"Late Pass: Let’s Discuss this Lost Rakim Album from 1995"
I’ve heard some of these joints but this is the first time I’m seeing an entire 15 song track listing for the project.
What are the details? Is this the official track list and order?
Would this have changed anything if it had dropped as his first solo instead of The 18th Letter?
1 Heat It Up 2 Once Upon A Rhyme 3 Shades Of Black 4 Last Resort 5 Hoodlum ‘94 6 Man With A Gun 7 New York to Cali 8 Trying To Write Rhymes 9 Living For The City 10 I Get Visual 11 Bring It On 12 Murderer 13 Original Style 14 We All Got Plans 15 Hoodlum
1. "never heard about this" In response to Reply # 0
I know I’ve heard a couple of those songs after they popped up in my YouTube recommended videos. But I didn’t know he recorded or planned an album between 92 and 97.
Wish his post Eric B and Rakim career went better. The 18th letter was really good, The Master was disappointing but still had some heat on it. And that’s basiclaly it. Wish there was an album in ‘94-‘95 that came out and then in the early 00’s he could’ve still been putting out quality music IMO(damn Dre always needing to put out shock value bullshit - just make the beats and let the greatest rapper ever spit what he wants).
Thinking about it, I recently listened to LL Cool J on Noreaga’s Drink Champs podcast and he was touching on older artists and career decisions(among other things - the conversations can be all over the place on that podcast). But 1:23-1:28 mark he talks about it a bit.
I don’t typically watch it and if I do I don’t last long but I did make it through LL’s in like 3-4 different sittings, and thought it was pretty good.
8. "he's pretty terrible." In response to Reply # 2
that Kane interview was the worst one to me. didn't find out much at all. kept bringing up madonna and other shit that wasn't central to the artists.
only thing I got from it was that Kane is old as fuck musically. makes me think that's why he struggled with hip hop after his first couple of albums.
funny tho, that he was really early in bringing singers onto his albums, but it didn't pop. nobody was trying to hear barry white and Kane on quiet storm track. now you can't get a hip hop album without somebody singing.
4. "Back in like early 1996 I copped a bootleg EP on vinyl" In response to Reply # 0
It had "Remember That," plus Last Resort, Living for the City, I Get Visual, plus the Beatminerz remix for Shades of Black. I only just discovered Beatminerz did the remix and that Pete Rock did Living For the City.
I have no idea if there ever was a pretty official album or track list. What's below appears to be some of those tracks, plus soundtrack song (Heat it Up is from 1993 and I think Hoodlum is from 1996). The rest of the songs I've never heard of.
I don't know if it wouldn't have changed anything. I remember I thought that the songs on the EP were decent, but not awesome. I thought Remember That was the best song on it, and that ended up on 18th Letter. But I admit I haven't listened to the other four songs in over 20 years, so maybe they've aged well.
>What are the details? Is this the official track list and >order? > >Would this have changed anything if it had dropped as his >first solo instead of The 18th Letter? > >1 Heat It Up >2 Once Upon A Rhyme >3 Shades Of Black >4 Last Resort >5 Hoodlum ‘94 >6 Man With A Gun >7 New York to Cali >8 Trying To Write Rhymes >9 Living For The City >10 I Get Visual >11 Bring It On >12 Murderer >13 Original Style >14 We All Got Plans >15 Hoodlum >
5. "This is definitely not an official album" In response to Reply # 0
All of these tracks been out there and range from 92 to at least 98.
I used to play some of these tracks so much back in the day. Especially the OG version of 'I get visual' and 'NY to Cali' that were both on that white label ep discussed above, as well as 'We all got plans' that got leaked years later.
These are on par with Ra's genius to me. some others in this list fall short, so if it were to be his mid 90s album i dont think it would've stood the test against the illmatics/wu era/biggie etc of that period. That being said i also think the team behind the 18th Letter (which i loved) dropped the ball in putting forth a cohesive effort that would cement the R's status and also be relevant with what was going on in Hip Hop at that time.
It is now 20 years later and i think the only chance Rakim has to put out something critically acclaimed is to maybe embrace the retro/vintage/old school route and find some top notch uptempo production and channel that hunger he had when he was on top of things.
6. "I always wanted to see Ra work with DJ Spinna" In response to Reply # 5
> >It is now 20 years later and i think the only chance Rakim has >to put out something critically acclaimed is to maybe embrace >the retro/vintage/old school route and find some top notch >uptempo production and channel that hunger he had when he was >on top of things.
I think Spinna's beats would have gone well with Ra's delivery. Always was a dream pairing of mines.
7. "Not an official project & a lot of these songs were just ok" In response to Reply # 0
>I’ve heard some of these joints but this is the first time >I’m seeing an entire 15 song track listing for the project. > >What are the details? Is this the official track list and >order? > >Would this have changed anything if it had dropped as his >first solo instead of The 18th Letter? > >1 Heat It Up >2 Once Upon A Rhyme >3 Shades Of Black >4 Last Resort >5 Hoodlum ‘94 >6 Man With A Gun >7 New York to Cali >8 Trying To Write Rhymes >9 Living For The City >10 I Get Visual >11 Bring It On >12 Murderer >13 Original Style >14 We All Got Plans >15 Hoodlum >
9. "Last Resort is my ish..." In response to Reply # 0
I've always loved it. Its another example of Ra's greatness.
You're such pests...now, what is it you want? In your depths of your ignorance, what is it you want? Well, whatever it is you want, I can't deliver because I just don't see it. - Orson Welles
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