Remember That?

1)Intro(Rakim talking to somebody)
2)18th letter (Always and Forever) (10/10) Come on the title even rhymes. And Rakim raps for about 2 mins without stopping.
3)skit (talking to the same person again)
4)It's Been A long Time (9/10) Good rhyming and well put together. He's rapping about him being out the game for a while.
5)Remember That (10/10) A walk back in time looking how he start and him now.
6)Saga Begins (10/10) I love the beat on here and Rakim gives cold lyrics.
7)skit (Rakim talking again to the same man. Like some kind of interview)
8)Guess Who's Back (10/10) Kind of a club song. Doesn't match with the title. He should of called it "Control Crowd" or something.
9)Stay A While (10/10) A Super Mario Bros type beat but this song is for the ladies.
10)New York (Ya' Out There) (9/10) Discribing NY in his way.
11)Show Me Love (9/10) Another song for the ladies.
12)skit (you guess it Rakim talking with the same man)
13)Mystery (who is God?) (9/10) I know who God is, and it aint who he said. But it is still a good song.
14)When I'm Flowin'(9/10) A good beat Rakim kills it once again.
15)It's Been A Long Time [Suave House Mix] (9/10) Beats a little better but still the same.
16)Guess Who's Back [Alternative Mix] (10/10) Beat is better but just like the other.
17)Outro (talking to same man but I do like what he says)

Although Rakim had a million skits on here and two of the songs were the same as two others. I still have to give him a 5 because of the well put together chrouses and most important his rhyming. Rakim has to be the best at rhyming in history. I'll be waiting for a new album one to come out Rakim.

My friend who hates rap gave this Cd to me. He was going to torch it but he remembered that I like rap, so he saved them for me. This was the first of four Cds I listened to because I was familiar with Rakim. I thought it was a good CD. I mean theres a few I don't really care for such as It's Been A Long Time. That songs OK, but its not the best. I also don't prefer the skits and this album is full of them. I just ignore those and listen to the songs. But Rakim is a great MC. So if your looking for a good rap CD, go ahead and pick it up. Youll like it. Again, not a perfect CD but it should hold ya for a while.

Aiyo, Rakim is the greatest rapper of all time, and best believe his rhymes penetrate the mind, his accurate word manipulation is superb/plus he has the capability to kill the mic with a verb/ his word is bond, so when he drops its always the bomb/ my first dope rhyme was inspired by the "R"/ he took me to a far elevated height/ he's raw, rough,cool, his knowledge is the light/ all y'all critics aint actually felt this man/ cos if ya really feelin him then you know he's the man/ ra should keep droppin those deep phrases/it makes us to get down and think before we make hits/

Thats my word for Rakim Allah.
The Universal Lyrical God.
Peace.

Attention all real hiphop fans, this is what a REAL MC should sond like....RAKIM, full stop. His wordplay and complex rhymes have always been a highlight in rap as long as he's been in it. Back when he split from ERIC B in the early 90's many didn't expect "the master" back. However many, myself included, prayed he would return to run s**t as usual. However after waiting 5yrs for the 1st solo album, i felt a little let down. Now like another reviewer said, it could be my own fault, as i hold RAKIM up as the best to ever touch a mic+have such high standards for his work that when it dips below, which this clearly does, then alarm bells start ringing. For a start there's only 10 tracks on here, 10 tracks for a 5year hiatus??? HELL NO. Out of the 10 joints there's 6 perfect examples of RAKIM at his most potent+best, 2 ok tracks and 2 weak efforts, "stay a while" (no, no, no) and "show me love". What compounded the misery was that i recently got a hold of 4 tracks that as a result of being leaked while the album was recorded he refused to put them on this and ALL 4 are unbelieveable!!! They are "living for the city", "last resort", "i get visual" and "new york to cali". If they were on here you would've had the perfect return and one that he would've deserved!! Top quality lyrics but some of the beats aren't up his standard by a long shot.

Gangsta Rap has taken over the music scene since the early 90's, and Hip Hop faded since then. Rakim revolutionized the art of MCing, with puting raw and complex lyrics with more then one rhyming sylables. "Paid In Full" might be known as one of those records that set the bar way higher for emerging MC's. On this record, Rakim delivers what he is known for - skills. The production ranges from amazing to OK to boring. But Rakim's lyrics keeps the listener's attention. A problem with this album is that there are five skits, and all of them seem to be useless. I would recomened this album to the lovers of Hip Hop and for the people who can appreciate skills.

1. Intro - The intro is pretty cool, its 11 seconds and has a person asking Rakim: "What are you giving them?" and Rakim replies, "Skillz". 5/5

2. The 18th Letter - Rakim's lyrics are simply stunning, as he never looses his creativity and rhymes with multiple sylables. The production is tight, and this is definatly one of those joints that you can't resist listening to, once the Cd is in. 5/5

3. Skit - Another few seconds of an interview. I think that this was sort of useless. 1/5

4. Its Been A Long Time - Hot, hot, hot. Rakim murders the mic. The beat is mad tight. 4.5/5

5. Remember That - The beat is sort of messed up, there is no orginized melodic line, so production is OK. The lyrics is as usual, nice! 3/5

6. The Saga Begins - Hot scratches and moody-dark type of beat. The lyrics are amazing. Definatly a stand out track. 5/5

7. Skit - Another useless interview piece, but has a message. 2/5

8. Guess Who's Back - The absoulute best track on this album. The production is amazing, the lyrics is amazing, flow is like the Nile. 5/5

9. Stay A While - Has a fat bassline. A club song with no commercial appeal. Its refreshing for this type of album. The lyrics go down a knotch, I guess Rakim was getting a little lazy with this one. The Hook is hot though. 4/5

10. New York - The beat is horrible. The scratching is worthless, but Rakim helps to redeem the track. 3/5

11. Show Me Love - Echoing vocals of a female singer and a laid back type of beat. Rakim's lyrics are very intellegent and creative. 4.5/5

12. Skit - ANOTHER piece of interview, has a message, but quite usless. 2/5

13. The Mystery (Who Is God) - The best beat on this album. Very thoughtful and intelegent lyrics. This joint is like a fresh breath for Hip Hop. Creativity and originality on this one. 5/5

14. When I'm Flowin - The beat is on point, and Rakim MURDERS it NEW YORK style...crazy ish. 4/5

15. Its Been A Long Time (Remix) - The original is better, this has a west coast type of feel to it with a new york twist. 3/5

16. Guess Who's Back (Remix) - Not too different from the original. See original

17. Outro - A peice of an interview, but very powerful! 5/5

Overall: 4/5.