Rakim - "The Seventh Seal"

[claaa7]

01. How To Emcee
02. Walk These Streets (ft. Maino & Tracey Horton)
03. Documentary Of A Gangsta (ft. IQ)
04. Man Above (ft. Tracey Horton)
05. You & I (ft. Samuel Christian)
06. Won't Be Long (ft. Tracey Horton)
07. Holy Are U
08. Satisfaction Guaranteed
09. Workin' For You
10. Message In The Song (ft. Destiny Griffin)
11. Put It All To Music
12. Psychic Love
13. Still In Love
14. Dedicated

[claaa7]

after a 10-year hiatus Rakim finally returns, and since the high-quality CD-rip leaked today i figured i might as well make a thread for it. i've listened through the album once and a few of the songs a little more and it feels like it's one of the albums that definitely grows on you. i'm not crazy about all the R&B hooks although they work great on a few of the tracks, "Walking These Streets", for example.

"Holy Are U" are still one of the illest tracks of the year, just wish the album woulda been more in the same vein. the first song on the album "How To Emcee" is actually pathetic in my ears, why start the LP off with something that sounds like Rakim meets boy band (without the vocals)?? Lyrically it's obviously brilliant all the way, though Ra ain't quite as dope as he between 1987-1997. at first listen it's a 3/5 but i'ma let it sink in and grow on me.

[angry!]

ive spent some time with it and i think its a solid album from ra!!!

ra flow has slowed down, but his cotent is still visual as ever, and hes dropping knowledge in his bars like the god emcee been known to do!!!!

some of the features are a little mystifying, but the honey singing on "message in a song" is ras daughter, thats love!!!!

the production is kinda all over the place, doesnt have the same centered vibe that 18th lette had, but hand pick any verse from the album and youll find some jewels!!!!!

rakim can still make my hair stand up, "deadicated" is crazy son!!!!! hes pouring his heart out on that shit, still a master at matching words to emotion!!!!! that track has a pulse!!!!

lyrically one of the finest performances this year, hes not as spry on the canvas, but he still has knockout power!!!!!

my favorite tracks so far..

"documentary of a gangsta" - street poetry, ra seen this too many times to not know what it is!!!!

"walk these streets" - maino feature is whatever, but ra kills his 2 verses here!!!

"man above" - "im left jobless, no one hiring ex-convicts" listen close, this nigga is dropping shit we all go through!!!!!

"wont be long" - beat is retarded dope, hook got soul, the god slays it!!!!

"working for you" - rakim bodies a classic sample, flow is flawless, this nigga is still incredible on the mic!!!!

"holy are you" - yall heard it, but this is classic r... epic!!!!

you owe yourself as a hip hop fan to give this a listen, its a master at work!!! 20 plus years in the game, and notice he still maintains supreme vocal quality, bars potent as ever, crisp delivery, true to life content, its a 101 on how to mature as an artist in the game!!! never redundant, never spitting for the sake of spitting!!!! this album gonna go over a lot of ppls heads today, the album cover says it all, time is in our hands!!!!!!

if i had to rate it itd be 4 for now, im not holding rakim to the impossible standard a lot of cats will, ima buy this on tuesday and put something in the air to it on the way home!!!!!

[Poetic Wun]

after QUITE a few listens... i am still bangin this album.
2 songs immediately were a disappointment to me but no big deal.
Put It All to Music is amazing IMO.
Satisfaction Guaranteed is another hot one for me.
his love for the art form is definitely visible. Message in the Song reminds me of "My 1st Song" by Jay-Z...
Man Above & Won't Be Long are definitely "relateable" tracks.
If his few love joints weren't on here or the more overly used singing hooks, this would have been a notch under classic but this effort deserves better than average.
peace.

[claaa7]

just got the album today, damn nice packaging and that's definitely an extra plus in these days of accessible downloading. also we who bought it are supposed to get a free bonus track featuring Styles P, Jadakiss and Busta Rhymes in the next few days when registering at rakim.com.

seriously though, i don't get why this album is catching so much hate? to me this is easily better, more original and more justified as a Rakim album than either "18th Letter" and "The Master", no doubt. you can hear Ra really took his time with this one, and did what HE wanted to do not what his fans from 1987 has been wanting. i think the music on this disc definitely represent Rakim and where he's at today, both musically and spiritually. at least that's the feeling i get when listening to this LP. Ra sounds comfortable and is still spitting heat on the mic, he's sharper than KRS-One is these days to me and they been doing it big for the same amount of time now. Nick Wiz is fucking killing it with the beats on here too man; "Holy Are U" are vintage boom bap '80s Rakim, same with "Still in Love" while "Dedicated" and "Physical Love" are more outside the box but still slamming.

Not a perfect album by any means, the opening song is sounding corny as hell to me and the tracks with hooks could succesfully been spread out throughout the album better. Also, the abscense of the incredible Fizzy Womack produced "I'm Back" shines through, shame. still this probably grow to a 4/5 album for me, and another great joint of 2009.

[CharlesJones]

Some of ya'll got the nerve to diss me because i type long paragraphs but some of ya'll type long paragraphs too like Claaa7 and Angry LOL. I'll check out Rakim's album later but i'm expecting it not to be good because i didn't like The 18th Letter and The Master albums. His lyrics were good on those albums but most of the beats sucked. I'm sure his lyrics are good on the new album but i'm betting the beats aren't good. LOL@Freddie Foxxx dissing Rakim awhile back talking about his solo albums are shitty hahahahahahahahahaha. I gotta agree with Freddie. Eric B hooked up Rakim with some good beats on the albums they did together and it's a shame they aren't speaking anymore. If i was Rakim, i would call Eric B and get back on good terms with him and ask him for some beats if Eric B is still doing beats. What's up with these r&b singers Rakim got on his new album? He don't need no singers on his album. Why is wack ass Maino on his album? LOL.



