Rakim finished the show up with “Mahogony” for the ladies, “Juice (Know The Ledge)” for the fellas, and “Eric B. Is President” for everyone in between. After witnessing Rakim mesmerize the crowd for more than an hour it became apparent that he is on the path less traveled by most rappers of his time; a path where compromising one’s skill in order to compete with higher selling, yet less talented artists is out of the question. Rather than ignore hip hop’s history, today’s youth should take the time to appreciate these living legends because they paved the way for artists like Jay-Z to achieve stardom. Some people thought that hip hop was just a trend and wouldn’t last more than five years, but now hip hop is at a point where a father can teach his son about it. This is why people should preserve history instead of just focusing on the future. Just think about how disappointing it would be if New York City decided to tear down Grand Central station because it looked too “old school” for the modern age.

Mr Sandman