Jay-Z and Eminem Join Forces for Rakim’s ‘G.O.D.’s Network’

Rakim’s return to the studio for his upcoming project, G.O.D.’s Network: 7.26, has facilitated the first collaboration between Jay-Z and Eminem since 2002’s ‘Renegade.’ The track, titled ‘Be Ill,’ also features Wu-Tang Clan’s Masta Killa and Kurupt, marking a rare convergence of the architects of the 1990s lyricism boom. While the industry has spent two decades debating who had the better verse on their last outing, this link-up serves a different purpose. It places the two commercial titans back into the orbit of Rakim, the man who fundamentally restructured the DNA of the internal rhyme scheme. By bringing together the East Coast’s most disciplined technician and the Midwest’s most elastic one, Rakim isn't just releasing an album; he’s reclaiming his position as the genre's gravitational center. G.O.D.’s Network: 7.26 is scheduled for release on July 26, featuring further appearances from Method Man, Prodigy, and Snoop Dogg.