Sweat the Technique: Revelations on Creativity from the Lyrical Genius

4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars | 1,535 ratings

Price: 16.53

Last update: 12-23-2024


About this item

The musician and hip-hop legend - hailed as “the greatest MC of all time” and compared to Thelonious Monk - reimagines the writing handbook in this memoir and guide that incorporates the soulful genius, confidence, and creativity of a master artist.

When he exploded on the music scene, musical genius Rakim was hailed for his brilliant artistic style, adding layers, complexity, depth, musicality, and soul to rap. More than anyone, Rakim has changed the way MCs rhyme. Calm on the mic, his words combine in a frenzy of sound, using complicated patterns based on multisyllabic rhymes and internal rhythms. Rakim can tell a story about a down-on-his-luck man looking for a job and turn it into an epic tale and an unforgettable rhyme. He is not just a great songwriter - he’s a great modern writer.

Part memoir, part writing guide, Sweat the Technique offers insight into how Rakim thinks about words, music, writing, and rhyming as it teaches writers of all levels how to hone their craft. It is also a rare glimpse into Rakim’s private life, full of entertaining personal stories from his youth on Long Island growing up in a home and community filled with musicians to the clubs of New York and the studios of Los Angeles during his rise to the top of popular music. Rakim celebrates the influences that shaped his development, including the jazz music of John Coltrane and the spirituality of the streets, and shares anecdotes spotlighting personalities such as LL Cool J and Dr. Dre, among others.

Filled with valuable lessons for every writer, Sweat the Technique reveals the heart and mind of an artist and his love for great storytelling and, always, the words.


Top reviews from the United States

  • Carlos Wallace
    5.0 out of 5 stars "more than just a memoir; it’s a journey back to my childhood"
    Reviewed in the United States on August 19, 2024
    Sweat the Technique is a masterful journey into the mind of one of the greatest rappers of all time, Rakim. As someone who has admired Rakim since 1985, when I first heard his music playing from a friend’s boom box on the bus, this book was an absolute treasure. Growing up in a small town in East Texas, we were probably late to the new sound, but when I first heard Rakim, I was completely blown away. His lyrical genius and unique style left a lasting impression on me, and he quickly became my favorite rapper.

    This book took me back to those days, reminding me of the impact Rakim had on my life and how his music shaped my understanding of hip-hop. Sweat the Technique isn’t just a book about creativity—it’s a revelation. Rakim shares his insights on writing, inspiration, and the discipline it takes to be a true artist. His reflections on his craft are both profound and relatable, offering a glimpse into the mind of a lyrical genius who has influenced countless artists and fans over the decades.

    Thank you, Mr. Griffin, for this incredible book. It’s more than just a memoir; it’s a journey back to my childhood and a deep dive into the artistry that has made Rakim a legend. For any fan of hip-hop, this book is a must-read.
  • Michael J. Henry
    5.0 out of 5 stars Very good book about being a Hip Hop MC
    Reviewed in the United States on January 17, 2021
    I've now read KRS 1, RZA, U God and some other stuff from hip hop artists and this is a good one. Rakim breaks down his main events in his life and things a MC might want to know and relish. I really dig how he is a mystic, because that speaks to me much more than gangster rap and young/sex/drug/money stuff...which I can enjoy like a small desert from time to time without it warping my spiritual way of thinking; all that stuff is kind of like succumbing to shallowing exciting temptations when the greatest stuff is simple inner wisdom and a life that isn't a circus of being a big somebody, pleasure and bragging. Rakim makes being a nobody...but yet one who serves in the capacity that he does, something that many MC's (including many of the greats) won't ever achieve with all the women and cars out there to hijack their pen for a whispering shadow dangling fantasies....

    Good book:)
  • Sheldon S. Taylor
    5.0 out of 5 stars More EP Than Full Player, Sweat The Technique Still Has Enough Soul To Move The Crowd
    Reviewed in the United States on September 28, 2019
    Thirty plus years after his debut, Rakim invites readers to follow the leader into his literary universe Sweat The Technique: Revelations On A Creativity From A Lyrical Genius. Billed as "part memoir-part writing guide," Ra goes behind the rhyme and explores the technique and inspiration behind his conceptual genius. He also shares perspectives on his spiritual views and offers motivational jewels for the reader.

