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Riff: Rakim – “It’s Been a Long Time”

Dec 1, 2016

Since I came in the door, said it before/But no I ain’t down with Eric B no more/At night the open mic be invitin’ me to rhyme/So yo I’m online, it’s been a long time

from It's Been a Long Time lyrics by Rakim

After a brief hiatus Ra returns, this time stronger than ever. With staff firmly in hand he strikes the earth with mind-bending force; verses that behave more like shock waves than raps. Premier lays out a steaming bed of hot coals and he walks over it like a fearless holy man. His flow is electric and pierces the skin. But what stands out is the nugget of info regarding his once close companion.

Riff by Jeff Min

Jeff Min is a Chicago-based writer at SONGLYRICS. His work has appeared in the Chicago Sun-Times, Hi-Fructose, Wax Poetics, SLAM, and HOOP.

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