Rakim - Holy Are You

Raving about how large an influence Rakim‘s had on hip-hop (extremely large), and how long heads been waiting for a new album (ever since The 18th Letter dropped in ‘99) would be a textbook case of preaching to the choir, so I’ll simply say that the rap legend’s return to the game after nearly a decade away will be a musical event of Biblical proportions.  Fittingly, Rakim’s surrounded his third solo album, The Seventh Seal with plenty of weighty, Book-of-Revelations rhetoric, even going so far as to state, “I’m hoping to kill the old state of hip-hop and start with the new.”  On the long-awaited LP’s official lead single, Holy Are You, he delves yet deeper into those Apocalyptic themes, passing judgment on the game over longtime collaborator Nick Wiz’ synth-fortified, fire-and-brimstone sample work.  Is it blasphemous?  Probably, but the lyrical lightning Rakim brings to this track leaves no doubt as to why he’s the only rapper who can get away with calling himself, “the God MC.” Though The Seventh Seal has yet to receive a release date, it won’t be hard to see it coming—even if you don’t notice the sun turning black and the stars falling out of the sky, the seven trumpet-playing angels are sure to get your attention.