Rakim’s been able to remain an important part of the rap game throughout the last few shifts of the genre. And considering it’s been roughly a decade since his last disc, that’s pretty impressive. Starting out as half of the duo of Eric B and Rakim during the ‘80s, the latter eventually solidered out on his own. Making a mark for himself with a pair of solo discs towards the end of the ‘90s solidified Rakim’s status as not only one of the most important emcees of all time, but one of the most generally entertaining.

His renown has persisted since the ’99 release of The Master, which could be construed as one of his weaker releases. Regardless of that fact, Rakim’s returned with his new disc, The Seventh Seal, and seems to seamlessly pick up where he left off. There’s been a long and harrowing back story affixed to this release for as long as rumors of the disc’s intended existence has been around. It was at one point tied to Dre and Aftermath. That situation, though, hit the skids pretty quickly.

A decade’s a long time. And really, after even a cursory listen to the disc, The Seventh Seal delivers pretty much anything that a fan might have hoped for. It’s not a masterpiece, I don’t think, but it’s all solid beats and rather thoughtful couplets.

The production – overwhelmingly contributed by Nick Wiz – doesn’t come off as too tough. It’s ample and there aren’t any losers, but a few too many ladies hitting the hook doesn’t serve the disc over all. And the surprise inclusion of No Doubt’s “Doubt Speak” on the album’s final track, while not out place, might be a bit too startling for those of us that recall Gwen’s ascent to stardom. Weird, to say the least.

Lyrically, Rakim remains in roughly the same territory that his past releases have placed him. There’re varied references to his faith and, of course, his skills. In that, whether or not it’s perceived as a criticism, the emcee seems to be even more ready to drop down politically charged names. Yeah, Louis Farrakahn get’s checked – and for whatever reason there hasn’t been any sort of comment upon that in the media. But with Rakim perhaps dethroning KRS One as true school hip hop’s mouth piece (?), it’s important to note the living well has always been a part of the concerted effort that this rapper’s discography is concerned with.

Thugs get mentioned and discussed - "Message in the Song" talks about how Rakim’s been wronged over time. But there certainly isn’t any advocacy. No specific solutions get alluded to, which is usually a short coming that any politically or religiously conscious performer has to deal with. After such a storied career, though, it would seem that some answers need to be forth coming.

Politicization of the culture has long been cried out for, but never achieved. Yeah, there’s a black president – who’s name checked here as well – but there’re still more problems to deal with than pratfalls of success.