AKT Aktion's Hip Hop World

AKT Aktion is working on a new single for  D-Roc of The Ying-Yang Twins which will drop in the next couple of months.  The great thing about the track is Aktion squeezed some Phoenix, AZ artist’s on the joint which should help propel the Southwest some.  The artist’s also on the track are K-Dolla (Atlanta) , MAV (PHX) and The up and comer Kid Cardinal (PHX).  The sons is slated to receive radio play in 5 states AZ and Georgia included. Be on the look out for “The Boogie“…

AKT Aktion put’s together a street banger with west coast legends MC Eiht and West Coast KAM.  With spins on Radio in Phoenix and the use of the song on MC Eiht’s Mixtape “Stars and Straps”  and it’s appearance on multiple other mixtapes put out in the Southwest and West Coast it has a good buzz behind it. You can peep the track right now on AKT Aktion’s MySpace Click Here.

      Hope everyone out there had festive holiday break.  Before we move forward into the New Year and close a decade let’s look back at the big sellers in Hip-Hop this year.

      Even though I talked about him and that annoying voice last week, rap’s great hope, Eminem, has the best selling Hip-Hop album of 2009.  The Detroit MC’s return album, Relapse, sold 1,533,184 which puts Slim Shady at number one.  If you haven’t had a chance to pick up this album you can pick up Relapse: Refill which is the holiday re-release of the album with seven extra songs.  This paves the way for Relapse 2 which is supposed to be a little more serious than its predecessor.  Like I said last week, I wasn’t looking forward to Relapse 2 until I heard Em on Drake’s “Forever.” It’s nice to see he hadn’t lost his edge.  Plus there are rumors about him signing Slaughterhouse, which is a welcome change considering their sales.  (For the record, I like Slaughterhouse, but apparently I and a few of my friends are the only ones who actually bought the album.)

      Next up is a group that causes a lot of discussion because fans like to debate whether they are truly Hip-Hop.  Even I talked about them for the first few weeks their album was on the charts.  Roughly five months later Will.I.Am, Fergie, and the other two guys continue to sell strong with their latest album never dropping out of the top 50 since its release.  The Black Eyed Pea’s fifth album sold 1,440,895 copies on the strength of strong singles like “Boom Boom Pow”, “I Gotta Feeling”, and “Meet Me Halfway.” I’m willing to say they are a definitive part of Hip- Hop…just not the part I listen to.  No matter what is said about them, the group had a successful year and is the second highest seller for Hip Hop in 2009.

      Next up is Shawn Carter or Shawn Knowles-Carter if you believe the rumors.  Mock the man all you want because of talk of a possible name change but the Marcy MC managed to grab the spot for third highest seller in Hip Hop for 2009.  Jay-Z’s Blueprint 3 sold 1,337,192 copies this year which helped to at least lessen talk that the Mogul MC had lost touch with “the streets” and Hip-Hop public.  This year Carter teamed up with Jada and Will Smith to produce a Broadway play on the life of Fela Kuti, announced the death of Autotune (Thanks Jay.), and had the whole world say “Why the F--- is Lil’ Mama up there?” Things look bright for the New York MC but you never know what the future holds for Hip-Hop in the next decade.  With former friend and label mate Beanie Sigel (backed by the always determined 50 Cent) taking shots, every failed Autotune artist blaming the MC for being removed from the culture, and even Gucci Mane taking jabs the next year could bring some obstacles for Jay. We’ll see.

      Here’s an MC that had a hard year.  He, however, just kept releasing music and eventually it paid off.  This is sure to get people talking in the comments section, but Rick Ross comes in at number four.  The South Florida representative sold 401,000 copies of his third album Deeper Than Rap.  This is on the heels of the buying public finding that Ross worked as a correctional officer, the original Freeway Ricky Ross chastising the rapper for using his name, and a very public feud with 50 Cent.  The latter feud had resulted in a series of songs and videos, most notably the release by 50 Cent of a porn involving the mother of Ross’ child and another video where 50 Cent plays host to more of Ross’ children their mother at Floyd Mayweather’s home.  That all sounds very damaging, and in most cases this would be a career ending move for a Hip Hop artist.  Ross, however, kept releasing music and pushed his album to the fourth highest selling in Hip Hop for 2009.  Seemingly in response to the fact that nothing stuck to him in 2009 the Miami MC is set to release Teflon Don in 2010.

