Ghostwriting isn't as big of a deal these days as it used to be. People have just openly stated that they've had help writing their music in the past which to most hip-hop purists is a faux pas. At the end of the day, there's a difference between priding yourself on being a skilled MC rather than a hit-maker so when you claim an actual MC is using a ghostwriter, things could get heated.
Last year, MC Serch sat down with Vlad TV where he discussed allegedly being asked to writing lyrics for Rakim. Apparently, Serch got a call from Lyor Cohen who claimed that Rakim was in a bit of a writer's block and was hoping Serch might help write a few things for the God MC. Serch explained that Eric B ended up hearing about this and was not pleased. He claimed that Eric B. never spoke to him again.
Now, this interview was done in 2018. Rakim's currently on a promo run for his new book, Sweat The Technique. During a pitstop at Shade45, Rakim finally addressed the claims and needless to say, he wasn't happy over these allegations. He seemed taken aback by the interviewer's question at first but he made it clear that he's not playing.
"No disrespect to my man Serch but I will knock my man the f*ck out if he is trying to say that he wrote something or I needed some help. Don’t throw no bullsh*t in the game 40 years later, man. Serch, I love you man but I will knock you the f*ck out, f*cking up my legacy. Don’t do that. Never," he said.