The Stranger

There are really just two types of rappers: those who came before Rakim, and those who came after him. Before Rakim, whose moment was between 1986 and 1990, there was only good wack and bad wack (all rappers were essentially wack). After Rakim, there was wack and not wack. What Rakim did on Eric B.–produced tracks like “Eric B. Is President,” “I Know You Got Soul,” “Move the Crowd,” and, later, “Follow the Leader” was not only explode the traditional nursery rhyme–like confines of rap but also compress, in lines, dizzying amounts of words, images, and information. Rakim is the greatest rapper to ever walk this earth. (Neumos, 925 E Pike St, neumos.com, 8 pm, $20, 21+) by Charles Mudede

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