      This next one is actually a surprise to me.  I’m a big fan but didn’t actually think he came in that high.  Nonetheless, Jason Phillips, who may be better known as Jadakiss, comes in at number five for top selling Hip Hop for this year.  The Last Kiss sold 342,000 copies setting up the MC for his 2010 release, Top Five, Dead or Alive, and a new LOX album, New L.O.X Order.  It’s been a good year for Jada and the L.O.X with Jada beginning the year off with a new association with Jay-Z and even recent rumors of the LOX working with…P. Diddy.  (I’m thinking the same thing you’re thinking but I’ll keep it to myself.) 

      Next up is an MC that has taught a new generation how to misspell fabulous.  (Even I have to say it in my head to make sure I spell it right.  Fabolous dropped his fifth album in 2009 and started a whole new trend…Twitter beef.  Whether clowning Joe Budden’s real girl or an imposter T-Pain the Brooklyn MC offered fans plenty of comic relief.  Oh yeah, he also had an album featuring every major R&B artist with even the slightest association to Hip Hop.  Loso’s Way sold 270,000 copies with the help of singles “Throw It In The Bag” and “Money Goes, Honey Stays.” I’m not sure what Fabolous plans on doing in 2010 but hopefully it involves Twitter.

      Now we have a funny one.  It’s funny because this next artist has been nominated for B.E.T. Awards (he actually won one), MTV Video Music Awards, Soul Train Awards, and is even up for two Grammys.  He doesn’t, however, have an actual album.  What he does have is a string of mixtapes and an EP for sale of seven songs that are widely available for free on a self released mixtape.  Well, apparently 257,000 people wanted to pay because Drake managed to push that many copies of his EP So Far Gone.  That puts the EP (and the MC) at the number seven position for highest selling Hip Hop albums of 2009.  It’s a safe bet that the Canadian MC, along with his Young Money label mates, will have a successful 2010.

      That last one is funny because Drake hasn’t even really come out with his debut album.  This next group is funny because they are trying to be. Saturday Night Live comedian Andy Samberg along with Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone form the group Lonely Island.  If you don’t know the names you probably recognize their songs like “d**k In A Box”, “Lazy Sunday”, “Jizz In My Pants”, and the T-Pain assisted “I’m On A Boat.”  I don’t know whether to laugh at the fact that a comedy group made the top ten or cringe at the fact that three guys playing around managed to sell 246,000 copies of an album and beat out a lot of other Hip-Hop artists.  Lonely Island’s Incredibad comes in at number eight for 2009.

      I let the Black Eyed Peas slide because (even though I don’t like their music) I can recognize that they have (had) talent.  Not so for the next guy so I’m just going to make this quick.  Flo Rida. Number nine. 241,000 copies. R.O.O.T.S.  (You know what…B.E.P and Flo Rida are both on the G-Force soundtrack so maybe I’m being too hard on the Florida rapper.  Or am I being too easy on The Black Eyed Peas?)

      Let’s finish off with Mr. Controversy himself, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson.  The Queens MC managed to continue his beef with Rick Ross and take a couple of shots at Jay-Z all while releasing his fifth album Before I Self Destruct.  The album has been looked at as having lackluster sales but has still managed 227,000 since its late-November release helping 50 claim the number 10 spot.  Even with the low sales numbers I doubt this will put a damper on 50’s 2010 with the MC already prepping the release of a new album.

Oh, before I go...Lil Wayne and Young Money pushed about 140k their first week to hit the Top 10 of the charts. Mary J. Blige sold about 340k, landing her at the No. 2 slot for her debut. 

