Rakim - The 18th Letter - Lyrics, Rhymes Highlighted (090)
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- Äas pĆidĂĄn 9. 09. 2019
- From Rakim's first solo album of the same name - The 18th Letter. Rakim released it in 1997.
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Original video:
Since English isn't my native language all feedback and criticism is more than welcome. I appreciate all the support as well. Be happy & stay healthy! đŻ
// ABOUT SPITED:
Purpose of this project is educating the hip-hop fans around the globe about the skill of rhyming ("who really spits"). After the first 50 videos (after Papoose on Let's Get It upload), I decided to only focus on the rhyme scheme, and stop highlighting every single syllable... Fans hardly know how skilled certain artists actually are or used to be. Some artists have the skill of making each syllable and/or word count and I want to shed some light on this skill.
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- Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes suchrein belong to their respective copyright holders, I do not claim ownership over any as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. NON-PROFIT, EDUCATIONAL or personal use tips the balance in favour of fair use.
- The music used in the video was not created/owned by us.
- If you (the owner) want to remove this video, please, contact us directly before doing anything. reaction check the rhyme - Hudba
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I have analysed some decent verses, some very solid verses and a few really elite verses - this one definitely goes into the elite category. The God MC. So well written.
oh and - "metamorphis" rhymes with "kept in orbit"
hope y'all enjoy!
and scene is lame
with til things change
@@thebigmonstaandy6644 I'm really not sure about that one, not saying it's right, not saying it's wrong.. đ€·ââïž
@@Spited a lot of rhymes in rap have double interpretations.but it is better to rhyme 1 line with 2 and 3 with 4 than 2 with 3 and 3 with 4
@@Spited what analyzer do you use? I wanna check the rhyme schmems
Mr FullyAutomatic đ myself. my brain and ears are used analysing all the verses.
Without Rakim you wouldnât have Pac, Big, Nas, Jay Z, Em, legitimately all of Wutang- Rakim is The Godfather of the lyricism in the rap game
He's the father of hip hop in my eyes
@@ch.illmatic Probably not of all hip hop since there were rappers who came before him. But to me he's definitely the reason complex lyrics with internal rhymes became popular.
@@ivoivanov361 yeah, he's like the guy who set the bar for what hip-hop should be like. I'd say he was kinda revolutionary with his complex rhymes but idk
@@ch.illmatic Revolutionary for sure
@WASHWA except Nas and Eminem, and Big L to an extent, and Hov with RD, BP, and TBA
It sounds like heâs not even trying.....
facts, so effortlessđ
Fr fr
And I quote..... to blaze the microphone is a habit at least once during the course of the day it's automatic.... he's not trying, not at all, it's just how he flows
@@foamybelch word is bond!
The only people who will ever think Eminem is the best rapper are white people and people on the em bandwagon who donât know real rap. I love Eminem and even I realize heâs not the best, heâs definitely top 15 but not the best by far.
"Niggas claiming they the best while Rakim still breathing"
đŻđŻ
Eminem is not a "nigga" , so he can claim it .
Fuck outta here eminem dickriders
Rakim a OG , he would never say "I'm the GOAT" but real ones know he da GOAT..
Aryan Dewan he said that "If he was black, he'd be the Muhammad Ali of rap". So if being humble means that you're weaker than someone else then how do you explain Eminem Till I collapse verse 2? Being humble doesn't mean you're weaker, Rakim indeed is one of the greatest to touch a pen and a mic, if not the greatest. His lyricisim is onyl comparable to that of DOOM, Aesop, Nas or the entire Wu Tang. He got flows for days and his delivery is just one of the greatest deliverys out there, he inspired the whole rap artists back then in late 80s and early 90s.
"Some of my rap patterns still surround Saturn"
What a dope intro to an album this was
@@Legiongamesmost roman counterpart of Zeus is Jupiter not Saturn.
What album was this
@@Legiongamesmost well said homie
Saturn is the planet of Satan with his rap patterns surrounding Saturn is a metaphor of the light surrounding darkness.