It's a shame that the classic rap groups like Eric B and Rakim, Gang Starr, NWA, A Tribe Called Quest, The Pharcyde, Pete Rock and CL Smooth, Run DMC can't settle their differences and do music together again. Egos and money always break up groups. I'm glad EPMD got back together and settled their differences because it's better for guys to settle their differences than to be mad at each other over some bullshit and these faggot ass record companies are also at fault for splitting these groups up.

[GhettoGnom]

3/5
Decent.

[claaa7]

on repeated listens (i bump this everyday all the way through) i must say that this is without a doubt Rakim's best body of work since the Eric B days. out of 14 songs I feel that 13 are banging and one is weak, it really feels well executed and i imagine that Rakim said to hell with what everyone expect from me (Pete Rock, DJ Premier) and did exactly what he wanted himself. that's why all of this feels so genuine, the production matches Ra perfectly although it's quite experimental without abandoning his 80's and 90's fans he could easily get some new heads in 2009 for this LP.

He is touching on alot of interesting topics here; from a few very well executed biography's of people who's caught up in their own struggles in very different ways ("Documentary of a Gangsta", "Work For You", "Man Above") to his love for his woman ("You & I", "Physical Love"), to the love for his music ("Still In Love", "Put It All To Music"), the classic street tales ("Walk These Streets"), uplifting messages ("Won't Be Long", "Message In The Song") and family to the strong dedication to his deceased parents which closes the album ("Dedicated"). Of course there's a few ill tracks where he just flexes his lyrical muscles too, "Holy Are U", are still the albums best cut of this and it's interesting to know that Ra had pages from the Thora, Khoran and Bible all over the room where he wrote that song for inspiration.

Music: 4/5
Lyrics: 4.75/5
Overall: 9/10

[angry!]

good review claa this album is incredible and one of my favorite albums of the year!!!! looks like were in the minority on this site, but that doesnt mean shit!!!!

i brought the album to my barbershop, its a good mix of older heads and young ones gettin cuts, and they were lovin it!!!!! i left the cd there and bought a new one because they were feelin it and its worth buying twice!!!!!

conceptually, musically, and lyrically, one of the best albums of the year for me!!! i wanna add that this album features some of the most polished and well crafted love joints ive heard from a hip hop artist in years!!!! incredible performance on the mic -- in my opinion ra turned in the performance of the year!!!!!! not a dull moment for the god lyrically!!!!!

props to ppl that actually break down what they did or didnt like about albums, it brings validity to their ranking!!!!

[KLAP]

I bought the album yesterday.... Hope it grows on me like it did yall.

[Stuwped]

I copped this the day it came out... at first I wasn't to crazy about but it grew on me like crazy... this shits definitely a banger

[SHEEPISH LORD OF CHAOS]

dope lp

[SHEEPISH LORD OF CHAOS]

When they said patience is a virtue I think they ment the Microphone Fiend in mind when they stated that because that’s what “The Seventh Seal” and the wait for Rakim Allah’s last lp dropped on the earth has been a lesson in patience. From his defunked deal with Aftermath to now the ill effort that Rakim has put out in the seventh seal has been the zeal it’s taken to digest it.

The Seventh Seal starts with the lesson in how to spit and Ra’s flow hasn’t been more smooth and potent as if he never left and seems like water on joints like “How to Emcee”, “Won’t be Long” are all lessons, knowledge, dope music and all that but it’s a showcase for a vet that has changed the face of hip hop music proving it’s more than just another way to sing and dance. But away to spread some knowledge but songs like “Holy are U” whom many like Jay-Z tried to claim the “God MC” title that Rakim is the emcee that emcees dream and look up to like a statue. And you can never take the illness away from Rakim and the “The Seventh Seal” album is proof that GOD is back and never left. Putting track together like “Psychic Love” that show the meaning of love in life, to the effective shock n awe song on “Documentary of a Gangsta” featuring NYC emcee , Maino, proving that Rakim can hang and even run with the young emcees of today.

Overall, i’m giving this album a solid 4 ½ out of 5 because the new producers lace Rakim with solice, soul and hunger while still showing Rakim got the peigree to hang in a young man’s game. Rakim drops a heat rock that will surely circulate through the underground like wildfire and this is a rap album that young cats today need to hear, so they know how they should shine. Rakim is still the measuring stick rappers like Jay-Z use to measure themselve against regardless of sales, Rakim is the emcee emcee. I think Rakim proves the game hasn’t past him by yet.


Review: 4 1/2 out of 5 stars

[angry!]

"Timeless, so age don't count in the booth, when ya flow stay submerged in the fountain of youth" - the god

spot on homie, i already donated one copy of the 7th seal to my barbershop, and bought a copy for my nephew whos just gettin into hip hop!!!!

rakim was so far ahead of the game when he first hit, he never had to reinvent himself or update his presentation!!!!!! no compromise!!!!!!! ive said it many times, and ill say it again, rakim turned in the best mic performance of the year in my opinion!!!!!! the masses might be sleeping, but cats that hold the pen for this shit are going to recognize the brilliance ra hit us with!!!!!! not a moment is wasted on this disc, some of the strongest content on a hip hop album in years!!!!!

[claaa7]

nice review i agree w/ you for the most part, the album is a banger and Rakim's finest solo joint to this date which points to great promise for future projects despite being one of the most experienced veterans in the game still going today.

there's already a review thread for this album though, i'll let this thread be up for a few days before i merge them.