25 Best Rakim Songs

Rakim's debut single is considered one of the first hip hop songs to use a sampler. This funky replay of Fonda Rae's "Over Like a Fat Rat" and James Brown's "Funky President" introduces Ra's unorthodox yet infectious flow and love of the mic. "It's biting me, fighting me, inviting me to rhyme."

(Photo: Zakia Records)