Rakim, a.k.a. the God MC, has been arrested on several occasions for failing to pay child support for his kid with Nicole Smith. The child support battles, however, haven’t harmed his relationship with his wife Felicia, and they are still happily married.
Rakim, popularly known as the God MC, is credited with pioneering the use of multisyllabic rhyming. The Wu-Tang Clan, 2Pac, Nas, Jay-Z, The Notorious B.I.G., and Eminem are just a few of the MCs and rappers who have been inspired and impacted by the hip-hop icon.
The 52-year-old artist is married to Felicia, his childhood sweetheart who is now his wife, and they have three children together. He has a son with Nicole Smith, in addition to his five children. Despite being a family guy, he was arrested several times for failing to pay child support for his kid with Nicole.
Rakim was arrested after a dispute with Nicole Smith about child support
While Rakim’s relationship with Nicole does not appear to have caused any problems for his current family, it did cause him problems in other ways. He was arrested in 2004 for allegedly failing to make child support payments.
Smith stated on Hot 97’s Morning Show that Rakim was behind on child support payments by $25,000 and that he hadn’t seen their son in five years. The MC stated that he was unaware of the warrant and that this was not the first time he had been wrongly arrested for child support nonpayment. Rakim stated that he found out he was father when he was arrested for the same accusations previously.
Relationship Status
The ‘Eric B for President’ rapper met his wife, Felicia, in high school and they are still together now. They have three children together: Tahmell Griffin and Jabar Griffin, two males, and Destiny Griffin, a daughter.
Rakim has also spoken about how his parents educated him about life and marriage by setting a wonderful example for him. The rapper was questioned if his parents’ relationship had an impact on his marriage when he appeared on The Breakfast Club. He said that it did, and he was grateful that he had been raised properly.
Without a question. They instilled in me a lot of positive values. Even now, I act as if my mother and father are criticizing me. They’re both gone now. They gave me a fantastic upbringing.
He is regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time
Rakim, whose full name is William Michael Griffin Jr., is one of the most influential and skilled emcees of all time, as well as a master lyricist. He changed the face of hip-hop by introducing remarkable lyrics and sophisticated rhyme patterns to the genre. In 2012, The Source voted him #1 on their list of the “Top 50 Lyricists of All Time.”
Rakim began rapping at the age of seven and rose to prominence as part of the hip-hop duo Erin B. and Rakim after the song “Eric B for President.” Paid in Full, their debut album, reached #58 on the Billboard 200 list. After the pair broke up in 1993, Rakim embarked on a solo career, releasing his debut album The 18th Letter in 1996. It reached #4 on the Billboard 200 and was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America.
Even at his advanced age, the hip-hop superstar is constantly touring. Rakim wrote a book part memoir titled ‘Sweat the Technique: Revelations on Creativity from the Lyrical Genius’ on September 24, 2019, to contribute to his legacy. It gives us a glimpse into his life and is intended to inspire artists of all types.
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