The Master is a Hip-Hop album by Rakim, originally released in 1999. On Gatefold: 18 pressings tracked, owned by 4 collectors.
About
Rakim’s second solo effort essentially reconvenes the team that made <i>The 18th Letter</i> an artistic success. DJ Premier and DJ Clark Kent each contribute a handful of beats, and the remaining tracks are split between old-school pioneers (the 45 King, TR Love) and modern-day hit-makers (Ron “Amen-Ra” Lawrence, of Puff Daddy’s production team, the Hitmen). Conciseness and directness are the outstanding values here. Regardless of who is behind the boards, each beat aims to complement Rakim’s lucid rhyme style. While his verses always exhibit a learned complexity, they also display a monk’s simplicity. There are moments on <i>The Master</i> that reveal the influence of Rakim’s younger students — especially Nas and JAŸ-Z — but when he is in the zone his verses have a magic that is mystifying yet utterly logical. His excellence is embodied in “How I Get Down”: “They hopeless whoever approaches my high explosives / My vision seditious, and freestyle's ferocious / I wrote this, words flew over my head like a locust / I turned the beat up, sat back, and stayed focused.”
via Apple Music
The Clerk says
The Clerk knows this whole record — the pressing quirks, the credits, the take.
Tracklist
- 1Intro1:22
- 2Flow Forever4:11
- 3When I B on tha Mic3:42
- 4Finest Ones (feat. Clark Kent)4:24
- 5All Night Long4:22
- 6State of Hip Hop Interlude0:39
- 7Uplift3:09
- 8I Know4:07
- 9It's the R4:15
- 10I'll Be There (feat. Nneka Morton)5:09
- 11It's a Must (feat. Rahzel)4:23
- 12Real Shit4:21
- 13How I Get Down4:05
- 14L.I. Interlude0:52
- 15Strong Island4:33
- 16Waiting for the World to End4:05
- 17We'll Never Stop (feat. Connie McKendrick)4:19
Sound DNA
- Hip-Hop
- East Coast
- gritty
- brooding
- urban
Credits
The people behind it.
Performers
- Andy KatzBASS
- Big JazKEYBOARDS KEYBOARDS, PROGRAMMED BY, TRACKING BY PROGRAMMED BY
- Clark KentBACKING VOCALS DRUM PROGRAMMING FEATURING
- Connie McKendrickFEATURING VOCALS
- Curtis Mayfield
- DJ SlyceBASS BASS, SCRATCHES SCRATCHES, BASS
- Eric B. & Rakim
- Grover Washington, Jr.
- Kevin OsborneKEYBOARDS
- Naughty ShortsKEYBOARDS KEYBOARDS, PROGRAMMED BY PROGRAMMED BY
- Nneka MortonFEATURING VOCALS
- PunchINSTRUMENTS , PROGRAMMED BY PROGRAMMED BY
- RahzelBACKING VOCALS BACKING VOCALS, SOUNDS , HUMAN BEATBOX FEATURING
- Rodney Franklin
- Ron "Amen-Ra" LawrenceBASS BASS, KEYBOARDS, SOUNDS KEYBOARDS
- Ted BirkeyKEYBOARDS
- The 45 KingPROGRAMMED BY PROGRAMMED BY, TRACKING BY
- The Counts
4 collectors on Gatefold own this · 18 pressings tracked on Gatefold
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