MC Rakim Talks About His Influences Muhammad Ali & Ruth Brown

William Michael Griffin Jr., better known by his stage name Rakim, is acknowledged as one of the greatest hip-hop MCs of all time. His memoir, Sweat The Technique: Revelations On Creativity From The Lyrical Genius (2019), described as “part memoir, part writing guide,” follows his career from his beginnings as a teenage rapper in Wyandanch, Long Island and offers insight into how he thinks about words, music, writing and rhyming as it teaches writers of all levels how to hone their craft. Rakim began his career as the emcee of the rap duo Eric B. & Rakim.