Saturn emits negative vibrations.
If rakim ainât in your top ten then you ainât listen to rap.
Just for the impact he had he deserves to be there
Chet some people will get salty
@Chet Rakim and Big daddy kane
Facts
top 4
I played this in my English literature class in high school. We were studying Shakespeare's sonnets, and the Iambic pentameter. Told the teacher I'll bring something that can rival the complex structure of the pentameter.
Next day I brought Rakim.
That's dope, how did the teacher react?
@@ivoivanov361 she was surprised. Dont think she expected a rap song without cursing, and that was actually saying something.
@@mibraliy Was she open minded to it tho? Cuz you know how most elders be haha
yeah now i wanna know too
@@ivoivanov361 Frankly she was, as I recall (it was 20yrs ago or so). She bobbed her head a bit, and smiled in surprise, which I won't forget. She wasn't converted to rap of course, but I felt I got her to at least hear what it was capable of in terms of poetry, rhyme and rhythm, cadence, and complexity. I felt like I did something for hip hop, however small.
"I was always the flow-er, i made waves for noah" - i felt that
word ...lol ...
Oh man this is my first time to listening Rakim. He blew my mind. Im definitely gonna check his works.
glad that I could put you on some good musicđ„
@@Spited yea thanks for not being full of the mumbo jumbo
My first time was When I B On Tha Mic
That's same for me
Yeah can't go wrong with that iconđ„đ„đ„
"i wuz always the flow-er, I made waves for Noah" when goats talksđ„đ
bars!
from compound to the anatomy to the breakdown of a atom(adam)đ„đ„
This bar man!
This is my first time listening to Rakim and I got to say heâs impressive! I canât believe some of his wordplay and rhyme schemes
He is the one shaped rap for eminem.
Without Rakim, we wouldn't have Eminem.
Thahir Ahmed we donât need em
@@egsii6734 What do you mean
Thahir Ahmed we do not need Eminem
@@egsii6734 Maybe your sorry ass
fuck out here with that eminem crap.
No cursing , no yelling, no dumbing down , no forced errorsâŠ. A lyrical genius.
Underrated. No forcing words to fit by stretching syllables or mispronounced words or random filler lines. This is pure art and a timeless masterpiece.
Also no glorifying murder, drugs and sex, which has allowed most rap music to add to the destruction of the black community. Rakim and Mos Def are what black artists who actually care about their community should strive for.
So chill and calm words flow like a river ,no cursing ,no N words ..I mean.. it's the classiest rap anyone could ever listen to ...this is the heart and the essence of hip hop đđđđđđđđđđđđđđđđđ
True. I miss it
Raking may have started a rap master flow trend, but Percee P is the most unrated non mainstream rapper to date. Check him out.
Raking=Rakim
And check out other greatest, such as K-Rino and Immortal Technique
No "N" words. Lol Don't police how Black people produce their art
Funny how rappers nowadays will spit something that's a tenth as impressive as this and they act like they're releasing the holy grail of lyricism, meanwhile Rakim spits this in a way that sounds like "yeah I wrote this in about an hour, it's alright I guess". So effortless, that's how you know he's the best.
Lupe Fiasco acts like a god-tier lyricist
@@realg1804 Lupe is better than Rakim but
@@bmn1326 tf? you serious?
@@criticalsix1601 lupe is nothing to mess with rakim is the OG at complex rhymes and is one of the greatest ever but in terms of pure lyricism and complexity in rhymes lupe has more advanced skill
Tenth??... politely correcting a huge mistake....it should be 10000000th
âAs heavy as hip hop is, Iâm always ready to drop it.â đ„ đ„ đ„
âShine permanently only my minds concerning me, fire burns in me eternally times eternityâ always loved that line/flow
This is a master at work. This verse is legendary indeed đŻđ„đ„đ„
that's right!đŻđ„
Rakim is soooooo far beyond everyone else! It isn't just how complex and how lyrical he is; he goes past regular imagery and is deeply thought provoking. Other MCs can paint a picture, Rakim paints a picture and builds so much detail into it that you know what happened before AND after the picture is taken. He's not just the best - he's the best EVER... maybe the best ever lyricist of ANY genre of music. On the same mantle as Bob Dylan or Van Morrison.
