Rakim Debuts New Song ‘King’s Paradise’ During NPR’s ‘Tiny Desk Concert’ [VIDEO]
For the first time in nearly a decade, Rakim, one half of the iconic hip-hop duo Eric B & Rakim, has dropped new music.
"King's Paradise" was specifically written for season two of Marvel's Luke Cage, which premiered Friday (June 22) on Netflix. The official trailer for the series featured Rakim's "I Ain't No Joke." Last week, the rap legend performed a live version of the song for NPR's Tiny Desk concert series.
The track, "King's Paradise" pays homage to the heroes of the Harlem Renaissance as well as its fictional superhero, the bulletproof Luke Cage, reports NPR Music. The legendary rapper performed alongside a nine-piece band, including Ali Shaheed Muhammad of A Tribe Called Quest, who played bass, as well as produced and co-wrote "King's Paradise."
"Welcome to Harlem, the home of innovating/ Legacy, stories of Gods killing Satan/ Where they honor Harlem's father Philip Payton," Rakim raps. "The renaissance in the making/ Ellington, Garvey, Joe Lewis, Lena Horne, Malcolm, Maya, Louis Armstrong/ But now crime is the new crave, so there's a new crusade/ So salute to Luke Cage, fight for the cause."
Following the premiere of "King's Paradise," Rakim took it back to the old school with "Paid in Full" from 1987 and "Know the Ledge" from 1992.
Eric B & Rakim rose to prominence in the late '80s during hip-hop's golden age. In 2006, MTV named Eric B & Rakim's album Paid in Full as the greatest hip-hop album of all time.
Let's cross our fingers that there's more new music on the way!
Watch Rakim's "Tiny Desk Concert" for NPR