      Those were the top selling albums of 2009 and this is the last ChartWatch of 2009.  We considered highlighting the least selling acts of 2009, but decided against it. See you in the New Year.

ChartWatch for December 23, 2009

Welcome back to ChartWatch where we run down the weekly sales in Hip Hop and let you know about some of the latest albums coming out.  It’s almost Christmas so album sales are going up across the board as people pick up gifts for friends and family.  We’ll see if that boost in sales helps out the world of Hip Hop.  Let’s go ahead and get the number one spot out of the way.  It’s still Susan Boyle.  She sold another 659,000 copies of I Dreamed A Dream.  That monster of an album stops Alicia Keys from debuting at number one, but don’t feel bad for Ms. Keys.  The piano playing extraordinaire enters the charts at the number two spot with her latest album, Element of Freedom. 

This week there is no Hip Hop in the top ten but there are some representatives in the top 50.  The Black Eyed Peas move up a spot from 20 to 19 by selling 82,000 copies of their hit album The E.N.D.

Jay-Z climbs back on the charts grabbing the 43^rd spot by selling 39,000 copies of The Blueprint 3.

Finally, Gucci Man takes a nose dive, dropping from 11 to 46 while selling 36,000 copies of his major label debut The State v. Radric Davis.

Ok, so the boost in sales didn’t necessarily help out the whole Hip Hop community.  At least Jay got back on the charts.

Dropping This Week

Like I said earlier, Christmas is only a few days away.  If you haven’t finished you’re shopping yet you might want to pick up a CD or two.  Hey, maybe your grandma likes Lil’ Wayne.  The self proclaimed greatest rapper alive (although he’s kind of stopped saying that since Jay-Z came out of retirement) is releasing arsenal of rappers on the compilation We Are Young Money.  Who is Young Money?  Young Money is Nicki Minaj, Drake, Jae Millz, Lil Twist, Tyga, Mack Maine, Gudda Gudda, Shanel, T-Streets, Lil Chuckee and, of course, Lil Wayne.  I’m sure the majority of the people out there recognize Drake, Nicki Minaj, and Wayne (I said the majority of the public so keep that Jae Millz, Tyga, Gudda Gudda talk out of here) so now’s the opportunity to meet the rest of the Young Money camp.  The album also features guest appearances from Lloyd, Birdman, Pleasure P and Gucci Mane.  If you’re trying to hear what’s going to be on the radio for the next six months then you may want to pick this one up.

Next up is kind of a surprise for me because I would have thought this album would have dropped awhile ago.  You know…when the single was…what’s the word I’m looking for?...oh yeah….hot.  I don’t know who dropped the ball on this one but Hurricane Chris drops his second album, Unleashed, with the lead single “Halle Berry (She’s Fine).”  Hopefully the Shreveport, Louisiana rapper can capitalize off of another single to help push the album.  Unleashed features guest appearances by Superstarr, Mouse, Mario, Plies, Bobby Valentino, Cherish, Beanie Man, Isis, and Fiend 4 da Money.  The album feature production by Play-N-Skillz, The Inkredibles , Shawty Redd, Phunk Dawg, Q Smith, Superstarr, Mouse, Rodnae, Friend Crack Alley Music, Don Vito, Blade, Raphael RJ2, and Drum Majors.

Last up is Eminem who capitalizes of the gift giving season by re-releasing his chart topping album Relapse. Relapse: Refill is a two disc album with seven more tracks than the original.  If you haven’t picked up the album then now’s not a bad time grab it and get a few extra songs.  It does have “Forever” on there (the song that convinced me and the rest of Hip Hop that Eminem hadn’t lost it) so it’s not a bad deal.  This should hold everyone over until Mr. Mathers releases Relapse 2. (Hey Em, don’t rap in the funny voice.  Leave the funny voice at home. Please!).

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays everyone!  See you in the new year!