No n-word,no cussing.. pure poetry đđ
One of the best verses of all time. I'm glad you covered this one.
I love this verse
@@facestabber oh I understand it. I just don't like that style. Wanna be 'smart' bars that are meaningless and have no weight. It's just filled with laughable references and same old ones about 'how good I can rap'.
@@antontipura2686 Maybe you just don't like rap? Braggadocious rapping is a large part of the game. Musical style, cadence, meter, and timing are all taken more seriously than just purely content, but you need to have an ear for music. Rapping's not about writing an essay; it's about panache.
@@moabu2660 I don't like rap that much. Mostly listen to it for the beats and as background noise. Some older folk artists had much better lyricsm, they were powerful, interesting and sometimes funny. The best rap lyrics are objectively mediocre at best if we compare it to some other rock or folk lyrics
@@antontipura2686 Bruh, Rock is lyrically overrated. By far. You're literally just trying to discredit off of your taste for it, because you don't like it. First guy I've ever even seen mention rock or anything before Rap AND not like Rakim. Never seem it before today. So congratulations, you were the first for something.
I don't care who the GOAT is... Rakim is the GOD MC. End of conversation.
I'll tell u who's the goat...
Eminem is..and rakim yeah
@@lpjamir1323 eminem is trash
@@fajko397 *"I'm sorry, wait, what's your talent? Oh, critiquin'
My talent? Oh, bitch, I don't know who the fuck y'all are
To give a sub-par bar"*
-EMINEM
BUT Eminem was by influenced by rakim he introduced flow he fathered every rapper
@@lelouchvibritannia1169 EMINEM is wack now.is pussy cause he waited 6 years to come with a diss .and mgk won that battle,rap devil was sick
1:24 is probably one of the slickest things Iâve ever heard.
Kevin C reminds me of that one part in The Cross by Nas. He is Godâs Son after all
Can you explain that bar to me? English isn't my first language haha
@@ivoivanov361 it means his voice and message and bars expand through everywhere to everyone
Ivo Ivanov
all the words he said are locations where people can be found, whether itâs generic, regular cities and neighbourhoods, hidden out of sight like alleys and side streets, remote places like islands, or places in the open like meadows. After listing what basically amounts to every place on earth a human could be found, he says that his theories are powerful enough to reach them all.
Iâve listened to this song literally hundreds of times since it came out. I have always said that, lyrically, this is the greatest song ever. Itâs definitely the greatest single verse ever. At Rakimâs book signing, I told him that whoever number 2 is, they arenât even close.
Oi oi oi, MF DOOM is the best lyricist hands down, ra is the 2 but DOOM is the best lyricist
I still prefer Rakim over DOOM a bit. Could be a bit of nostalgia, though.
And by god don't get me wrong, the illest villain is definitely one of the greatest too.
@@vvccrr good for you, rakim is a fucking legend
Black Thought >
This track is ridiculous. I co-sign everything you said. Itâs just WILD!!! đ„ đ„
I played this in English class.
Naina Vichare what was the response
Tell the response my sister,
I'm more interested in responseđđđ
Yeah, what was the response
Been a fan since day 1, Rakim IS the standard for me. He was the first to slow it down and open up that vocabulary and push MCs further. I was fortunate that I finally got to meet him after 30+ yrs at a book signing in LA!đRead and/or listen to his book Sweat the Technique. Alot of you are very young so you may not understand why he's so respected by us "hip hop heads". Besides the fact that he doesn't need a beat to evoke emotion and thought from the listener simply because his voice and words are just that powerful. Another reason is because of the passion and respect he GIVES to the craft that is his writing process and the messages and or stories he tells. The difference between Hip hop and Rap. One is something you do the other is something you LIVE. đđŒ
ââââ
That's True đŻ Sista!!
