>> rakim is the god emcee. he single-handedly changed the phrasing of rap music and hip-hop. he came to the world like a poet. ♪ hard on the boulevard ♪ i never get scarred >> i learned different rhythms listening to jazz. i learned different rhythms. so i kind of incorporated that in my rhyme style. not just the regular doom, doom, doom. i was in between, doo-doom, doo-doom, doo-doom. ♪ to be all i can be and more ♪ see all there is to see before ♪ >> i'm trying to set an example for the little kids, know what i'm saying. got to teach the babies, know what i'm saying, try to lead them in the right path. ♪ ♪ without pause >> the summer of 1987, "rebel without a pause" comes out. it was a call to arms, it was the sound of anger, it was the sound of something boiling under. public enemy literally said we want to be music's worst nightmare. >> public enemy's extreme politics has meant almost no radio air play, even on black stations. it's rap for a reason. they call it a mind revolution. ♪ a rebel in his own mind