hop the music of the 60's was very political. Now it's all bitches and blunts....cristal, cunts, ans cars. Materialism and being superficial has it's place, but we need a balence. You probably started to listen to hip hop around the Bad Boy era, so you don't know better. The RZA said that Wu Tang Forever was not recieved well because you can't feed a baby (the masses) steak and expect them to be able to work with it. So many want their music simple and base. Thats why 50 and G Unit can sell millions and not say shit. Thats why Rass Kass, Royce, and countless other can sell double aluminum and spit the illest lyrics. Thats why we see Jay Z'slyrical digression in order to make more money and expand his fanbase, yet not make them expand their minds. Dre did a great disservice by signing Rakim, and not devoting any energy to him. This is the dude that changed the way MC's spit. Without Rakim there is no Nas,Jay, and countless others. How come every other genre of music has older artists that can come back release a record and tour, yet in hip hop we dis the vets?
u guys didin't mention mos def at all? and jay-z and biggie are much better than rakim. he is great, but if he was such a god why didn't he sell much? of course respect isn't based on sales or that fag 50 cent would be a king, but no 1 really likes him...that queer. OKKK back on track, rakim is awesome,but biggie/jay-z (back then) are much better. and smokey, that 2 pac song is O.K. but have u ever hear ready 2 die from the notorious big? im just typin this off the top of my head.
as i grab the glock, put it to ur head piece, one in the chamber the saftey is off, police raided ur dorm. I wanna see cabbage Biggie Smalls the savage, doin your brain cells much damage
Teflon is the material for the imperial
mic ripper girl stripper the Henny sipper. I drop lyrics off and on like a lightswitch, Quick to grab the right bitch and make her drive the Q-45, glocks and tecs are expected when I wreck shit. Respect is collected, so check it. I got techniques drippin out my buttcheeks.Sleep on my stomach so I don't fuck up my sheets,(how tight is that??) huh My shit is deep, deeper than my grave G. I'm ready to die and nobody can save me
Fuck the world, fuck my moms and my girl
My life is played out like a jheri curl, I'm ready to die!!
wow thats pure awesome!! now have u ever heard cant knock the hustle by jay-z? i know all the lyrics by heart, but im 2 lazy to type it. now i hope u know rakim isn't the greatest, but one of the best. and 50 cent is a fag!
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