Rhyme scheme is complexđ„đ„đ„
Wtf ..been hearing his name for several years but never got to listen to his music..just seeing this in my recommendations ..and to my surprise its too good for a 90s song..the detail of rhymes and wordplay is insane
I know right đ„ I'm glad you liked the video and that the video full-filled its purpose!
this guy just said "to my surprise its too good for a 90's song" !!! smh
This is the man who was the first to rhyme like that. He is the reason that anyone who considers themselves to have any real skill must have those qualities in their rhymes.
As I have told people before, he is the dividing line between what rap was and what it is now.
blank plank21 i know 90s songs are good...I might not have worded what i wanted to get across well..Compared to hip hop in the 90s people tend to compose more complex punchlines and metaphors now more than back in the days..If you have studied rap its more diff now as some calibre of bars back then are outmoded as in alot of rappers have formed alot along those lines and have heard alot around those schemes so its not that impressive no more ..like iâm strapped like a belt or flow so cold i got these nigga shaking(these are just examples so you get what iâm saying).Now its more advanced punches and metaphors being used. So i was just shocked to see him using such complex rhymes schemes during that time..but maybe he used to use them always like @Dredd Tha seeker said cause i have listened to alot of other 90s artist albums and their rhyme schemes were no where near this.. I just said iâm just discovering he was this good.
@@n_2795 ha ha first, he started that in 1985, not the 90's. He was far ahead of his time. As you listen to more of the 90's rap, you will see it took them a long time to actually catch up to his level of word mastery.
As I said, Ra is the dividing line between what rap was and what it is now.
To know that he didnât curse in his music so his mom and pop could listen to it is astonishing by its own. rappers donât respect their parents like that đ
@MAAHAQQ ay u trippin man
@MAAHAQQ and what's that has to do with his mum?? And also if tupac is fske who's the real
@MAAHAQQ gimme evidence for that
@MAAHAQQ you're the fake one lol, cant even back up your statements, making random claims and trying to sound objectively right, what a dumbass lol.
@MAAHAQQ do you actually believe that? Or are you fronting online?
This is probably the best verse I've ever heard, it was so perfect in every way, I literally got lost in this shit. Absolutely amazing. J. Cole is my favorite rapper but this man is making me start to reconsider. Bravo man, we need more like this. Bravo.
Literally your favorite rappers favorite rapper.
Ra wrote this decades ago and there has not been anything close to this lyrical masterpiece to date. The wordplay, pattern, delivery, and the construction of the rhyme is still light-years ahead of any rapper out now.
The fact that he rap fro. The prospective of being God of the Bible and God of hip hop is the illest shit I have ever heard. This song is the definition of hip hop
This ish is đ„đ„His tone, the way he connects words. He's one of the best to do it and hardly ever cursed I think I can remember maybe 1 or 2 times he did in all of his songs đŻ
This might actually be the greatest rap lyric ever written. Fucking amazing.
"some of my rap patterns, still surround Saturn" so ill.
"I was always the flow-er I made waves for Noah" đđœđđœđđœ
Love that lineđ„đ„
One of the best in that verse.
The legendary rakim set the foundation for lyricism
"When it was one mass of land, with one nash' of man, and the whole mass was ran, under one master plan" holy fuck
How does he do it? Holy fuck, such a chill flow with insane rhyme patterns! Great job color coding all those rhymes! There's a lot.
I appreciate it man! One of the legends!!
Itâs in the Top 10 versus of all time đđ
I just love Rakim. I got a chance to meet him in 2017. His flow, internal rhymes, and ability to rhyme without cursing is so satisfying. He's a Godfather and innovator.
Every rhyme scheme ends where a snare ends. Incredible music understanding RAKIM has!
The Godfather of Lyricism đđ»
No one can compete against this masterpiece rhyme and absolutely mind blowing rhyming skills respect man
NAS
MF DOOM
K Rino..?
@@lincolndikotla1956 Nas got smoked by 5 of 6 top rappers
Ra
KRS
Pun
AZ
G rap.
