♪ want to be the sole controller of the universe ♪ >> rakim is the god mc. 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. ♪ see all there is to see before ♪ >> what i'm trying to do, trying to set examples 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. ♪ >> 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.