Rakim Archives | HipHopCanada.com

Recent album releases from rappers that might experience ageism in hip-hop.

Features

Confronting Ageism in Hip-Hop: Can Old Blood Make New Music?

TLDR: Ageism in hip-hop challenges older artists, with some embracing adulthood and creating new music categories to overcome stereotypes of youth-only culture. It’s always...

The ConversationJanuary 30, 2025

A young man watches TV in his bedroom, with a Kung Fu film playing that has inspired some of the combat imagery in hip-hop.

Features

Hip-Hop’s Obsession With Combat Imagery Is About More Than Violence

TLDR: Combat imagery in hip-hop reflects empowerment and resistance, redefining global narratives beyond violence. On Let the Rhythm Hit ‘Em, legendary New York MC...

The ConversationJanuary 22, 2025

Album covers for recent releases by aging hip-hop legends Rakim, MC Lyte, and LL Cool J.

Features

Aging Hip-Hop Legends: Can Old Blood Make New Music?

TLDR: Despite hip-hop legends like Rakim and LL Cool J aging, they’re redefining the genre with fresh music, and challenging the assumption that hip-hop...

The ConversationNovember 6, 2024

People sitting in a circle around a man breakdancing

Features

Hip-hop at 50: 7 essential listens to celebrate rap’s widespread influence

On the evening of Aug. 11, 1973, DJ Kool Herc attended a block party in the South Bronx. Armed with two record players and...

The ConversationAugust 18, 2023

Artwork for Paid in Full by Eric B and Rakim

Features

Knowledge of self: How a key phrase from Islam became a pillar of hip-hop

I was 9 years old when Eric B. and Rakim’s “Paid in Full” dropped. I have vivid memories of the bass-laden track booming out...

The ConversationAugust 4, 2023

YouTube thumbnail for the video Large Professor on Drink Champs

Features

Large Professor on Drink Champs: Talks Nas, untold stories, Eric B. & Rakim, Main Source, ATCQ & more

With Large Professor on Drink Champs, N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN sit down with the hip-hop legend for a very special episode. Large Pro shares...

@HipHopCanadaJuly 25, 2023

A man wearing a Karategi holds his clenched fist into his palm

Features

Hip-hop’s obsession with combat imagery is about more than violence

On Let the Rhythm Hit ‘Em, legendary New York MC Rakim proclaims: “I’m the arsenal, I got artillery, lyrics are ammo….” Senegalese-born French rapper...

The ConversationJanuary 7, 2023

10 hip-hop songs to take you on a voyage into space

Features

10 hip-hop songs to take you on a voyage into space

From the earliest days of hip-hop, rap artists have referenced the extraterrestrial to help us escape our earthbound existence. In “Rapper’s Delight” – the...

The ConversationMay 26, 2021