Eminem and Jay-Z have technically released their first collaboration in 25 years – except it isn’t really a collaboration, or even a song, – on the new album by Rakim, Kurupt and Masta Killa.
As was expected, the “God Speak” interlude combines snippets from two interviews laid over a soulful beat. Nick Wiz, who produced the album together with Rakim, is famous for pulling obscure grooves from vintage vinyl, and this instrumental follows his classic formula.
However, interview extracts don’t make a song, no matter how much we would like to hear one from Eminem and Jay-Z.
Putting it on the tracklist drew massive attention from the public and media to an album that matters on its own merit. DPG Wu-Tang, Wu-Tang DPG: The Godbody LP brings together three giants of the golden era of hip hop. Rakim, Kurupt and Masta Killa are the MCs and lyricists who revolutionised the genre and influenced generations of rappers. They still have a lot to say, and their chemistry is remarkable.
So, Marshall’s words are a fitting choice for this interlude. They are lifted from the 2020 Crook’s Corner interview:
…To me, greatness is not only how well you do something, but if you were the first to do it. Rakim was the first person that I heard that started using inside rhyme schemes, and coming back at the end and hitting it, you know what I’m saying? So, he did something that hadn’t even been thought of yet. He single-handedly pushed the genre forward, making it more complex lyrically. And then birthed fucking Kane and G-Rap, right?
This is not the first time this interview is used to add weight to an album it was sampled for. You could hear it on the intro to Dheezy Does It, arranged by the same who executive produced Rakim’s previous album G.O.Ds NETWORK – REB7RTH. It’s Matthew “M80” Markoff, who serves as an executive producer and A&R and also runs a licensing business. He sells and assigns verses and beats from the projects he worked on as an A&R. His strategy is clear: big names attract attention. And, hand on heart, Rakim, Kurupt, and Masta Killa deserve this attention.
However questionable Markoff’s practice may be, it doesn’t change the fact that Eminem holds Rakim in the highest regard. Em reiterated his utmost respect in the recent Shade45 interview, again praising Rakim’s complex rhyming schemes that changed hip hop. Eminem has been listening to Rakim’s records forever, and he will be listening to this one; there’s little doubt.