      I’ve spent the last few weeks pointing out the sales of reality TV star Susan Boyle which has raise a lot of questions amongst readers.  Mainly, Who the f--- is Susan Boyle?  Well, I’ll tell you.  She’s a British, reality show star.  Now British music artist + Reality TV should equal your album going double wood here in the states but for some reason this lady is selling more albums then they can keep on the shelves.  I know she’s not Hip Hop but Boyle managed to sell another 580,000 copies of her album I Dreamed A Dream pushing her sales well over the million mark.

      I gave that little intro on Boyle because 1) I find it slightly interesting and 2) the closest thing to Hip Hop in the Top 10 is Chris Brown.  He ain’t Hip Hop either but at least he has a rapper or two on the album.  The R&B singer took time off of community service to sell 102,000 copies of his latest album, Graffiti. Flip over to rumors if you want to see about Chris’ Twitter tirade. 

      Now I don’t want to make it seem as though this was a bad week for Hip Hop.  We actually have a few artists from last column’s  “Dropping this Week” make it into this week’s top fifty.  Let’s continue on to find out who made it.

      First up is an MC out of the south.  Although many critics question his musical ability he continues to sell and please his fan base.  I’m hearing the album is on point, so congratulations to Gucci Mane for selling 89,000 copies of his new album, The State vs. Radric Davis.  The Atlanta rapper’s major label album debuts at the number 11 spot and places him as the top selling rapper for this week.

      This next album has been on the charts since June and is still pushing big numbers. I don’t know how and I don’t know why but this group is getting at least 50,000 people to buy their album each week.  The Black Eyed Peas move up two spots, from 22 to 20, and sell another 64,000 copies of their album, The E.N.D.

      Long Beach representative Snoop Dogg enters the chart this week and grabs the twenty second spot.  The Westcoast MC sells 61,000 copies of his tenth studio album, Malice ‘N Wonderland. 

      Hip Hop super-producer Timbaland continues his foray into pop music with his latest album Shock Value II.  His latest album enters the charts at the 36^th position and sells 37,000 copies.

      Finally, the Virginia duo, Clipse, enters the charts this week and claims the forty eighth spot. Their Neptunes produced album Till The Casket Drops sells 29,000 copies. 

Dropping This Week 

      It’s an all Westcoast “Dropping” this week.  We’ll start of first with Sacramento MC Bueno who is dropping his new cd Can’t Knock The Hustle.  The album features The Jacka, Dubb 20, and Mistah F.A.B with production by DJ Epik and Hallway Productionz.

      Finally, coming out of the Bay area is Messy Marv and Berner who team up to release Blow.  The album features guest appearances from C-Bo, B-Legit, Yukmouth, Husalah & Fed-X of the Mob Figaz, Killa Tay, J-Stalin, Ampichino and others.

AllHipHop ChartWatch for December 09, 2009

 This week R. Kelly enters the charts at the fourth spot selling 115,000 copies of his latest album Untitled. Not even the pied piper could dethrone the unlikely pop superstar, Susan Boyle, who continues her dominance on the charts with her debut, I Dreamed a Dream.  The reality show star sold another 509,000 copies proving that someone out there is buying albums.  As a matter of fact with artist like Norah Jones, Michael Buble, Andrea Bocelli, and Susan Boyle running the chart it appears the over 50 crowd is out there buying albums.

In terms of Hip Hop, the Black Eyed Peas move up one spot, from 23 to 22, with their latest album The E.N.D.  The trio sells another 50,000 copies this week.  Jay-Z’s Blueprint 3 slips a little, falling from 32 to 39. The Marcy MC moves another 28,000 copies this week.

Moving from Marcy to Queens, rapper 50 Cent moves 26,000 copies of his latest, Before I Self Destruct, but takes a serious drop, plummeting from the 21^st position to 42.  Now before the commentors jump up saying I’m being unfair to 50 Cent, that’s a 21 slot drop.  It’s not a complete fall out of the top 50 like Baby’s Pricele$$, but it’s a drop nonetheless. 

