The majority of The Archive was recorded at a live date in New York in 2007 or early 2008. Even though the set primarily contains abbreviated versions of works from Rakim’s back catalog, the raw, spontaneous quality of the live recordings gives the songs a distinctive energy. Even though they were recorded before a packed club audience, the recordings are such that the listener can imagine Rakim performing “My Melody,” “Don’t Sweat the Technique.” “Ghetto” and “Move the Crowd” in a Bronx gymnasium in the old days of hip-hop. The deejay’s raw cuts help give the recordings an authentic air. Still, the real meat of this collection is the new studio songs. In “Hip Hop” and “It’s Nothing” Rakim offers a State of Hip-Hop Address. The former song outlines the difference between Rakim and his junior competitors, and gives credence to the live recordings that comprise the second half of this compilation: “Some of us love to flow till the club close / Some love to blow for the love of dough / In it for fortune and fame flamboyant for good / They extorting the game / Exploiting the hood.”