This is a thing I'm wondering. I haven't heard much from the other fanbase and I haven't heard their reactions being talked about here!
Rakim just showed Mike how to rap. Tho, this song is gonna be weird live if Rakim doesnt do his verses.
WHAT. Defiantly a highlight lyrically. I just think the build up before the first chorus and the intro are really strong too. And don't forget the solo at the end. Overall I have overplayed the song a bit (as to be expected) but I don't "hate it" yet, so that is a good thing. Would probably give it a 8,5/10 which is better than most of LT. I can't wait for to hear the rest!
I'm really eager to see how Mike performs this rap live. First I didn't really liked that they used Rakim in the song. I thought they have a rapper, why do they just abandon him? Now I think Rakim really gave the song the punch, though Mike could've performed well probably too.
Again, like many have said before, it's highly likely Mike will NOT do Rakim's verse live, as there's an "unwritten rule" in hip hop where you should NOT rap someone else's verses.
So they either won't play it live at all or cut Rakim's part out or replace it with something else (extended guitar solo, different rap [maybe from some other song?], crowd involvement...)? What do you think?
I've heard Rakim fans say that they hate it and I've heard from other Rakim fans that they loved it. I think it's kind of a mixed opinion.
LP never play Numb/Encore or any Collision Course songs without Jay, so I'd say it would be the same here. And if they do, there's no way Mike would attempt Rakim's verse.
From a lot of Rakim fans i`ve heard that they like it. As a fan of Rakim, I think he moved the song into another dimension, his verse is epic. God MC showed to Mike how to do it, one of the greatest rappers ever. I think that Mike`s live version is pretty good too.