Music: Hip Hop Live! tour: Follow the leader

When God speaks, you listen. Hip-hop pioneer Rakim -- called "the God MC" long before Jay-Z -- said it best when describing the significance of his current Hip Hop Live! tour with the Wu-Tang Clan's Ghostface Killah and indie star Brother Ali.

"It's more like we're making a statement," Rakim said. "We all kind of climbed the same tree. We love that raw, sampled sound of hip-hop. So it was a smart setup taking these brothers on the road."

For Rakim, the message is simple: The style of hip-hop he helped pioneer in the 1980s -- a gritty New York sound with intricate, streetwise lyrics -- still matters. Hip Hop Live! is a rare chance for fans to see three like-minded MCs from three different eras on the same bill, rocking a style that's almost extinct on commercial radio.

For Minneapolis' Brother Ali, it's a dream come true.

"I'm excited as hell," Ali said. "Rakim is one of the greatest MCs of all time. It's weird, man, to have an icon growing up and then [to] become friends with him. That's incredible. I'll never get over it."

For many purists, Rakim is the greatest of all time (Ali says he's tied for No. 1 with Melle Mel and KRS-One, in case you're keeping tabs). Ali sees the tour as a chance for his young fans to finally see the man who influenced so many.

Before Rakim, rap was simple. Hip-hop was mostly party music rhymed in standard couplets. In 1987, Rakim and his producer, Eric B., released their debut "Paid in Full," showcasing complex rhyme structures such as internal and multisyllable rhymes. Rakim recorded into the late '90s, but has been quiet since a dream deal with Dr. Dre went sour a few years ago. Now Rakim, 39, plans to release his first album in eight years in early 2008.

"He did things over the course of his first few albums that changed rap forever," Ali said. "Any Rakim song, you can just say the words and they should be able to stand by themselves." To demonstrate, Ali breaks into Rakim's 1987 song "I Know You Got Soul":

"I start to think and then I sink into the paper like I was ink/ When I'm writing I'm trapped in between the lines/ I escape when I finish the rhyme."

Both Ali and Ghostface have paid homage in their songs. Ali opens his latest album, "The Undisputed Truth," with the lyric "I came in the door, 1984" -- a reference to Rakim's "Eric B. Is President" ("I came in the door, said it before/ I'll never let the mic magnetize me no more.")

Ali got to know Rakim last year, when the two toured together. Rakim said he sees some of himself in Ali.

"I like what he stands for," Rakim said. "Word up. He knows hip-hop; he loves his hip-hop. We need more new artists that understand the game like he do."

Ali has been a strong advocate of keeping hip-hop history alive. He sought out early-'80s legend Whipper Whip of the Fantastic Five to appear on "The Undisputed Truth." And Ali's 7-year-old son knows all the words to the title song of Rakim's "Paid in Full."It's important to me," Ali said. "A lot of my fans are younger kids who didn't grow up with hip-hop, and they didn't really feel like they had a place in hip-hop until guys like Slug from Atmosphere, Aesop Rock and Sage Francis really made them feel welcomed. So what I think a lot of us have always wanted to do has been to point them in this direction. Yeah, it's cool to love us, but we're really big on always acknowledging why we really love this."

Going the independent route

Now Rakim is taking a page from Ali's book by going indie. After his deal with Dr. Dre ended, Rakim couldn't find another home with the major labels, as is the case with most hip-hop pioneers now. ("I personally feel like these people should be treated like the Beatles," Ali said. "It's despicable.") Rakim is finishing up the details of his own indie label, which he's calling Ra Records.

Ali himself is doing just fine on local indie powerhouse Rhymesayers. He performed on "Late Night With Conan O'Brien" last month and has gotten his picture in every music magazine that matters.

Even though Rakim is going indie, he plans to make an impact with his next album, "The Seventh Seal."There's a lot of negativity going on," Rakim said. "You can make an album without selling a ki [kilo], without killing somebody and without showing off how much money you got."

A large part of Rakim's legacy is about sticking to his proven formula, even if it meant bucking trends, Ali said.

"In the '80s, rap wasn't as big as it is now," Rakim said. "But at the same time, rappers [knew] that the market was changing. And you had artists that was going for the crossover. But I chose not to do it.

"Now, the love I get in the street and from fellow artists is what keeps me here, 20-something years later. It's been a long journey, man."

Tom Horgen • 612-673-7909

Tom Horgen • thorgen@startribune.com