Here’s a fantastic interview of Rakim by Shawn Setaro from earlier in the year. Setaro, former Editor in Chief of Rap Genius, has a podcast series called The Cipher, and he approaches the conversations with the intellect and depth of a true student of the game. He questions Rakim about all eras of his career but with the type of expert knowledge that causes the God MC to go deep in his explanations. Rakim discusses the hidden messages in his music, being the first to use the term “dead presidents” on wax, writing his lyrics encoded with graffiti because he once lost his rhyme book and much more. No matter how much you know about Rakim, you will learn something from this interview. Check it out.

Related: Young Masters At Work: Eric B. & Rakim’s My Melody Rare 1986 Marley Marl Remix (Audio)