Words By Hafeez Raji Rarely do pioneers stay relevant some twenty-five  years after coming on the scene to redefine a genre as one William Griffin, aka Rakim bka The R. Over two decades ago my only knowledge of hip hop–or better yet “rap”–revolved literally on my first vinyl album, a compilation of the Sugar Hill […]

Rakim, who’s real name is William Michael Griffin, Jr. is known as one of hip hop’s most influential and skilled MCs of all time. Rakim has always been praised for his lyrical content and flow. At the age of 16, William Michael Griffin joined The Nation of Gods and Earths also known as the 5 Percent […]

With the recent announcement that Bun B’s brand new album, Trill O.G. received a perfect 5-Mic rating from The Source, it’s only fitting that we take a look at all of the albums that have received the coveted rating.