At the 65th Annual GRAMMY Awards, two of Hip-Hop's most well-known lyricists recently met, with Jay-Z naming Rakim as his "pave the way" for himself and others throughout his career.
Ra noticed Hov walking in his direction, prompting the 55-year-old to approach his Brooklyn counterpart to exchange pleasantries.
Jay expressing his gratitude to Ra for his exceptional wordsmithing.
“Thank you for everything, brother.” the billionaire mogul said. “Thank you for the asphalt you laid.”
Torae Carr, a SiriusXM personality and Recording Academy Chapter president, documented the moment and shared it for the world to see. A number of rap experts agree that it is significant in the culture's history.
Rakim released three studio albums, the most recent being The Seventh Seal in 2009.
The Long Island native was a guest artist in the GRAMMY's Hip-Hop 50 tribute led by LL Cool J, which featured over one dozen performers and accounted for a handful of genre-defining records throughout the previous four decades.
Jay-Z was not only performing DJ Khaled's "GOD DID" song, but was also assisting his wife, who became the most decorated artist in Grammy history after winning her 32nd prize that night.
Rakim appeared on Jay-Z's The Blueprint 2: The Gift and the Curse album on the song "The Watcher 2" featuring Dr. Dre and Truth Hurts.
Below, hear Jay-Z's "The Watcher 2."