Nuff said. Son'd, at the very least.
@@-slice-6103 K Rino is whack dude! He is stupif thinks minecraft runs the world and his rhyming is average not special at all
"So being benificient I bless'em with dialogue - they expectin' the next Testament by The God" Dayum that hits hard!!!đŁ
"Every country city and borough, sidestreet and ghetto
isle and alley and meadow, theories thorough enough to echo"
How can anyone come up with something like that and make it seem like nothing special at all....
This was the first hiphop song I ever heard when I was seven years old! Now Iâm a rapper with Rakim as one of my biggest influences. Thanks for making this video.
That's great man! I'm glad that you like it!
The God Mcđ
1:57 your rhyme has stood the test of time!! đ„
Every country, city and borough, sidestreet and ghetto/
Isle and alley and meadow, theories thorough enough to echo/
One of the smoothest set of rhymes I've heard from a rapper to date.
Anyone after talha anjumâs reference âïž
when you realise in this whole verse he was describing ALLAH...
He Muslim?
@@darkmagician7757 yap
Alhumdililah!!
Wow
@@darkmagician7757 Rakim comes from arabic name Rahim
When rappers struggle to take a shit, they put Rakim. They began to shit out of fear.
Rakim read the Holy Qur'an alot .
unfortunately. islam has fathered the enslavement of sub saharan africans since its beginnings in saudi arabia, the couuntry that had the most slaves. they are not there today because they killed them unlike in USA
@@overkill1025 unfortunately that's the most ignorant statement of the day - Islam empowered people from slavery, go check your facts. Read the Prophet's Last Sermon where he says no white is superior to a black and vice versa
@@overkill1025 also slavery was not a racial thing plenty of arabs were slaves at the time too
@@bahjamohamed7775 Yeah because they're were colored still racial
@@overkill1025 where'd you get that bs? Slavery happened before Islam was formally founded and when it came, most followers were slaves and freed slaves by the first muslims. Read Malcolm Xs autobiography if you want to hear it coming from a black man who dedicated his life to fighting slavery of his people. Hajj is the only time he experienced no racism.
The flow at "Every country city and borough, sidestreet and getto Isle and alley and meadow, theories thorough enough to echo" gives me chills
"I was always a flow-er I made waves for Noah" Flower cuz when his son picked the flower but flow-er like his rap flow is like a wave and you know god flooded the earth and Noah had the boat đ„ nice
Seriouslyđ„I love that bar
no seriously GOAT
Man really rapped as if he was God and had the rhymes to back it up
Damn! Just how does he write, Rakim is a freaking genius!!! One of the greatest lyricist.
"Some of My Rap Pattern still Surround Saturn" đ„đ
đ„đ„
Rakim is the GOAT hands down ! Skills over sales Legend
Thank you for being consistent with the uploads as well as putting me on to a lot of great songs. Some other channels that do verse breakdowns die off shortly after they start. You have the best taste by far in my opinion for quality rhymes and we all appreciate your efforts.
Thatâs amazing man! I appreciate these words and your support!!đŻ Some of my first videos arenât so good, it took me a while to learn it and I say it all the time but it needs to be said that it took me a while to figure it out kinda. I always know Iâll outwork anyone if I want to and thatâs what is happening nowđ
Your work rate is mad bro always good track selection too keep it up man đ
Appreciate the support yo! Will try to keep this going for sure!!
@@Spited yes, first video I saw of you. Immediately subscribed. đđŸ
@@clifchoc1486 Thank you! Just remember that not all verses are correctly analysed, you will see, it shows my learning curve and I plan to redo a lot of my earlier videos in the future
Whoooooo. This was my joint in high school
It went over my head.
Me too man, me too
what is this bruh the flow daymmmmmm
im not doing a hyperbole but i think this should be considered actual poetry, surely it must?
"Rhythms we expressin' similar to our ancestors
It'll answer your questions if you understand the message" God damn!
