My Favorite Verses: Rakim "Follow The Leader"

Everybody wants to debate about who the G.O.A.T. is in Hip-Hop. Some rappers proclaimed that they are the greatest alive while others have a great disdain for those who do, citing that there are others who are more worthy of such a prestigious title. I love Jay-Z, Slick Rick, Eminem, Nas, Mos Def, Andre 3000, and all the rest of the lyrical giants BUT ask all of them about Rakim and I KNOW that they will all say the same thing: Rakim is a LEGEND. I grew up on Eric B. & Rakim's music and it wasn't until I got older that I understood how DOPE this man was at such a young age. When Follow The Leader was released in 1988, Rakim was around the age of 20 and for him to be as wise as he was in that period of time, is mind boggling. For those who are unfamiliar with Rakim's background, at the age of 16 he joined the Nation of Gods and Earths, also known as the Five Percent Nation and you can hear a few of the teachings sprinkled throughout all of his albums. One such verse is actually one of the craziest EVER and I'd put it up against any rapper today.


I chose the title track from Follow The Leader and it's first verse to support my claims.

Verse One:

Follow me into a solo
Get in the flow - and you can picture like a photo
Music mixed mellow maintains to make
Melodies for MC's motivates the breaks
I'm everlastin, I can go on for days and days
With rhyme displays that engrave deep as X-rays
I can take a phrase that's rarely heard, FLIP IT
Now it's a daily word
I can get iller than 'Nam, a killin bomb
But no alarm - Rakim will remain calm
Self-esteem make me super superb and supreme
But for a microphone still I fiend
This was a tape I wasn't supposed to break
I was supposed to wait, but let's motivate
I want to see who can keep followin and swallowin
Takin the making, bitin it and borrowin
Brothers tried and others died to get the formula
But I'ma let ya sweat - you still ain't warm
You a step away from frozen, stiff as if ya posin
Dig into my brain as the rhyme gets chosen
So follow me and were ya thinkin' you were first?
Let's travel at magnificent speeds around the Universe
What could ya say as the Earth gets further and further away
Planets are small as balls of clay
Astray into the Milky Way - world's outasight
Far as the eye can see - not even a satellite
Now stop and turn around and look
As ya stare in the darkness, ya knowledge is took!
So keep starin soon ya suddenly see a star
You better follow it cause it's the R
This is a lesson if ya guessin and if ya borrowin
Hurry hurry step right up and keep followin
The Leader

Props to OHHLA for the lyrics