Rakim is giving Kendrick Lamar his flowers for the shoutout on The Clipse’s new joint “Chains & Whips.”
The hip-hop legend took to Instagram on Saturday (July 12) to show his appreciation after Kendrick name-dropped him on the track. “I salute you KING!!!” Rakim wrote. “Thnx for the illest shout I heard in a loooong time, and keep up the incredible work my brother, you ain’t no joke !!!! Peace and blessings to you and yours.”
On the track off Let God Sort Em Out, Kendrick raps: “Let’s be clear, hip-hop died again / Half of my profits may go to Rakim.”
Hit the post below to catch the moment.
Last year, Rakim weighed in on the Kendrick Lamar and Drake rap battle, praising it for breathing new life into hip-hop. Speaking with Billboard, the legendary MC said, “I think that it was important, because these brothers are at the top of the game, and revered hip-hop. You know, a lot of people in that position won’t accept no challenge, because they got too much to lose. So, it was dope that these brothers put the mainstream success down and said, ‘Yeah, let’s do it.’”
He went on to say that the clash highlighted a key difference in the culture. “The battle put a lot of things in perspective — because it showed the difference between real hip-hop and mainstream hip-hop,” Rakim explained. “Younger artists now know that there’s a difference. A lot of them didn’t even understand that.”
Rakim added, “They just listened to the majority, not knowing that a lot of people don’t categorize what they were hearing as real hip-hop. The battle was very needed for the genre. I tip my hat to them brothers. Let’s just hope that it stays to the music.”