It always makes me cry for whatever reason. Just the essense of wisdom, history and grace packed in one verse. And the feeling of something that is bigger than you, by any means. One of the best moments in hip hop. One of the greatest rappers to bless the mic. RAKIM
Its like he was made for this beat
The 18th letter, the prophecy professor, I stay clever, long as the planet stay together...
The way u offering all of us .
U r appreciated
Im an eminem fan. But this is the first time i hear rakim and i honestly think this verse has better rhymes than eminem's whole career
đđ
âfrom ancient hieroglyphics, to graffiti painted picturesâ
Havenât heard that in a while! So good!
The Greatest,because he laid the mantle for how to write a true HipHop album.even d template.ThankYou,WilliamGriffin
Great upload bro, old school style is awesomeđ„
I appreciate man! alwaysđ„
Omg this dude is fn amazing
A bit late here but the song is fire.
This is channel also amazing. Spited keeps on introducing to stuff that i've never listened to. And you introduced me to a gem here. Keep up the good work!!
I really appreciate it! Iâm super happy that you find new music through my channel. đ„ thanks a lot for the support
I always tell the story how this song and album introduced me to Rakim one night when I sat down around 10pm in the evening, put the CD in the player, pressed play to listen to the album but ended up only listening to this track on loop until the next thing I knew it was dawn when I opened my window curtain and saw the Sun's first rays of light the next morning. I knew then that Rakim was God incarnate!
Here after Talha Anjum 9mm
Rakim in my recommendations. Something is right at last.
There are rappers, there are great rappers, and then there's rakim.
One of the best songs of all time. Lyrical wizard.
""I was always the flow-er, I made waves for Noah
From a compound, to the anatomy, to the breakdown of a atom
Some of my rap patterns, still surround Saturn
From the ancient Hieroglyphics, to graffiti painted pictures""
that's facts man!đ„đ„
Madness!!! đ„đ„đ„đ„
One of the GOAT's
Absolutely! The God MCđŻ one of the biggest figures in rap history!
Spited Completely agree bro,very few are even comparable to Rakim
Did you have a chance to check out any Melanin 9 (M9) yet? He's got some deeeep bars
Yeah yeah, I listened to the Old Pictures album the other day and really enjoyed it actually đ„đ„ I have Marble and Colors on my list
Spited Glad you enjoyed it man,his album Magna Carta is seriously good too,and the group he is part of called 'triple darkness' are insane
This verse alone makes him top 10 of all time, let's not even talk about what his entire discography does...
This one Of the hardest verses of all time đđŒ & keep up the good work đđŒ
Facts!! will do, thanks
One of your best, simply amazing
I appreciate it!
"And mines'll stand the test of time, when I rhyme" - Truer words have never been said !!
Who's here after watching the reaction vedio of professional magnet on" 9mm-talha Anjum"đ„
TQ so much, this will make my thesis a bit easier than it was before.
i cannot believe this.This shit can't be real maaaaan....
This gotta be one of the greatest verses of all time, Rakim is the true definition of an MC, he a god of this craft, the one who brought it to life, thanks for the video, you help aknowledge the genius of The God MC đđ
It's dope seeing these kids in the comments section listening to Rakim for the 1st time. I may be a kid to those who are into their 40s - 50s who realistically grew up in the golden era.
But i remember the 1st time really getting into Ra like in the early 2000s when i was just a teenager, that fuckin guy blew my mind.
Internal rhyming at its finest, the god mc for a reason
Your channel has the G. O. A. T. content on the internet.đ„
Delighted to find it đ”ïž
Glad to have you here. Stay tuned for more đ„
I usually listen songs two or three time to fully enjoy it but I heard it for the first time today and already love it
I came here because Busta said Rakim is top 5.
Hello I am a big fan of your work and I want to thank u spited for making educational videos!
That means a lot!! I really appreciate the supportđ„ and I'm glad you enjoy the content I put out
fr bro thank you. keep doing u
my guy said 'fire burns in me eternally times eternity' THAT LINE BROOO MY GAWDDDD
melted my brain