ISEEROBOTS.COM: Rakim And Kid Capri. Don't Sweat The Technique

Rakim And Kid Capri. Don't Sweat The Technique

Ok, I think that Rakim is the GOAT. The Greatest Of All Time. For real, he's the best. When it comes to rhyming words and the ability to take a long ass word and flip it next to another long ass word and also to have it make total sense, plus rhyme. Dude is the best. I think I already said that though in my opening sentence.

Dude had a skill to take his lyrics in directions that no one else can go. Dude, he takes his shit directions that no one else can even concieve. He doesn't just turn left he turns like into time and space. Into the cracks of the fabric of reality. Not really that abstract but close to that.

I have to admit that it was only a couple of years ago that I came to appreciate Rakim as the legend that he is. I don't know, I wasn't into his slow flow and I remember that I read somewhere that Rakim would never freestyle and that rubbed me the wrong way. Now I realize that he has too much respect for his words to just spit them out like that. He crafts songs. Builds them. They don't just appear out of nowhere. He takes his time and THINKS about what he wants to say and how he is going to say it. A freestyle MC is more like the type of dude that reacts to things. That's not a bad thing in Hip Hop but Rakim aint that type of guy.

It could be that Rakim's style requires an adult ear to appreciate the style and what is being done with them. I think I just didn't understand. He's a man kicking songs for men. Step aside junior. This is grown up shit.

Kid Capri is on the one and twos for the performance and that's as awesome as it gets. I mean, if for whatever reason you can't get Eric B then you might as well go with some old cream of the crop shit and get Kid Capri. He cuts it up nice during the breaks. Capri's one of those old school cats that doesn't necasarily have the credits to his name but has credentials just from having been down for so long. He's never really put out his own awesome music per se as much as he's appeared on some other dudes's awesome music. Kid's worked with KRS ONE. The Flava Unit, Ice-T and he was in Dr. Dre and Ed Lover's kick ass movie Who's The Man. That's the shit right there.

Here's the lyrics of the song. It's pretty cool to read along while he spits.

Let's trace the hints and check the file
Let see who bit to detect the style
I flip the script so they can't get foul.
At least not now, it'll take a while
I change the pace to complete the beat
I drop the bass,'till mc's get weak.
For every word they trace, it's a scar they keep...
'Cause when I speak, they freak
To sweat the technique
I made my debut in '86
Wit a melody and a president's mix
And now I stay on target and refuse to miss
And I still make hits
wit' beats, parties, clubs, in the cars and jeeps
My underground sound vibrates the streets
MC's wanna beef then I play for keeps
When they sweat the technique

Don't Sweat the Technique

They wanna know how many rhymes have I ripped in rep., but
Researchers never found all the pieces yet
Scientists try to solve the context
Philosophers are wondering what's next
Pieces are took to last who observe them
They couldn't absorb them, they didn't deserve them
My ideas are only for the audience's ears
 
For my opponents, it might take years
Pencils and pens, are swords
Letters put together form a key to chords
I'm also a sculpture, born with structure
Because of my culture, I'm a rip and destruct the
Difficult styles that'll be for the technology
Complete sights and new heights after I get deep
You don't have to speak just seek
And peep the technique

But don't sweat the technique

(Not in the performance but on the album cut.....)

I speak indiscreet cause talk is cheap

Then I get deep and the weak then complete their
Pull with a seat, never weak or obsolete
They never grow old techniques become antiques
Better then something  brand new 'cause it's radiant
And the wild style'll have much more volume
Classical too intelligent to be radical
Masterful, never  irrelevant: mathematical
Here's some soothing souvenirs for all the years
They fought, and sought, the thoughts and ideas
It's cool when you freak to the beat
But don't sweat the technique