3 Ways Rakim Changed Rap Flow on Paid in Full

Rhymed in the middle of bars Instead of placing rhymes at the end of bars like most rappers, Rakim put them in the center, breaking hip-hop’s predictable end-rhyme patterns.

Borrowed phrasing from jazz saxophone He adapted the fluid, syncopated phrasing of jazz saxophonists, letting his words drift across beats rather than landing squarely on them.

Opened up new possibilities for flow By abandoning rigid bar-by-bar rhyming, Rakim showed rappers that flow could be more flexible, complex, and musical — a shift that influenced nearly every MC after him.