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Posted: **Sun Aug 28, 2016 1:39 am**

Yo it hit me, I was watching the Yo! MTV Raps finale freestyle

Rakim kicks the moddafookin' flyest verse ever, some lyrics of which he later used on "It's Been A Long Time".

New days is dawnin', new ways of performin'
brainstormin' I write and watch the night turn to mornin'

Listen below, his flow is so fluid and Nas-like on the show. Imagine if he'd dropped the 18th Letter around this time in '95

Because by '97, when the album actually did drop, his raps had become much more robotic/predictable and AZ-like IMO

Still dope, but he definitely lost a step.

Who agrees? I know I def was disappointed with the 18th Letter rapping back then, and I hadn't even grown up on Rakim like that; the only song I really caught from the Eric B days was "Don't Sweat The Technique".

Did he release anything between '92 and '97?

Posted: **Sun Aug 28, 2016 5:02 am**

there was this bootleg in 1995 https://www.discogs.com/Rakim-Unrelease ... ase/522750" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
which I assume was tracks intended for an album. Production by Pete Rock, Salaam Remi, Beatminerz & Clark Kent. Got a lot of play on radio and mixtapes and sounded really good at the time, although I bought a copy recently and wasn't overly impressed. I remembered it being better than it was.
Not sure if the story on why that album never came out is out there?

There was also New York To Cali which isnt on that set but was heavily bootlegged. Aside from that he dropped 'Heat It Up' in 1993 (off the Gunmen OST) and Hoodlum with Mobb Deep in 97 (off the Hoodlum OST)

I didnt really like the 97 album either save for a couple of tracks. Everything had moved on by then and dudes like the Wu had switched the game up a bit.

Posted: **Sun Aug 28, 2016 11:24 am**

Aw man. So tragic.

"I Get Visual" is probably the best of that bootleg set. Dope raps on there.

Posted: **Sun Aug 28, 2016 12:56 pm**

to me 18th Letter is a bonafide classic..did u see the production on there???
18th Letter was his best solo release by far and it is a classic hands down!!
no debate!

Posted: **Sun Aug 28, 2016 1:40 pm**

http://claaa7.blogspot.com/2012/02/raki ... m.html?m=1

Posted: **Mon Aug 29, 2016 7:27 am**

I loved Livin For The City on that bootleg. I get Visual turned into When I'm Flowin on 18th letter and I actually liked that better. Pete Rock flipped the pianos on that shit. 18th Letter was solid, had its moments. To call it a bonafide classic is a bit much, though.

I agree with OP- if it came out in 95 it would have had a better sound overall I think. It got too cleaned up and polished.

Posted: **Sat Sep 03, 2016 1:40 am**

This shit is insane.

Posted: **Sun Sep 04, 2016 10:24 pm**

Gyangsta 4 Life wrote:Aw man. So tragic.

"I Get Visual" is probably the best of that bootleg set. Dope raps on there.

used to kill I Get Visual off radio tapes, and the rest of them too, for that matter. Shit, that entire bootleg is basically a classic to me. There was more than a couple of bootlegs with mostly the same songs but a couple had second mixes and whatnot.