Meanwhile, Juvenile enters the charts with his latest CD, Cocky and Confident, selling 22,000 copies and claiming the 4^th spot.

 It’s another rough week for Hip Hop, but “Dropping” has some big name artists this week.  

Dropping This Week

We have some good albums coming out this week from some heavy hitters.  A couple of weeks ago Juvenile and Baby were featured in “Dropping” and this week fellow New Orleans native B.G. releases his eleventh solo studio album, Too Hood 2 Be Hollywood.  The album features the late, great Soulja Slim, Lil Boosie, C-Murder, Gar, Mannie Fresh, Lil Wayne, Juvenile, Trey Songz, T.I., and Young Jeezy.  Production for the album is handled by KLC, Mannie Fresh, Savage, Scott Storch, J.U.S.T.I.C.E League, Cool & Dre, Savage, and Bass Heavy to name a few.  The album, executive produced by T.I., has been pushed back numerous times but now fans should be pleased that it’s being released before the year end.  Hopefully B.G.’s recent trouble with the law won’t keep him away from making music for too long.

Next up is Malice and Push T who together form Clipse.  The Virginia duo drops their third album, Til the Casket Drops, the follow up to the dark Hell Hath No Fury.  The new album is executive produced by the Neptunes who handle the bulk of the album.  The rest is produced by Dj Khalil & Chin and Sean C & LV.  Cam’ron, Yo Gotti, Kanye West, Keri Hilson, Pharrell, Ab-Liva, and Nicole Hurst all guest star on this latest venture which is being released on Columbia Records.  The Clipse have released two critically acclaimed albums and a string of popular mixtapes over their career.  It is looking like this album will be no different as it is already gaining high reviews from a number of magazines and websites.  Be on the lookout for Til the Casket Drops.

On November 12, 2009, Gucci Mane was sentenced to 12 months in prison for probation violation and taken away to prison.  In an “art imitates life imitates art imitates life….” Twist the Atlanta rapper releases The State v. Radric Davis.  The album features Mike Epps, Cam’ron, Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, Soulja Boy, Wacka Flocka Flame (really?), Usher, Keyshia Cole, Bobby Valentino, Nikki Minaj, Trina, OJ Da Juiceman, Plies, Bun-B, E-40, Devin the Dude, Jadakiss, and Birdman.  You might not like him or think he can rap, but Gucci Mane is coming out with a star loaded album.  Even with the recent sentence things are looking up Gucci, who just squashed his longstanding beef with Young Jeezy.  I don’t think I have to tell fans of Gucci to go pick this one up.

How long has Snoop Dogg been rapping?  The Long Beach, CA rapper began his career in 1993 with Doggystyle and now nine albums later releases Malice N Wonderland.  The new album features Jazmine Sullivan, Soulja Boy, Lil Jon, Nipsey Hussle, Problem, Kokane, R. Kelly, The-Dream, Brandy and Pharrell.  Once again Snoop continues his 17 year reign on the Westcoast and keeps his fans satisfied with another album.

 Last but not least is Timbaland who returns with his third, “solo”, studio album Shock Value II.  The album features everyone from Miley Cyrus to Drake.  Timbaland has a pretty good track record when it comes to making hit songs, whether they are hip hop or pop.  Fans should be on the lookout for this one.

That’s it for “Dropping” and ChartWatch this week.  Some big names are coming out with albums for the fourth quarter.  We’ll see next week if the make an impact on the charts.

AllHipHop ChartWatch for November 25, 2009

The moment of truth is here for 50 Cent. He got a favorable review in AllHipHop's review section, but all eyes are on the SoundScan right now.

