The Master (Rakim album)

The Master is the second solo album by American rapper Rakim, released November 30, 1999, on Universal Records. It serves as the follow-up to Rakim's debut solo album, The 18th Letter (1997), and would be Rakim's last studio album for nearly a decade, until 2009's The Seventh Seal.

The Master
Studio album by Rakim
Released	November 30, 1999
Recorded	1998–1999
Length	1:02:07
Label	Universal Records 542 082
Producer	Rakim (also exec.) The 45 King Amen-Ra DJ Clark Kent DJ Premier Jaz-O Naughty Shorts Nick Wiz Punch TR Love V.I.C.
Rakim chronology
The 18th Letter (1997) The Master (1999) The Seventh Seal (2009)

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
The Independent	[2]
Los Angeles Daily News	[3]
Los Angeles Times	[4]
NME	[5]
Rolling Stone	[6]
The Source	[7]
USA Today	[8]
Vibe	(mixed)[9]
The Village Voice	(unfavorable)[10]

The Master received generally positive to mixed reviews from music critics.

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Intro (The Master)"	William Griffin	Rakim	1:22
2.	"Flow Forever"	Griffin Rodolfo Franklin Robert Davis	DJ Clark Kent	4:11
3.	"When I B On Tha Mic"	Griffin Christopher Martin	DJ Premier	3:42
4.	"Finest Ones" (feat. Clark Kent)	Griffin Franklin Yvette Davis	DJ Clark Kent	4:24
5.	"All Night Long"	Griffin Michael Harper	Punch	4:27
6.	"State of Hip-Hop" (interlude)	Griffin	Rakim	0:39
7.	"Uplift"	Griffin Ronald Lawrence Victor Padilla	Amen-Ra V.I.C.	3:09
8.	"I Know"	Griffin Trevor Randolph Benjamin Latimore David Hinds	TR Love	4:07
9.	"It's the R"	Griffin Franklin Robert Byrd Charles Bobbit Louis Barrier James Brown Curtis Mayfield James Hunter Peter Phillips Ricardo Brown	DJ Clark Kent	4:15
10.	"I'll Be There" (feat. Nneka Morton)	Griffin Joseph Davis Cynthia Biggs Dexter Wansel Grover Washington, Jr.	Naughty Shorts	5:10
11.	"It's a Must" (feat. Rahzel)	Griffin Jonathan Burks Rozell Brown	Jaz-O	4:24
12.	"Real Shit"	Griffin Lawrence Padilla	Amen-Ra V.I.C.	4:21
13.	"How I Get Down"	Griffin Mark James Byron Olsen	The 45 King	4:05
14.	"L.I." (interlude)	Griffin	Rakim	0:53
15.	"Strong Island"	Griffin Barrier	Rakim	4:34
16.	"Waiting for the World to End"	Griffin Martin Barrier	DJ Premier	4:05
17.	"We'll Never Stop" (feat. Connie McKendrick)	Griffin Nicholas Loizides Sylvia Robinson	Nick Wiz	4:19
Total length:				1:02:07

Samples

• "Flow Forever" samples "Since We Said Goodbye" by The Counts
• "When I B on Tha Mic" samples "What the World Needs Now Is Love" by The Artistics, "The Saga Begins" by Rakim, "How About Some Hardcore" and "World Famous" by M.O.P., "Peter Piper" by Run-DMC, "Blind Alley" by The Emotions and "Metal Thangz" by Street Smartz feat. O.C. and Pharoahe Monch
• "Finest Ones" samples "We Belong Together" by The Spinners and "High Power Rap" by Crash Crew
• "I Know" samples "Let's Straighten It Out" by Latimore and "Steppin' Out" by Steel Pulse
• "It's the R" samples "Mother's Son" by Curtis Mayfield, "Tru Master" by Pete Rock feat. Inspectah Deck and Kurupt and "As the Rhyme Goes On", "Follow the Leader", "I Know You Got Soul" by Eric B. & Rakim
• "I'll Be There" samples "I'll Be With You" by Grover Washington, Jr.
• "Real Shit" samples "Survival of the Fittest" by Mobb Deep
• "How I Get Down" samples "Funky Drummer" by James Brown
• "Waiting for the World to End" samples "Brooks' 50c Tour (Main Title Collage)" by Quincy Jones, "Save Me" by Bloodstone, "All Night" by Xperadó and "Microphone Fiend" by Eric B. & Rakim
• "We'll Never Stop" samples "The New Rap Language" by Spoonie Gee and The Treacherous Three

Charts

Album

Chart (1999)	Peak position
US Billboard 200[11]	72
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[12]	7

Singles

Year	Song	Chart positions
		Billboard Hot 100	Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks	Hot Rap Singles
2000	"When I B On Tha Mic"	-	53[13]	20[14]

Notes

• Nathan Brackett, Christian Hoard (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Completely Revised and Updated 4th Edition. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.

References

1. Bush, John. "The Master - Rakim". AllMusic. Retrieved 21 August 2009.
2. Perry, Tim (27 November 1999). "Pop: ALBUM REVIEWS". The Independent. Retrieved 21 August 2009.
3. "SOUND CHECK. - Free Online Library". Los Angeles Daily News. 3 December 1999. Archived from the original on 22 October 2012. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
4. Baker, Soren (25 December 1999). "DMX Delivers Harsh Reality on 'Then' - Los Angeles Times". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 21 August 2009.
5. Columnist (12 September 2005). "The Master - NME". NME. Retrieved 21 August 2009.
6. Hoard, Christian (2 November 2004). "The New Rolling Stone Album Guide - Google Books". Rolling Stone.
7. Columnist. "Tower.com: The Master (Explicit) (CD) by Rakim (Artist)". The Source. Archived from the original on 28 October 2008. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
8. Jones, Steve. "Review: The Master". USA Today: 04.D. November 30, 1999. Archived from the original on 2009-08-21.
9. Mao, Chairman (February 2000). "Vibe - Google Books". Vibe.
10. Lewis, Miles Marshall (18 January 2000). "The Passing of the Mic - Village Voice". The Village Voice. Retrieved 21 August 2009.
11. "Rakim Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved February 1, 2020.
12. "Rakim Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved February 1, 2020.
13. "Rakim When I B On Tha Mic Chart History - Billboard". Billboard. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
14. "Rakim When I B On Tha Mic Chart History - Billboard". Billboard. Retrieved 1 February 2020.

External links

• The Master at MusicBrainz (list of releases)
• The Master at Discogs
• Album Review at The Harvard Crimson
• Album Review at The Independent
• Album Review at RapReviews