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He changed the way an MC approached the mic at 17! He brought multi-syllabic lyricism to the table.
Used God and The Nation of Islam in his rhymes.
Set the standard for what an MC should sound like.
Rakim has had the biggest impact of anyone on this list
. The landmark album "Paid In Full" proved to be the standard.
When Rakim went solo, he dropped the critically acclaimed "The 18th Letter".
He signed to Aftermath in 2000, and left after he and Dr Dre had
creative differences.
When his most anticipated project "Oh My God!" drops,
he will change the game once again.