The uncommon rapper who idolised Rakim for years

Rakim is a famend title in hip-hop, and though he had a comparatively short-term industrial success, he impacted the tradition profoundly along with his lyricism and, alongside Eric B, his debut studio album, Paid In Full, is taken into account a basic to this present day. Nonetheless, one rapper idolised the artists a lot rising up that he even waited for hours outdoors the emcee’s dressing room at a live performance he had within the Bay space in 1989. 

Following the success of Paid In Full in 1987 and Observe The Chief in 1988, Rakim was invited to affix LL Cool J on the US leg of his 1989 ‘Nitro World Tour’ the place he carried out on the Alameda County Coliseum Area in Oakland. Public Enemy, Eazy E and Too $hort had been additionally on the invoice.

It was at this live performance that the New York musician (actual title William Griffin) would meet a future star and head of a motion. Throughout this era, 2Pac was residing in Oakland. Nonetheless, it wasn’t Pac who was ready outdoors the dressing room; as a substitute, it was his mentor, Shock G.

Shock G is understood to many because the founding father of Digital Underground and the person who found Tupac Shakur. The ‘Dear Mama’ musician was a roadie and hypeman for the collective earlier than he shot to fame. Nonetheless, Shock G was integral to his rise and, though Digital Underground could have been gimmicky for a lot of hardcore hip-hop followers, he was a passionate fan of Rakim.

Following the emcee’s passing in 2021, many figures, together with Ice Dice, Chuck D, El-P and others, took to social media to sing his praises, however the iconic mixtape DJ J. Interval took to X/Twitter to let followers learn about Shock G’s love for Rakim.

In a tribute, DJ wrote, “Rakim told me the story: In 1989, a kid had waited outside his dressing room in Oakland for an hour after a show, hoping to give him this giant cartoon. The ‘kid’ was Shock G but Digital Underground hadn’t come out yet. Three months later, ‘Doowutchyalike’ blew up.”

He continued, “Rakim kept that drawing on his studio wall as inspiration…for [at least] twenty years. Let that sink in. The greatest MC that ever lived kept Shock G on his wall for inspiration…to this day.”

You’ll be able to see the enormous cartoon of Rakim drawn by Shock G as a teen under.