    Offering rare reflections of his life and career, Rakim still holds the literary reigns tight like a grudge. Leaving topics previously touched on in social media blogs and old interviews on the cutting room floor, Rakim bypasses wild-style stories of his younger days when he and DJ Eric B rolled deep with the infamous Paid In Full posse. Ditto for the obligatory mouth-dropping industry confessions and untold stories recounting the late Eighties' testosterone-filled rap industry.

    Technique really comes alive when Rakim reflects on his early days as "Popo" and "Lil Griff"---the scrappy kid from Wyandanch, Long Island, part music/sports prodigy----part gun-toting hard rock, nurtured by his mother's support and guided by his father's wise and steady hand. Recounting the oft-told story of his entry in the rap game, Rakim shares how an unexpected visit from Eric B puts him on the fast track to becoming the teen-aged hip hop prodigy---automatically better than every rap peer and pioneer.

    Technique captures the dizzying highs: the big money paydays and rapid career ascent requiring Rakim to drop out of school. The bidding war that led to him signing the first million-dollar rap contract at the tender age of twenty. ("Just two years earlier, I had no thought of making money as a MC and now I was out buying a Benz, a Jeep Cherokee, jewelry, clothes and sneakers."). It reveals the lows: the pressures of young fatherhood and his grandmother's passing. Rakim expresses the guilt of reluctantly tending to a hot careers while his hero---his beloved father succumbed to bone cancer.

    Momentarily pulling back the veil of discretion, Rakim shares stories of his first love and briefly unpacks his sometimes conflicted relationship with his partner. He celebrates the accomplishments of their unlikely partnership while revealing his desire to be independent of it at the start of their journey. He revisits the growing pains, creative and business differences that would lead to their breakup as well as their tension filled and triumphant reunion.

    Sweat The Technique's circular prose at times can be thematic. Like Rakim's syncopated flow, it swings back and forth, both discreet and revealing all at once. Recollections capture the GOD MC's many moods and grooves. Bold and testy like Miles. Enigmatic like Monk. An ember-like spirit stoked by competition and self-mastery. A soaring rap deity whose family is the wind beneath his wings. More EP than a full-length player, Sweat The Technique still has enough soul to move the crowd.
  • Bonnie Boe
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great Memoir
    Reviewed in the United States on January 5, 2024
    I bought this for my son as if it’s his favorite all time artist. He said that this memoir was so informative and that if you are a hip hop or rap person you should definitely give this book a read. Life from the perspective of the artist, though not an autobiography, clearly gives introspective into his life! He has started to reread it already he said it is that good.
  • Dante Scott
    4.0 out of 5 stars RAKIM THE GREAT
    Reviewed in the United States on March 24, 2020
    Great insight into Rakim the MC. This man is about more then just rhyming words at the end of a sentence.
  • @Earthatone
    5.0 out of 5 stars A GIFT FOR CREATIVE ARTISTS
    Reviewed in the United States on September 28, 2019
    The ability to write well requires discipline. Rakim is a true wordsmith. His lyricism doesn't just end syncopated over break-beats. Rakim breathes life into his life story with masterful selections of words. Memoir writing presents a struggle of how much to reveal. Sweat the Technique: Revelations on Creativity from the Lyrical Genius is an eloquent personal narrative, disclosing never-before-told details of the multidisciplinary Hip Hop musician and master lyricist, as well as his iconic career. This memoir is instruction for creative artists just beginning to break a sweat, a gift in that it is a detailed blueprint of his technique for spinning thoughts into platinum.

    Eartha Watts Hicks
    Harlem World Magazine
  • Sherlonzo R. Pennix
    5.0 out of 5 stars The R! One of the Greatest of All Time!
    Reviewed in the United States on August 1, 2022
    I consider Rakim as one of the greatest emcees of all time. If he's not on your Mount Rushmore of emcees, i don't know what you're thinking. I truly enjoyed the honor and privilege to read and learn more about "The R"!

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