I AIN'T NO JOKE, OR "SWEAT THE TECHNIQUE: REVELATIONS ON CREATIVITY FROM THE LYRICAL GENIUS" BY RAKIM

If you come across a list ranking the top MCs of all time and Rakim isn't in the top one or two slots, you are reading a wack list and it should be reported to the proper authorities immediately. 

Rakim was there at the birth of hip-hop, experiencing DJ Kool Herc's early DJ parties, writing rhymes at 7 and probably the guy most responsible for transforming hip-hop from simple rhymes told on the beat to using multisyllablic words with a smoother, more laid-back flow. And dude released "Paid in Full" as a high school senior, which is mind-blowing, especially if you've kept any of your high school poetry around (unless of, course, you managed to write a line as cool as "I hold the microphone like a grudge" as a high schooler).

I had no idea Rakim wrote a book, once again I just happened upon it browsing the music section at work, and was pleasantly surprised. While most musician memoirs tend to use a more casual voice, like a friend recounting well-known stories, or an AA member telling their rock-bottom nightmares, "Sweat the Technique" has a more formal tone - like I felt myself sitting up straighter when reading it. 

And Rakim does more than just tell his life story - the book is interspersed with chapter-length breakdowns of his songs, showing the process and structure behind his wordplay, as well as chapters that could be part of a self-help book, discussing how to improve both artistically and as a person. There's some Nation of Islam/Five Percent Nation/Sacred Mathematics stuff in there that went completely over my head, but on the whole, "Sweat the Technique" is a fascinating look at the life and craft of one of the best MCs ever.

Sex/Drugs/Bad Behavior
Let's say 4/10. There's some pre-teen juvenile delinquency, but drugs and sex don't play much of a part. 

Opens in Media res?
Kinda? The first page is an ode to craft - to focusing your concentration to overcome writer's block

Percentage of Music in the Bio
Let's say 70 percent. Rakim was obsessed with music - both creating and listening. While James Brown and John Coltrane get major namechecks, he has wide-ranging tastes, and finds something of value in seemingly everything he's ever heard.

Buy, Borrow from the Library, or Pass

Buy it cheap or borrow it. Not only does it serve as an eyewitness document to the golden age of hip-hop, aspiring writers could benefit from Rakim's tips - sort of like how you don't have to be a horror fan to appreciate Stephen King's "On Writing."