![]() Everyone was categorizing rappers, “old school” or this. "I’m glad Jay did it… I needed that at that time," Rakim told The Breakfast Club in September 2019. Save for the bhangra-infused hit “Addictive” with former Aftermath signee Truth Hurts and his formidable contribution to Eminem’s 8 Mile OST, all that remains is a smattering of leaked tracks including the gripping “After You Die” and “The Watcher Pt 2” from Jay Z’s The Blueprint: The Gift & The Curse. Now, there remains very little as evidence that the two ever even had a partnership. The pair "mutually decided to go their separate ways," declared Ra’s manager Zach Katz in a statement. "There are reasons, but I really can't get into them, just basically creative differences. Yet by 2003, the ties between the two were severed without this potentially seminal album ever seeing the light of day. Left stationary within an ever-changing landscape, Dre’s guidance and awareness of the modern marketplace seemed like all it’d take for The God MC to reassume the throne. A few years later, the stars had aligned at a time where Ra had found himself out on a limb. After all, Dre had regained the Midas touch, striking gold with not only Eminem but his own return to the fray on 2001. After admiring one another from afar, Rakim had first mentioned that “Dre‘s been putting the word out that he wants to do some beats for me” way back in 1995. This is going to be the biggest hip-hop record ever, straight up and coming at you from Aftermath, baby, so fuck all of y'all."Īn emphatic statement if ever there was one, it’s easy to see why the producer had high hopes for helming a new Rakim album. “We just signed Rakim to our label, straight up," he said, "Rakim is on Aftermath, and the name of his album is going to be Oh My God. Announced while the Compton mastermind was on location at the video shoot for “Stan” in October 2000, Dre made the acquisition public in a brash fashion that captured the mood of his Interscope- backed imprint at the time. ![]() Just as his controversy-courting protégé Eminem had helped rescue him from a time where his position seemed precarious, Dre looked to pay it forward to one of the genre’s true innovators. In his time of need, a West Coast icon parachuted into his orbit with an outstretched hand. To put this sharp decline into perspective, his 1997 comeback album The 18th Letter secured the number four spot with ease. Even with its noteworthy attributes and an immense, Primo-crafted lead single “ When I B On Tha Mic,” the album peaked at number 72 on the Billboard charts. His sophomore solo album, 1999’s The Master was an accomplished body of work that featured phenomenal production from the likes of DJ Premier and Clark Kent while displaying his lyrical prowess in all its glory. The reverence for his skills hadn’t depleted, but he’d reached something of a crossroads when it came to shifting units. Still, there was a time where the New York native was languishing in the commercial doldrums.
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