Rakim Salutes Kendrick Lamar-Drake Rap Battle, Pop-Out Concert

TMZ

Rakim flat-out tells us he wished he was in Inglewood for the Pop Out and called Kendrick's command over the 2024 Rap Wars great for the hip hop culture overall.

Transcript

00:00I

00:02Looking back at your career, you know a lot of you don't really have you may you might have some battle raps

00:07But a lot of people wouldn't didn't challenge the are you know, they never came at you crazy, you know, is that because you think you?

00:15Intimidated emcees with your raps

00:20Cuz they detested at the Jay-z LL Cooger everybody got tested but you look at rock him it hasn't really been a lot of friction

00:28I think it's a couple things man. I think the way the way I move, you know what I mean people

00:36Respect the way I move man a humble cat

00:39Walking my chest out. I might rhyme with my chest out a little bit

00:43but but I think I think they understand that's just me showing my skills and

00:49Confident cocky little egotistical, you know, I mean with it little narcissistic with it

00:55But that's what it takes to make you know a great MC

00:59I do you turn on hip-hop, you know, like especially like some of the underground guys like yeah, that sounds like me

01:03Do you hear yourself even throughout the 50 years of hip-hop?

01:09Um

01:11Trying to be humble

01:14Coming from a humble cat like myself man, you know what I mean? But but but yes, man

01:19I hear I hear my influences. I hear my you know phrases

01:23I hear my

01:27You know the

01:29The technique that I started, you know what I mean and where they took it, you know, I mean

01:34but it's a blessing man to be able to

01:37Have that impact man, you know hip-hop is a real

01:42it's a real feisty genre man, and

01:46You know, it's hard to get love from your peers, man

01:49But um, you know, I I hate uh, I hate uh, you know resemblance, but I also feel the love, you know what I mean?

01:58No, what's your what's your what's rockin his favorite verse? What's the one that you know still makes you go? I did that

02:05man, good question my brother, uh, I

02:10Think for me it gotta be

02:13The 18th letter and I don't know how many of my listeners heard that or but yeah

02:19That's that's one of the joints that that I love listen to. I love the state of mind. I was in at the time and

02:27If you was asked me what song will I play?

02:30To somebody to help them understand who I am. That might be the first joint. I play the 18th letter always

02:38Okay, what was your reaction to seeing like the Kendrick Lamar pop-out concert and all the all the surprises and

02:46You know just hip-hop

02:47euphoria

02:49Don't don't you know what? I mean? Like it shows it shows

02:55Shows power it shows

03:00You know what a rap artist can do man when when he gets love and he puts his mind to it

03:06I'm

03:09You know looking at all the footage

03:11You know, I mean, you know, I wish I was there man

03:14You know what? I mean?

03:15It was like, you know a moment in hip-hop the the battle with him and Drake was was I think important

03:23You know what? I mean? Like you got two icons in the game at the top, you know

03:28Oh, they are their career and they went at it. You know what? I mean? It was good for hip-hop man

03:35We've seen a lot go on

03:37and the funny thing about it is

03:40When the AI technology first came out, I was like, oh man, come on this this is you know

03:46What I mean is it's gonna be too much, but I can't front the way the way Drake did it. It was entertaining

03:53So, you know, I mean I was like, okay. I can't be mad at that that that was entertaining man, but

04:00it's dope man that them brothers went at it and and just

04:05You know got it off their chest. A lot of things was put in

04:09perspective as far as

04:10What you listening to so I salute them brothers and um, yeah, man the Kendrick did the Kendrick

04:19Performance concert was crazy. I seen something they was doing at Harlem

04:23I've seen a body in Harlem, you know out in the hood, you know, I mean we gonna be alright

04:28So, you know, it's you know powerful vibe, you know going on right now

04:33You know the movement is crazy. And again, I think it was well-needed for hip-hop nice speaking of the West Coast

04:40Do you still have any dr. Dre collaborations from back in the day in the vault?

04:44Drake

04:46Well, yeah, I got a couple but I was talking to Dre Dre told me don't tell nobody what's going on

04:51So I can't tell nobody

04:56They got trade school man word up peace and love

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