Rakim recently returned with new music in the form of "King's Paradise," a new track written for Luke Cage season 2. It's more or less a promotional single, but it was still thrilling to hear new rhymes from one of the genre's all-time greats. Following the release, Rakim has performed his own NPR Tiny Desk concert, where he is joined by A Tribe Called Quest's Ali Shaheed Muhammad and producer Adrian Yonge (both of whom do the music for the show) as part of an extremely tight band which includes, horns, strings, bass, drums, and keys.
On top of performing the new single, Rakim also performed classics "Paid In Full" and "Know the Ledge." If you haven't gone back through the Eric B. and Rakim material, this could be a good entry point before diving into their 97-92 run beginning with Paid In Full.
The NPR article points out that it's been 32 years since Rakim released his first single. Watching one of rap's pioneers revisit his early material after watching the genre grow over the last few decades is truly a surreal experience. A lot of artists wouldn't be around without these pieces of music, and they sound as great as they ever have.
Watch the performance above.
