The Seventh Seal
Rakim retreated to his Connecticut estate to work leisurely on music. Not having released an album since 1999, he eschewed touring in favor of infrequent gigs. Rakim was able to retain the tracks he had made with Dr. Dre and, in 2006, announced that he would release a new studio album, "The Seventh Seal". The album was delayed into 2009; instead, he followed up with a live album, "", in 2008. In an interview with "Billboard" in 2007, when asked about story behind "The Seventh Seal"s title, Rakim said,