How Bruce Lee influenced Rakim to become a hip-hop icon
The world of Rakim is a wondrous one. The legendary rapper is rightly regarded as one of the greatest to ever pick up the mic. However, to get the confidence to even think about going to a party and asking to spit some bars, he would require more inspiration than his fellow MCs could offer.
There are many legendary African American sportsmen. From Muhammad Ali to Michael Jordan, athletes are often some of the biggest inspirations to young kids. However, although many MCs in hip-hop watched basketball when they grew up and idolised NBA stars, during the 1970s and ‘80s, Kung-Fu and Karate films proved to be surprisingly popular with African American viewers, and the martial arts actor Bruce Lee was someone who really captured the imagination of kids.
The Wu-Tang Clan epitomised Kung-Fu’s relationship with hip-hop, which goes back to the 1970s. As Bruce Lee rose to fame in the early ‘70s, another film genre began to explode—blaxploitation.
One iconic black actor from this era who also happened to be a martial artist was Jim Kelly, and soon, he began to appear in said movies. In 1973, Jim Kelly & Bruce Lee shared the screen for the cult classic Enter The Dragon. The movie became a smash and was the beginning of a strange black American affinity for Chinese culture.
Only a decade later, Berry Gordy, the founder of Motown Records, produced The Last Dragon, which only deepened the love. During the 1980s, Rakim was one of the many African-Americans lapping up these types of films, especially ones starring Bruce Lee.
In a 2019 interview with Salon magazine, the ‘Paid In Full’ musician explained why he and his friends were so fascinated by Bruce Lee, detailing, “I think it was because we couldn’t understand it, you know what I mean? Everything else we were used to in America.”
He continued, “But this brother came from overseas with this brand new fighting style, and it was amazing to watch him do his thing and to imagine how small he was, but how nice he was and how confident he was and how mental he was. And that’s the thing I got from Bruce Lee later.”
Recalling his journey with Bruce Lee and Kung-Fu flicks, Rakim admitted that at first, he thought it was all about the physical but then realised that even martial arts required mental strength, which prompted him to approach music the same way.
Speaking about the journey, Rakim told Salon, “At first, I used to watch the movies and go kick at your friend, you know what I mean? Sneak your friend, kick them in the back. But later on, I started realizing how mental Bruce was.”
He concluded, “I started to realize even the most physical sport or the most physical thing acquires thought, mental. I just had that must more respect for him, knowing what drove him to be as great as he was. He just had that passion and that push to get him to where he was.”
Kung-fu even had an impact on the B-boy scene, although to a lesser extent, it undoubtedly made its way into the music through references, samples, artwork and much more.