“Rakim's persona is that of a sagacious gangster, like Miles Davis's ... We're talking about that school of self-confirmed bad-assed-ness, where you don't need spectators to know you're looking sugarshit sharp. Drop Miles or Rakim on the moon, they'd still be chilly-most”
Originally published September 3, 1988
“Too many people who profess to like rap don't distinguish among its many historic and stylistic differences. Only by placing Rakim in context do you appreciate his mastery”
Originally published August 25, 1987
A mystery decoded, a legal field just begun. What is the common bond between Grand Wizard Theodore, Blastmaster, KRSOne, and Stanley Platzer? An historical critical megamix.
April 2, 2019
Singles rool in a world up for grabs: The 15th (or 16th) annual Pazz & Jop Critics Poll
January 16, 2019