BET to Present The “I Am Hip Hop Icon” Award To Legendary MC, Rakim

BET Networks today announced that legendary MC, Rakim will be the recipient of the “I Am Hip Hop Icon” Award at this year’s BET Hip Hop Awards filming at the Boisfeuillet Jones Atlanta Civic Center in Atlanta on Saturday, September 29, 2012. Rakim will be acknowledged and honored for his contribution to the music industry as being one of the greatest lyricists of all time.

Rakim’s intricately intellectual lyrics draw their force from his worldly experience, inner faith and progressive contemplation. His liquid and seemingly effortless delivery – often imitated but still unrivaled – from a fire fueled by a deep understanding of not just Hip-Hop, but also the Jazz and R&B influences that have surrounded his family since his youth. His recordings – including the all-time classics Paid In Full, Follow the Leader and The 18th Letter – have sold in the multi-millions worldwide. Billboard, Rolling Stone, MTV and a host of others consistently refer to Paid in Full as “the greatest Hip-Hop album of all time” – a claim that often repeated in audience polls. In the history of the Hip-Hop, few artists have had as great an impact on the development and progression of the art forms lyrical style as Rakim Allah.

Previous “I AM HIP HOP ICON” recipients include Grandmaster Flash (2006); KRS-One (2007); Russell Simmons (2008); Ice Cube (2009); Salt N Pepa (2010) and LL Cool J (2011).