Rakim on Premier tracks and working with Dr. Dre

ThaFormula.com - I mean your rhymes were on point without a doubt, but I was also blown away and I don't know if this is true, but I heard that all the Primo tracks were rejected? Rakim - Yeah, somewhat bro, he sent a couple of tracks and for one reason or another they turned them down, so it's like you know Dre has got a vision as far as where he wants the album to go. So I'ma respect that vision. So at the end of the day once we get up in the lab and you know see what we got then that's when the conscious decision is gonna be made, but right now we just trying to find the right joints, get the chemistry right and make an incredible album. If it takes me doing 20 tracks and picking the best 13, if it takes us turning down some tracks to get a better one, we gotta do what we gotta do. My man Premier, he is a professional. It didn't worry him at all. He was like "well whatever man, I'll make some new joints, send them to you and we will get it poppin' like that."

ThaFormula.com - What did you think of the Primo beats that were given to you. I mean is the album a decision between both you and Dre or is it mainly Dre's decision on what the beats are gonna be used?

Rakim - Well nah at the end of the day, I gotta write to it, but what I'm doin' right now, uh Dre is a multi-platinum artist, I'm an underground artist. I make joints for the underground. When it comes to makin' multi-sellin' CD's I'll leave that to Dre. I'ma trust him 100 percent on this.