William Michael Griffin, aka Rakim Allah, The God MC, returns after 15 years with his highly anticipated album God's Network: Reb7rth. This album is the continuation of it The Seventh Seal. God's Network features guest appearances from Kurupt, Hus Kingpin, Planet Asia, 38 Spesh, Kool G Rap, Joell Ortiz, Canibus, the late Fred The Godson and Nipsey Hussle.
Rakim rose to prominence in the mid-to-late 80s with his previous partner as the duo Eric B. and Rakim, releasing Paid in full in 1987 as their commercial debut. God's Network delivers Rakim's smooth, hardcore flow from the golden era. Most rappers develop a different sound as the years go by, but Rakim maintains his signature, powerful flow that remains relevant.
The intro, “Be Ill,” begins with a lyrically complex delivery, leading into “Now Is the Time” and “Love Is the Message,” which feature the hard-core sound that's no stranger to Rakim. “God's Playground” and “Pendulum Swing” bring back old production circuits, delivered directly from Rakim himself. “Pendulum Swing” evokes the feeling of participating in a cipher while Rakim directs the microphone. In all star Cypher with all spitters.
Over the years, Rakim has faced challenges in producing new material. He was previously signed to Dre's Aftermath Entertainment. While under Dre's leadership, an Aftermath project was due to be released by the label, but was never completed due to creative differences – Dre wanted to veer towards gangsta rap, while Rakim preferred to stay on a conscious path. After many years, Rakim finally managed to complete this project with his help Mathew “M80” Markoffwho in a previous interview stated that he brought to life what Dre was unable to accomplish.
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Review Score: 9/10
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