Rakim To Release New Album

On Our Haute List

Rakim To Release New Album

Posted at 07/15/2009 by Staff 0 Comment

rakim According to Billboard.com rap pioneer Rakim is working on a new album,”The Seventh Seal.” The album’s first single, “Holy Are You,” will be released on July 28. The full album will be released this fall on Rakim’s Ra Records and will be distributed by Fontana/Universal Music Group.

In an exclusive interview, Billboard’s Gail Mitchell talked with the rapper about the upcoming album. Here are some key excerpts:

BB: What’s the story behind the title, “The Seventh Seal”?
RAKIM: The seals are from the Bible- Revelations and the coming of the Apocalypse. But Islam, Judaism, Christianity: all have a version of the same events. The Lion of Judah breaks the seven seals one by one, each imparting knowledge and inflicting catastrophe, ending with seven trumpets announcing the end of Times. After the Apocalypse, God rises from the ashes to recreate the Kingdom, taking only the greatest elements from the past with them.

When you look at Hip-Hop, I want to do that: to spit fire and take our best from the ashes to build our kingdom; to recognize all the regional styles, conscious lyrics, the tracks, underground, mainstream, the way we treat each other. Lose the garbage and rebuild our scene. I’ve always tried to insert consciousness and spirituality in my records, interpreting the writings of all cultures and religions and how they apply to life in modern times.

BB: Who produced the album? Are there any guest features?

RAKIM: I’m going to keep that cat in the bag for one more minute. But you’ll see names you know and names you don’t recognize yet but will after this drops. We’ve got our New York dudes on there, but we reached out to everybody. We have some features too; special cats in the right places but not everywhere.

BB: Are you concerned at all about reaching the new generation of hip-hop fans who aren’t necessarily familiar with your music?

RAKIM: I don’t accept that the new generation is looking for anything different than what we’ve always been looking for. Depending on the moment, they want bangers that make them crack their neck, they want tracks that put them in a zone where they can sit back and chill. The ladies want something that makes them feel sexy and loved. And everyone wants something that makes them think a little bit-at least sometimes. Every generation wants that real hip-hop. And I’ve always been able to bring that.