I was proud of "Untittled" & "Distant Relatives" because they were cultural projects released into a mainstream that is over saturated with compromising pop songs and Eurocentric themed projects that don't speak to the community that birthed HipHop.
I'm completely immersed in the culture so I view Rakim almost as a deity and I my respect and deference comes from his lyrical poetry, timeless songs and influence within the culture lololol his finances and shareholdings never enter my mind.
Could you imagine people questioning Jerry Rice legacy as an athlete because he never sold billions of shoes or cans of Chunky soup??
Could you imagine Denzel Washingtons legacy as an actor being questioned because he didn't start his own production company??
Many outside fans have been brainwashed and conditioned to believe that a rapper is somehow less of a rapper if he mainly focuses on music, and performing rather than selling products.
The one curious fellow with the MJ avatar has failed to address why rappers are held to these insane standards that athletes, actors, and other entertainers are not.