The Seventh Seal 2009 Album

Rakim

Much of the production on this long-long-long awaited album from Rakim is just okay, with the main problem being the soft average choruses that appear on quite a few tracks. Generally, the chorus is meant to be the catchiest part of a song but it is Rakim's verses which are most memorable. However, even on his previous two solo albums for me, the production was far from brilliant on many tracks but Rakim held the albums down, particularly on 'The 18th Letter'. He does such things on this album also and turns an average beat into a good song. It would be hard not to enjoy Rakim over a metronome though. The subject matter features brag rap, some about the state of hip hop, a couple of hood songs and a chick song or two. It would have been nice to hear a bit more about what he has been up the last ten years while he hasn't dropped anything, but nevertheless, most of the lyrics are interesting enough. I can understand people not loving this album due to the soft hooks and overall production, but overall Rakim hasn't lost his flow and I'm still enjoying it after quite a few spins. Best Tracks: How to Emcee, You and I, Won’t Be Long, Holy Are You, Satisfaction Guaranteed, Message in the Song, Still in Love.