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For decades there were rumors that the iconic Rakim Allah was the ghostwriter behind Will Smith’s classic cut “Summertime.” Although those rumors were eventually debunked, Will Smith has finally copped to a different allegation surrounding his timeless hit.
Earlier this week, Will Smith put on a show for the ages when he took the stage at the Grammy Salute to 50 Years of Hip-Hop event in which he performed some of his classic cuts including the aforementioned “Summertime.” But the real shocker came after the show when he admitted that Rakim was the inspiration behind his sound on the Grammy Award-winning song.
In a video posted online, we find Will Smith kicking it in a hotel room with his fellow Hip-Hop peers and other industry insiders talking about the show. One Rakim Allah was also in attendance when Will Smith finally told the God what we’ve all been wondering for decades, “I was absolutely trying to sound like you on “Summertime.”
With everyone including Rakim breaking out into laughter, Smith explained why he went that route on the song saying, “Cause I had been screaming all night, and I couldn’t get my ‘happy-go-lucky’ high voice, and Hula [the producer] just said, ‘Yo, just gimme that Rakim shit.’”
And a classic was born.
Rakim found the entire story entertaining as he couldn’t stop smiling (probably the first time we’ve ever seen the God smile in his life). Now we all know for certain that even though Rakim didn’t ghostwrite the song (he denied writing the song years ago), the rap legend was the inspiration behind Will Smith’s biggest song of his life.
Check out Will Smith talk about the song at the 2:40 minute mark below, and let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
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Two of the culture’s greatest talents will receive a newly created honor. Rakim and Scarface are set to be honored at the first Hip-Hop Grandmaster Awards.
Vibe Magazine is reporting that the two legends will each be given a high profile distinction for their contribution to the Rap genre. On Friday (Nov. 17) the Paid In Full Foundation rewarded both MC’s from a $500,000 fund as a thank you at the inaugural Hip-Hop Grandmaster Awards in Las Vegas. According to the foundation’s website the organization’s aim is to ensure some of the architects of the culture are support some of the Hip-Hop’s greatest performers.
“Unfortunately, many of the most impactful original artists never received recognition proportional with their exceptional contributions to arts and culture” their mission statement reads. “The Paid in Full Foundation aims to rectify that through its grantmaking program, by both honoring the people who built Hip Hop and enabling them to pursue their creative and intellectual pursuits for the benefit of society.” Music executive and co-founder of the Paid In Full Foundation detailed why this initiative is so important. “What I want to do is all of the artists who had come early [in Hip-Hop] who had to sign bad deals or got taken advantage of that the least we could do is give to them [and] pay that forward,” Stoute states. “No one’s ever done this before.”
100% of the net proceeds raised from the event will benefit The Paid in Full Foundation’s mission to support Hip-Hop greats and other creatives. You can read about their program here.
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Source: Sprite / SPRITE
While many Hip-Hop heads continue to debate who’s the rap game’s GOAT with names like Biggie, Drake and Jay-Z being tossed around, many triple OG’s would place Hip-Hop icon Rakim Allah at the top of their list as the man truly is one of the greatest lyricists to ever pick up a mic.
Source: Sprite / SPRITE
With Hip-Hop celebrating it’s 50th anniversary, Sprite has decided to pair legendary rap artist Rakim with one of today’s brightest up and coming stars in Latto for their Sprite Limelight Season 2. Latto sat down with the Hip-Hop icon at a diner and listened to what the OG “Microphone Fiend” rhymer had to offer. In the short clip, she soaks up the knowledge the Gawd has to offer before making her way to an underground party and rocking the mic herself with her own spin on “Don’t Sweat The Technique.”
It was pretty cool seeing two generations of Hip-Hop artists chop it up and compare and contrast their styles.
Check out the video below, and let us know your thoughts on their sit-down in the comments section below.
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Sprite has been a central proponent of Hip-Hop music and culture dating back to the 1980s and that synergy remains true more than almost four decades later. As Hip-Hop celebrates its 50th anniversary this summer, Sprite launched a new campaign last week featuring notable figures Rakim, Nas, Latto, and GloRilla.
Sprite first joined forces with Hip-Hop back in 1986 with a commercial spot with Kurtis Blow and over the years worked alongside the likes of Grand Puba, A Tribe Called Quest, Missy Elliott, LL Cool J, and others.
For its summer campaign, Long Island, N.Y. legend Rakim, Queensbridge lyricist Nas, Georgia’s Latto, and rising Memphis star GloRilla all appear in a new spot for the popular soft drinks brand. The commercial runs concurrently with the release of a limited-edition flavor and the sponsorship of a concert tour along with merch drops and fan experience opportunities.
Using an interpolation of The Sugarhill Gang’s classic “Rapper’s Delight” track, the quartet runs through their bars paying homage to the culture that pays them with plenty of shots of Sprite featured in the commercial.
A.P. Chaney, Creative Director for Sprite North America, said the brand’s longstanding hip-hop credentials are unmatched.
“Our resume speaks for itself,” A.P. Chaney, Creative Director for Sprite North America., said. “Sprite took a chance on hip-hop before it was cool, and has always been of the culture, not only for the culture. We’ve shown up for both moments big and small, amplifying the endless possibilities of the now-omnipresent hip-hop lifestyle and its profound impact on music, sports and fashion. So, it’s only fitting that we pay homage to all hip-hop has been, is and will be.”
Well said.
Keeping with the theme of the campaign, the brand remixed its original flavor with the drop of its limited-edition Lymonade Legacy, a blast of strawberry lemonade that still retains that crisp bite of flavor. At 7-Eleven, the Lymonade Legacy is an exclusive fountain drink and frozen drink flavor.
Fans of the original and new fans of Lymonade Legacy will both feature new designs coinciding with the birth of Hip-Hop. QR codes will appear on the beverage offerings over the summer for fans to enter online “Drop Shops” complete with giveaways and other content that showcase a creative nod from the artists mentioned in the summer campaign.
“Our “Summer of Drops” focuses on our fans’ passion points — music, fashion, art and entertainment — and draws inspiration from sneakerhead drop culture,” Aaliyah Shafiq Ely, VP, Sparkling Flavors Category, added in a comment. “The diverse array of prizes offers something for everyone to get excited about, and our overall campaign is the latest example of Sprite responding to what fans want with both experiences and products.”
Some of those experiences and products include meet-and-greet tickets for Drake’s “It’s All A Blur” and lifetime passes to the Rolling Loud festivals. For Drake, this marks the 11th year since he’s partnered with Sprite, and his tour is his first such outing in five years.
To learn more about Sprite’s summer campaign, click here. Keep scrolling to see the aforementioned ad.
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Photo: Sprite
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