The Top 10 doesn’t have a lot of Hip-Hop on it but we do have a new entry.  Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson enters the charts at in the fouth slot with his latest album Before I Self Destruct.  The queens MC managed to sell 156,000 copies of his fourth disc which, to date, is the lowest sales the rapper has produced.  The reviews for the album have been mixed but I will say that the movie that comes with it is not bad.  In fact it’s pretty good.  50 has already come forward and said that the album leaked from an international plant which is not hard to believe.  The album was everywhere…but is that the reason for the low sales?  What do ya’ll think?  Nevertheless, this is a hater's wet dream! The next question is how does an MC that has always spent a lot of time focusing on numbers (especially the numbers of rappers he doesn’t like) deal with the fact that his latest album hasn’t put up good numbers.  I hope its go back to the studio (hungry) and put out another album.  We’ll see.

Next up are the Black Eyed Peas who sell 32,000 copies of The E.N.D and grab the 27^th  They are followed by Jay-Z and his eleventh studio album The Blueprint 3.  The disc takes the 32^nd spot selling 29,000 copies. spot.

That’s it for the week so onto the new albums.

Dropping This Week

First up this week is Birdman.  Now you know that he’s not the best rapper.  You know it.  I know it.  Hell, he knows it.  He does, however, know how to put together an album with a lot of good rappers.  His new album Pricele$$ features Drake, Lil Wayne, Gudda Gudda, T-Pain, Bun-B, Mack Maine, Gucci Mayne, Flo Rida, Rick Ross, Lil Kim, and Nikki Minaj.  Some of those guests are on the bonus edition of the cd so look out for that one.  Hey, he got Nikki and Kim on a song together…I wonder what that song will be about?  This is pretty much a compilation album so if you like Young Money you’ll probably want to check this one out.

The next "artist" has (somehow) become a controversial figure in Hip Hop.  Every time he says something it’s sure to get a lot of commentary in chat rooms, message boards, barber shops, beauty salons, and dorm rooms across the country.   That’s right.  The one and only dangerous MC.  Bill Cosby.  Ok, he’s not an MC…but he is coming out with an album.  Bill Cosby Presents the Cosnarati: State of Emergency is the comedian/activist’s latest venture to reach the Hip Hop community.  It features three rappers, Jace the Great, Brother Hahz and Supa Nova Slom, with production by Ced-Gee of the Ultramagnetic MC’s and William Patterson.  You might not know Patterson but you know his music.  The producer had done work on everything from the Cosby show to albums by Alicia Keys and LL Cool J.  I respect what Cosby is trying to do but I do know one thing – The music better be good.  Positive…negative…in between…no one listens unless it’s good.  People listen to Talib Kweli and 50 Cent for one reason – they like the music.  If the music is not good the point will never get across.  We’ll see if Bill gets his point out. 

The Boot Camp Clik is releasing is releasing Triple Threat which is essentially a collection of the three discs: Sean Price’s Monkey Barz, 9^th Wonder & Buckshot’s Chemistry, and Smif N Wessun’s Reloaded.  All three of the albums have received some decent reviews and have been out for awhile.  If you haven’t had a chance to listen to any of them then now’s your chance because all three are being sold for the price of one. 

Pittsburgh MC Wiz Khalifa has left Warner Bros. and is now releasing his second album Deal or No Deal.  The album only has a few features so for the most part it’s an “all Khalifa” affair.  Fans of his first album Show and Prove should be looking out for this one.

Who owns Death Row Records now?  Seems like every week they are changing owners.  Either way the label is putting out a four disc box set that features artists from the label’s beginning, like Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre, to its most recent, including Crooked I and Petey Pablo. (Ya’ll forgot Petey Pablo was on Tha Row, huh?).  The set also has a DVD as well as unreleased material from Death Row artists. 

That’s it for this week.  Pick up and album or two----you know what?  Pick up four.  An album or four.  Get someone up on these charts. 

“Rappers cross-over. They dead.” Rakim returns to testify that he is a man alive with work to do on The Seventh Seal, his new album released on his own Ra Records label. Always a man of uncompromising vision, non-believers are presented with Ra's modern Hip-Hop gospel soaked in Godspeak. Sometimes obscure but never unobtainable, this new disc was easy to find at the Church of Best Buy for a ten dollar tithe.

