Rakim’s birth name is William Michael Griffin Jr.
Born on January 28, 1968, in Wyandanch, New York, he became known professionally as Rakim Allah and simply Rakim. He formed the influential duo Eric B. & Rakim with DJ Eric Barrier during the 1980s.
Rakim’s controlled delivery, internal rhymes, and extended multisyllabic patterns helped reshape expectations for technical rap writing. Eric B. & Rakim’s 1987 debut album, Paid in Full, and its title track became especially important to the development of East Coast hip hop.
Rakim is sometimes confused with fellow New York lyricists such as Kool G Rap or Big Daddy Kane because all three are associated with rap’s late-1980s golden age. His birth name, however, is William Michael Griffin Jr.; Rakim Allah is his adopted Muslim name and professional form.