The Master (Rakim album)

The Master
Studio album by Rakim
Released	November 30, 1999
Recorded	1998-1999
Genre	Hip hop
Label	Universal Records 542 082
Producer	DJ Clark Kent, DJ Premier, Punch, Amen-Ra, TR Love, Naughty Shorts, Jaz-O, The 45 King, Nick Wiz
Rakim chronology
The 18th Letter (1997) The Master (1999) The Seventh Seal (2009)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
The Independent	[2]
Los Angeles Daily News	[3]
Los Angeles Times	[4]
NME	(7/10)[5]
Rolling Stone	[6]
The Source	[7]
USA Today	[8]
Vibe	(mixed)[9]
The Village Voice	(unfavorable)[10]

The Master is the second solo album by American hip hop recording artist Rakim, released November 30, 1999, on Universal Records. It serves as the follow-up to Rakim's debut solo album, The 18th Letter (1997). This album would be Rakim's last studio album for nearly a decade, until 2009's The Seventh Seal.

Track listing

#	Title	Producer	Length
1	Intro	Rakim	1:22
2	Flow Forever	DJ Clark Kent	4:11
3	When I B on tha Mic	DJ Premier	3:42
4	Finest Ones (featuring Clark Kent)	DJ Clark Kent	4:24
5	All Night Long	Punch	4:27
6	State of Hip-Hop Interlude	Rakim	0:39
7	Uplift	Amen-Ra	3:09
8	I Know	TR Love	4:07
9	It's the R	DJ Clark Kent	4:15
10	I'll Be There (featuring Nneka Morton)	Naughty Shorts	5:10
11	It's a Must (featuring Rahzel)	Jaz-O	4:24
12	Real Shit	Amen-Ra	4:21
13	How I Get Down	The 45 King	4:05
14	L.I. Interlude	Rakim	0:53
15	Strong Island	Rakim	4:34
16	Waiting for the World to End	DJ Premier	4:05
17	We'll Never Stop (featuring Connie McKendrick)	Nick Wiz	4:19

Samples

• "Flow Forever"
  • "Since We Said Goodbye" by The Counts
• "When I B on Tha Mic"
  • "What the World Needs Now Is Love" by The Artistics
  • "Blind Alley" by The Emotions
• "Finest Ones"
  • "We Belong Together" by The Spinners
• "It's The R"
  • "Mother's Son" by Curtis Mayfield
• "Waiting for the World to End"
  • "Brooks' 50c Tour (Main Title Collage)" by Quincy Jones
  • "Save Me" by Bloodstone
• "How I Get Down"
  • "Funky Drummer" by James Brown
  • "May Lady" by Rodney Franklin
• "I'll Be There"
  • "I'll Be With You" by Grover Washington, Jr.

Chart history

Album

Year	Album	Chart positions
		Billboard 200	Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums
1999	The Master	#72	#7

Singles

Year	Song	Chart positions
		Billboard Hot 100	Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks	Hot Rap Singles
2000	When I B On Tha Mic	-	-	#20

Notes

1. Bush, John. Review: The Master. Allmusic. Retrieved on 2009-08-21.
2. Perry, Tim. Review: The Master. The Independent. Retrieved on 2009-08-21.
3. Columnist. "Review: The Master". Los Angeles Daily News: December 3, 1999.
4. Baker, Soren. Review: The Master. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved on 2009-08-21.
5. Columnist. Review: The Master. NME. Retrieved on 2009-08-21.
6. Hoard, Christian. "Review: The Master". Rolling Stone: 674–675. November 2, 2004.
7. Columnist. "Review: The Master". The Source: 191. January 2000.
8. Jones, Steve. "Review: The Master". USA Today: 04.D. November 30, 1999. Archived from the original on 2009-08-21.
9. Chairman Mao. "Review: The Master". Vibe: 167. February 2000.
10. Lewis, Miles Marshall. Review: The Master. The Village Voice. Retrieved on 2009-08-21.

References

• Nathan Brackett, Christian Hoard (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Completely Revised and Updated 4th Edition. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.

External links

• The Master at MusicBrainz (list of releases)
• The Master at Discogs
• Album Review at The Harvard Crimson
• Album Review at The Independent
• Album Review at RapReviews