Forty seconds into the first track “How to Emcee” Rakim's delivery and presence emerge as that of brand new emcee freshly delighted with word play and tightly crafted rhyme schemes. What should be surprising coming from a pioneer decades deep in this music is no surprise from Rakim, who is undoubtedly among the finest emcees ever to grace the booth and a master of original re-invention. He is hella people's favorite for a reason.

Production is provided by a current cast including Needlz, Jake One, and Nick Wiz. It is well known that Rakim is selective when it comes to records, a pivotal point that scuttled an Aftermath project with Dr. Dre. Perhaps lesser known is Rakim's fearlessness on the boards, having programed drums and even done scratching on some of his earliest classics. His taste and savvy are apparent here, as the beats are all bangers any emcee would give his left teste to rhyme on.

Rakim attacks each track with a variety of lyrical approaches which build upon his time tested methods, yet continue to be forward thinking. Flashback: Some of Rakim's seminal recordings were done in a studio where MC Shan of the legendary Juice Crew has said he was present and actually clowning on the young upstart's unheard of delivery. As a teenager, Rakim saw the path of the music clearly and brought Hip-Hop into a new future made in his own image. This new album will be debated and much of it is probably impenetrable to many music critics who will encounter it. The legacy remains intact.

The overall effect of this varied effort delivers a mixed result. “Man Above” could sit comfortably within a contemporary Christian Gospel play list. Here it contrasts against a heaping helping of hustle rap, juxtaposed on the record with “Documentary of a Gangsta” where Rakim flexes secular street rap skills with a sinister tone.

For an album with no curse words, it is perhaps blasphemous to shout out loud that the seventh track is effing incredible. Good Lord, it is that. When “Holy are You” first makes the speakers sparkle, Rakim's decade of near silence melts away completely as he shines his brightest. This song smokes anything else out so far this year, it is classic Ra not afraid to step in the booth, be the best ever, and speak to forever for four minutes. That it seems over too soon simply underscores the strong replay value of much of Rakim's formidable catalog. Rewind and repeat as necessary, until your mind is blown. Sequencing this song as track seven is an elegant touch of class from this visionary pioneer who manifests greatness. He knows exactly what he is doing with this record.

Vocally, Rakim stands on his own for the majority of the album. Of the few features the most magic is found on “Message in the Song” where his daughter Destiny Griffin sings while Rakim weaves words over a beat that oozes NYC ambiance. “Y'all know what my purpose is. I spit verses to lift curses off my dead president worshipers. Back where the surface is, gangsters and murderers. Making money made us merciless.”

Hooks have never been a crucial part of the God Emcee's formula which continues to rely on intricate layers of meaning stretched artfully across bars upon bars of masterful wordplay. Golden Age purists looking for Rakim rhyming over straight knocking beats with scratching on the hooks will find little of that here. However, when it does happen on this album it is fantastic. Nestled toward the album's close is the magnificent “Still in Love” which belongs among Rakim's finest love letters to Hip-Hop, the microphone is clearly still calling its favorite fiend.

There are few American artists who defy definition as Rakim does. He is a man of many mysteries, like, “Who is God?” or “How does Gwen Stephani keep showing up on Hip-Hop records?”

The Seventh Seal moves above and beyond where Rakim's last album The Master left off. Though at times it falls short of the high bar set by Paid in Full, its got some scorchers which will be Hip-Hop high points for 2009 and suggests that next year's album, already in the works, will be promising. The God Emcee Rakim Allah remains in fine form with soul food for thought as Earth takes its next trip around the Sun.

“I see though the eyes of the prophets, King Tutankhamens, and Martins and Malcolms, Elijah Mohommads, wise and with knowledge. Paid in Full ain't just the size of the pockets, this rise to the top is Ra's economics. I show you that time is more valuable then them diamonds in your watches. You grind for the block, you die for them dollars. What's worth more to you, your life or your gwop is?”